A CAMPAIGN GETS MOVING

from Sarasota/Siesta Key Observer 3.30.23

Luis Castaneda ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

All Faiths Food Bank CEO Sandra Frank said residents of Sarasota are often surprised to learn the high levels at which hunger occurs in the community. Frank said about 50% of children in Sarasota lack access to food during the summer months.

“It’s a shocking number — almost half of kids,” she said. “Looking out over the gorgeous day, it’s hard to realize almost half of the kids in schools need free and reduced-price lunches.”

This is why it was important for the food bank to launch the 10th anniversary of its Campaign Against Summer Hunger, which lasts from April 1 to May 15, with an event that would draw in many members of the community.

The food bank once again hosted its Walk to End Summer Hunger at Nathan Benderson Park on Sunday, which included a complimentary breakfast and the options of a one-mile and a 5K walk.

Chief Development Officer Denise Cotler said last year, as a result of the campaign, the food bank was able to feed more than 35,000 children during the summer and hopes to do so again. A matching challenge for $900,000 announced at the walk will help in meeting that goal.

Attendees said they were there for the cause as well as the experience and community offered by the walk.

“Sarasota is one of the richest areas. It’s a shame that anyone should have to go hungry,” said Peggy Jendreski. “It breaks my heart.”

Barbara Kaminsky said as a result of working at Ashton Elementary, she sees a high number of children who are on free or reduced lunches, which encouraged her to come to the walk for a second time.

Nancee Niemiec praised the whole experience.

“It was my first time and won’t be my last,” she said. “I would definitely support this again.”

She said the breakfast items on offer were “delicious,” while her fellow attendees were “very, very nice.”

— IAN SWABY

A family of veterans and canine companions

Canines For Heroes

Email: Mark@ CaninesForHeroes.org

Phone: 941-961-5069

For information visit CaninesForHeroes.org.

Tom Evelyn said his dog, a golden retriever named Ansbach whom he trained to provide therapy at nursing homes and hospitals, was always a source of calm for him. He recalled that during one trip to a hospital, a patient in a wheelchair accidentally ran over Ansbach’s tail, but the dog didn’t flinch.

“He looked at me like he was saying, ‘You owe me one,’” Evelyn said.

That dedication to ideal behavior, he said, is the mark of a well-trained animal. Before Ansbach died in September 2022, Evelyn was looking to help provide veterans around the community with a similar experience through service dogs.

It’s something he cannot do alone but has found he can pursue through a group effort with one veteran’s organization in the community helping another.

Evelyn, who retired from a 28-year military career in 2005, serves on the leadership committee of IslandWalk Veterans, a group within IslandWalk at the West Villages in Venice that was started about seven months ago and represents about 2,500 homes.

As a result of their fundraising efforts, a ceremonial presentation of a check for $10,000 is set to take place at the sixth Annual IslandWalk Car Show, managed by the group for the first time, on May 29, 2023.

After the group decided to host a golf fundraiser, the Veterans Serving Veterans Golf Tournament, in February, Evelyn began seeking an organization it could support. Once he had narrowed the focus to dogs, he finally settled on Canines for Heroes, operated by Sarasota’s Mark and Sandra LaFlamme.

It may be a small operation, but that was what appealed to him, as it meant the nonprofit’s focus was entirely local.

However, he was also attracted to the couple’s commitment to offer dogs not only to veterans but also to first responders, other heroes he and the LaFlammes said were important to recognize, since they also are susceptible to PTSD because of the injuries they witness each day.

Mark LaFlamme said the donation would help sustain the nonprofit.

“IslandWalk Veterans really stepped up to the plate,” he said. “Our biggest challenge by far is the fundraising. When we have the funds, we train dogs. When we don’t, we try to get the funds.”

The funds will primarily support the certification of Sandy, a golden retriever who belongs to Mark Power, as a service dog.

Evelyn said providing the donation was a simple decision.

“Very few things will change somebody’s life, but this will, so it was really easy for us.”

The golf tournament, which was held in Capri Isles in Venice on Feb. 18, attracted 138 golfers from Lakewood Ranch to Fort Myers, although only 80 had been expected, Evelyn said.

Mark LaFlamme said service dogs meet a crucial need for veterans, as the transition between combat and civilian life can be challenging for service members. Having joined the Air Force in 1985 and retired in 2006, LaFlamme participated in Operation Desert Storm as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“With the military, you can be fighting Friday and back at the job

If You Go

Annual IslandWalk Car Show, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 29. Display vehicle check-in from 8-9 a.m. Car registration $40.

IslandWalk residents receive preference. To register your car online, visit Form.JotForm. com/HOAIslandWalk/CarShow. To register a car by mail, send a check payable to Veterans of IslandWalk c/o Gary Spinazze 19836 Petrino St., Venice.

Monday,” he said.

After his third deployment, he was faced with the suicides of two fellow service members, which pushed him to create the nonprofit in 2016. He said veterans will be taken off duty if they have to seek treatment for PTSD.

“They take you away from your group, and that’s your life, your guys.”

Sandra LaFlamme said families, including spouses and children, are affected when veterans withdraw from the workforce and those around them. The LaFlammes said service dogs can aid in healing their mental and emotional scars by providing an unconditionally committed companion.

“It’s the bonding,” Mark LaFlamme said. “It’s almost a sense of security — that’s my dog; that’s my helper; that’s my buddy.”

Sandra LaFlamme said having experienced a traumatic brain injury as a child, she understands the benefit animals and engagement with a source of positivity and responsibility can provide.

“Everything you do that brings positive things into your life, everything that you do that gets you reengaged, you’re concentrating and focusing, and it’s giving your brain a chance to heal around where that brain injury is.”

“When everything else is wrong, the dog is always there; they’re always your friend,” said Evelyn. “And when life has gone crazy, it’s just nice to come to somebody for whom nothing matters but you. A dog is part of your life, but to the dog, you are his whole life.”

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St. Michael The Archangel Holy Week Schedule

Holy Week

Ryan Dunn,

FRIDAY, MARCH 31

COOKING FOR THE ARTS

6:30 p.m. at Michael’s On East, 1212 East Ave. S. Southside School Foundation for the Arts hosts its first annual Cooking for the Arts event, in which guests cook a four-course meal for their tablemates under the direction of local celebrity chefs Phil Mancini and Jamil Pineda. Tickets are $225 per person. A live auction will include tickets to a Taylor Swift concert, an Ed Sheeran concert and a wine dinner at Michael’s Wine Cellar. For information visit SouthSideFoundation.org.

NOSHING IN NATURE: ORANGE YOU GLAD TO LEARN ABOUT VODKA?

6-8 p.m. at White Cottage, Selby Gardens Historic Spanish Point Campus, 401 N. Tamiami Trail. Learn about the botanical, cultural and culinary history of the Florida’s famous symbol, the orange, from Selby Gardens’ Vice President of Regional History John McCarthy. Then, discover a variety of vodka made from the Florida orange, which will be incorporated into a series of craft cocktails. Selby members $64; non-members $69. For information, visit Selby.org.

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

AQUA EGG HUNT

1 p.m. (ages 4 and under), 1:20 p.m. (ages 5-8), 1:40 p.m. (ages 9-12, shallow water), 2 p.m. (ages 9-12, deep water) at Arlington Park & Aquatic Complex, 2650 Waldemere St. Kids take to the water to hunt for eggs, including a “golden” egg that will award special prizes. Cost is $2 per child. For information, visit LetsPlaySaratsota.com.

ASTRONOMY AT THE BAY

8-10 p.m. at Common Ground, The Bay Park, 1055 Boulevard of the Arts. Turn your focus to the stars in this event held by Suncoast Stargazers. Attendees can view the night sky through the array of telescopes provided on-site or bring their own. This event is free. To reserve a spot, visit Eventbrite.com. For more information visit TheBaySarasota.org.

Best Bet

SATURDAY, APRIL 1

BEST BET: 37TH ANNUAL RUN FOR THE TURTLES

7-10 a.m. at 948 Beach Road. Run across Siesta Key Beach in the largest fundraiser held by Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium for its Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program. The program studies and protects sea turtles along 35 miles of nesting beaches in Southwest Florida. Participants can run either a 5k or a one-mile race. Registration is $40. Each registration will fund the marking and monitoring of five sea turtle nests. For information, visit Mote.org.

MONDAY, APRIL 3

MEDITATION MONDAYS IN THE MANGROVES

9-10 a.m. at the Blue Pagoda, The Bay Park, 655 N. Tamiami Trail. Find peace walking and sitting among the beauty of mangroves at The Bay Park. This nondenominational meditation session is hosted select Mondays by a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science instructor. Attendees are advised to wear comfortable, loose clothing and bring water, and a portable chair or blanket as the session will take place on the trail. No prior experience is needed. This event is free. To reserve a spot, visit EventBrite.com. For information, visit TheBaySarasota.org.

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