Nonprofits lend helping hand

Our region’s citizens step forward to provide opportunities for those less fortunate.

RYAN KOHN SPORTS EDITOR

Americans have each other’s backs.

It’s an idea taken for granted, often forgotten until someone we know needs help, but it is true that at our lowest moments, someone will be willing to help.

Since assisting each other is a foundation of who we are, here’s a highlight of nonprofit organizations that help this community every day, in various ways. Whether it is by advancing someone’s career, giving someone a place to stay, helping someone improve their communication abilities or just helping someone feel better about themselves when they’re at their lowest, these organizations are making a difference.

skills training, career planning and educational scholarships in Manatee and Sarasota Counties.

First-hand account: Six years ago, Adrianne Luetzow was referred to the Women’s Resource Center after she experienced a disturbance in her family’s home life.

Luetzow, 40, is a mother of five, and after suddenly finding herself alone, was in a difficult position. Her driver’s license was suspended, she said. She was having trouble paying bills. She had been out of the workforce as a stay-at-home mom for approximately a decade.

Working with Regina Morris, a WRC case manager, Luetzow started putting her life back together.

Luetzow said the WRC helped link her with a pro bono attorney who got her license cleared.

They enrolled her in financial literacy classes.

Luetzow met with WRC volunteers who helped polish her work resume.

Harvest House

Founded: 1992

Mission: To democratize affordable housing, addiction recovery, workforce development and food security to improve economic status and stabilize lives

How it accomplishes its mission: By having nine supportive housing campuses and 25 affordable rentals, encompassing more than 400 beds and serving more than 1,000 individuals annually

First-hand account: Arianna Adoptante, 28, started abusing substances when she was 18. Over time, Adoptante said her substance abuse caused a lot of issues with her family and led her to years of couchhopping without a place to consider home.

In 2020, Adoptante became pregnant. She tried a different rehab centers, she said, but none were all that effective. The restrictions they placed on her life caused even more pressure and didn’t help her.

Adoptante’s son, Asher, was born in August 2021, and Adoptante was still struggling. Florida Department of Children and Families became involved, giving Adoptante an ultimatum: get the help she needed or be deemed an unfit mother. That is when Adoptante decided to try Harvest House, a decision she is thrilled she made.

Adoptante is staying at one of Harvest House’s supportive housing campuses as part of the organization’s addiction services program, where she can stay for up to two years.

Adoptante said the program puts an emphasis on freedom: there are some necessary check-ins, she said, but she’s being allowed to live her life and grow as a person as a result.

“(Other places) don’t give you the ability to make your own choices,” Adoptante said. “It’s overwhelming. There’s a lot of structure and you’re always in meetings or in groups talking about how to get sober. At Harvest House, I actually get to put all those skills I spent learning into practice (on her own) to see how successful I could be. It has been great to have people supporting me while still feeling like I’m in control of my life.”

Adoptante said she has set a goal to have enough money at the end of her stay to afford an apartment for her and her son.

WOMEN’S RESOURCE CENTER

Founded: 1979

Mission: To engage, educate, enrich and empower women of all generations. How it accomplishes its mission: Providing women (and men) with life

From there, Luetzow went back to school, taking classes with Sarasota Technical College to obtain an accounting certificate. Separately, Luetzow said, the center offered her counseling for domestic violence.

She’s now been back in the workforce for more than two years, working with Sarasota Medical Products.

“Now, my family is stable, my finances are stable, and we have a vehicle,” Luetzow said. “(The center) was so helpful to me in a time of crisis, just knowing that I could reach out about any area of need.”

MANASOTA BUDS

Founded: 2002

Mission: To provide families with a neutral and supportive forum for sharing and networking, and to promote understanding and acceptance of Down syndrome.

How it accomplishes its mission: Programs and social gatherings designed for everyone from “Baby Buds” (0-2 years old) to “Cool Buds” (adults), giving the opportunity to build meaningful friendships and support one another.

First-hand account: After Patricia Crauwels gave birth to her daughter, Rachel, she only heard the “nos.”

Rachel, now 22, was born with Down syndrome. Crauwels, 64, said the geneticists and other medical professionals she talked to focused heavily on the things Rachel would never be able to do.

“I’ll never forget it,” Crauwels said. “It was all negative. It was mindboggling, to be honest.”

What Crauwels wanted was a place her daughter would be given positive support, as well as a place where she could work out her own feelings. Crauwels felt adrift, she said, unsure of what she should be doing.

When she found Manasota BUDS — Bringing Up Down Syndrome — it was a relief for her and for Rachel.

While Rachel participated in things like BUDS’ musical therapy program, Crauwels talked with other parents about all the questions and concerns she had: what worked for someone else when trying to solve a delayed speech issue or which doctors were best for a given issue.

Crauwels said the group was an invaluable resource, especially for the first seven years of Rachel’s life, while Crauwels learned how to best care for her.

Today, Crauwels is on the organization’s board and is happy she can contribute to an organization that helped her throughout the years.

As Crauwels knows, it is the seemingly little things that can mean the most.

She and Manasota BUDS recently hosted a picture day for families at the organization’s office. Many families with children with Down syndrome don’t typically have family photos, she said, partially because it is difficult to find a photographer patient enough to work with the children.

At the BUDS’ organized picture day, Crauwels said, that wasn’t an issue, and the families were grateful to finally have that opportunity.

Events like that are what made the organization so important, Crauwels said.

“It’s an amazing thing,” Crauwels said. “You immediately have your support group.”

Crearte Latino Cultural

CENTER

Founded: 2012

Mission: To be a creative and supportive hub for the Latino community in Sarasota and Manatee counties

How it accomplishes its mission: By giving members of its community the opportunity to learn new skills, either on or off stage, and by offering learning opportunities like English classes

First-hand account: Norma Castillo, 46, moved to the U.S. from Mexico City 20 years ago. When she arrived, she did not speak English, barely knowing how to say hello. It made it difficult to interact with the majority of goods and service providers in the area, few of which offered Spanishspeaking services.

Over time, Castillo’s English improved, but she still did not feel confident in her abilities, Castillo said.

Even now, when talking about more complex subjects, Castillo prefers to speak Spanish or go through a translator.

But Castillo hopes that is beginning to change.

Castillo said she has been involved with CreArte Latino for about two years, ever since she dropped off her daughter, Carla, to participate in one of the organization’s children’s theater workshops.

Castillo said her daughter had such a great time, the rest of her family has become involved, too. Castillo started going to the organization’s Let’s Speak English classes in the hopes of becoming a more fluent and confident speaker. Castillo said CreArte has enriched her life in other ways, too. After seeing the plays the organization gave a spotlight — plays that focused on the culture of many Latino communities across the world — she was moved to give it a shot.

Castillo acted in a multilingual play called “Agridulce,” which translates to bittersweet. The play focused on immigration, which Castillo said meant a lot to her given her own experiences.

“I felt many emotions,” Castillo said of the acting experience. “I was happy to represent my history in a play that told so many stories.”

Castillo said her involvement in CreArte has allowed her to feel more connected to Sarasota-Manatee as a whole — English and Spanish speakers alike — and is excited about what her new communication skills, and confidence, will take her.