There are first-generation Americans among the students, including three who have lived in the United States for less than three years. Others have physical disabilities or dire family circumstances. All demonstrate financial need. After careful consideration and discussion, the committee chooses three young men and seven women-nine high school seniors and one already in college.

The Father Connie Dougherty awards are part of a grand total of $569,000 in scholarships the Community Foundation will give this year to 265 students. "A scholarship of this magnitude can significantly affect a student's ability to go to college," notes Goodwill. "After they graduate, many of our awardees give back to our community as adults, continuing the circle of influence and investment in the future of our young people."

Mid-afternoon -Weller teacher mini-grants

After lunch, Maggie Pugh, program assistant in grants and scholarships for the Community Foundation, leaves the office to visit Daughtrey Elementary School in Bradenton to observe a production of Cinder Elly. Drama Club members in grades three to five have put together a musical spinoff of the Cinderella story, using their talents to choreograph, make props, design lighting and perform in a special project funded by the Leslie and Margaret Weller Fund of the Community Foundation. "The students learned all the skills necessary to put on a theater production," says their teacher, Shirin Gibson, who was awarded a Weller Teacher Mini Grant.

Given to teachers from Sarasota and Manatee counties, Weller grants encourage individual teachers to create innovative programs in arts and culture. Their projects provide enrichment and enhancement to limited school district budgets. "I'm always impressed by the enthusiasm of the teachers and how much their students treasure these special programs," says Pugh. "Weller grants fund wonderful field trips, new projects, and purchase extra equipment and computer programs that the students would never be able to enjoy otherwise."

Late afternoon-coalitions and collaborations

At the end of this busy day, Debra Jacobs of the Selby Foundation draws together the three key community funders (the Community Foundation, the Selby Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation of Venice), along with the United Way and Sarasota County government officials, to discuss ways of keeping some uniquely interwoven community programs viable. Important organizations such as Sarasota Openly Plans for Excellence (SCOPE), the Hispanic/Latino Coalition and Community Youth Development (CYD), represent multiple groups and have board members from a variety of constituencies. As a result, they can't raise operating funds the way that individual charities can. The "coalitions and collaborations" meeting looks for long-term solutions to this dilemma.

"The community is blessed with people willing to collaborate," says Tim Dutton, executive director of SCOPE. "This is just one of many times when the Community Foundation has helped to identify issues before they reach the tipping point and collaborated with the community to leverage the best possible outcomes." What outcome can be expected from this meeting? One proposed innovation might be for the Community Foundation Board to approve three-year grants to SCOPE and CYD so they don't have to keep coming back each year for operating fund support.

Was May 10, 2004, different from other days at the Community Foundation? Maybe, maybe not. Every day, the foundation and those who collaborate with it work tirelessly to improve the community for its citizens, present and future. Their work is quiet, detailed and largely behind the scenes, and they win little glory for their efforts, but for everyone involved, it's all in a day's work.

A FOUNDATION FOR COMMUNITY

Since 1979, when it was founded by members of the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council, the Community Foundation has been partnering with others to make charitable giving work for our community. Philanthropic individuals use the Foundation to support the charitable causes they care about most, including the arts, education, health and human services, the environment and animal welfare. Plus, charitable organizations use the foundation's Nonprofit Resource Center to build skills in every aspect of their management, from improving daily operations to maximizing fund raising.

The Community Foundation's impact grows with each new gift it receives. Currently, it manages more than 470 different charitable funds, with assets of more than 100 million dollars. In the newly completed Leila and Michael Gompertz headquarters building at 2635 Fruitville Road, the visibility and accessibility of services will grow even stronger.