Good News Friday: Good Deeds - Feb. 27, 2015
Corinthian Gala sponsor Steve King and Bobby Bonilla
The 2015 Corinthian Gala – A Night of A Thousand Cranes netted more than $150,000 to benefit the Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation’s ENVISION initiative, providing opportunities for leading-edge healthcare for the community. Event sponsors include SKANSKA as the Premier Lead Sponsor; Robert and Beverly Bartner and Williams, Parker, Harrison, Dietz & Getzen as a Corinthian Sponsors; and Platinum Sponsors AeroIQ and Circuelle.
More than 350 attended Goodwill Manasota’s Mardi Gras Gala, raising more than $150,000 to support the work of Goodwill. The sold-out event, held at Michael’s On East, was chaired by 106.5 CTQ personalities and Goodwill Ambassadors Maverick and Lulu, and Phil Mancini oversaw the New Orleans-style supper. A video featuring Maverick, Lulu and children from the Players Theatre of Sarasota “Players Kids” program reinforced the environmental, economic and human impact Goodwill has on our region. Major sponsors included CS&L CPAs, Rapid Security Solutions, LLC and RE/MAX Alliance Group.
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County awarded 84 grants totaling $165,283 to fund arts and cultural experiences for teachers and students through EdExploreSRQ, a web-based search platform that features hundreds of offerings by local nonprofits and individual teaching artists. In 2014, the Community Foundation committed $500,000 over five years to fund EdExploreSRQ explorations, particularly for students in lower-income communities. Additionally, the Community Foundation and The Patterson Foundation created an EdExploreSRQ Endowment Fund to increase awareness and funding for these explorations.
The Rotary Club of Bradenton presented a check for $10,000 to Hope Family Services at its eighth annual Comedy Night fund raiser. More than 200 attendees enjoyed a night of stand-up comedy by both local and national comedians at the Pier 22 Ballroom. Major sponsors included the law firm of Greene, Hamrick, Quinlan and Schermer, P.A., Fawley Bryant Architects, Bradenton Insurance and the Bradenton Herald. Regions Bank raffled off a trademark green bicycle to raise further funds for the cause.
The Taylor William Emmons Memorial Foundation presented a check for nearly $17,000 to its nonprofit partner, the Humane Society of Sarasota County. The funds will help provide care to the shelter’s pets.
Sarasota’s AquaNew donated more than 3,000 bottles of its Watt-Ahh bottled water for the athletes, coaches, dignitaries and volunteers of the 2015 Sarasota-Bradenton Modern Pentathlon World Cup #1. Event attendees also donated nearly $200 to the nonprofit ChildHelp, an organization that fights child abuse and neglect. To date, nearly $6,000 have been donated to the organization through some of the sales proceeds of Watt-Ahh.