More than 430 guests packed Michael’s on East on Feb. 17 for Embracing Our Differences' (EOD) sold-out annual luncheon, which featured inspirational speeches from high school and middle school students and raised a record-breaking $248,000. The funds raised, which will be matched by a $100,000 challenge grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation and a $50,000 grant from by B. Aline Blanchard, The Swart Family, and Patti and David Wertheimer, will help support Embracing Our Difference’s ongoing educational initiatives.

The record-breaking funding is good news anytime, but especially this year. On Feb. 1, an Embracing Our Differences submission titled Women of the Bluest Eye was vandalized at Bayfront Park, resulting in an estimated $3,000 worth of damage. Later that month, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota—which was scheduled to host the exhibit from April 26-May 9—requested that Embracing Our Differences remove artwork with the words “diversity,” “inclusion,” “justice” and “equality” from the exhibit. The news came in the wake of Gov. Ron DeSantis' announcement that he plans to remove diversity, equity and inclusion programs from Florida's public universities, and that he would cut funds to those programs.

Despite the challenges, during the luncheon, Sarah Wertheimer, Embracing Our Differences' executive director, took a few minutes to highlight the milestones EOD has experienced in its 20-years existence.

“When we started in 2004, we had 95,000 visitors come to that first exhibit. That number has now grown to more than 371,000 attendees who visited the display at Bayfront Park last year,” she said. “Clearly, more and more people are searching for the creativity and inspiration that is represented in our exhibit.”