Good News Friday: Good Deeds - May 30, 2014
Apollo Sunguard of Sarasota has donated and opened a ChargePoint electric car-charging station, the first of its kind for Apollo, for two electric vehicles under a 20-foot by 20-foot cantilever shade structure at the Florida House Institute, 4454 Beneva Road in Sarasota. Earlier this year, Apollo won a federal contract to install 168 ChargePoint stations at military bases and other federal buildings across the country. The station at Florida House is powered by solar panels donated by RegionSolar and Brilliant Harvest. Electric vehicle owners who are part of the ChargePoint network are welcome to charge up for free—a full charge takes approximately five hours—for the first two months at the Florida House.
The William G. Selby and Marie Selby Foundation has awarded Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast $39,300 to purchase fingerprint machines and related equipment. These devices expedite required background screenings for BBBS volunteers, dramatically reducing the time that volunteers and children wait prior to being matched.
Bill Robertson, CEO and personal injury attorney for Kirk Pinkerton, P.A. in Sarasota, established the Helping Our Heroes initiative, a collaborative, nonprofit concept to assist returning military veterans with financial and employment needs. Robertson hosts “Let’s Talk Law,” a radio show that covers every legal subject from 4-5 p.m. every Friday on 106.9 FM and 1220 AM WSRQ. The last Friday of the month, the show is dedicated to the initiative.
The Sarasota Association of Realtors (SAR) granted Habitat for Humanity Sarasota $10,000 for a Team Build sponsorship. The two organizations have partnered several times previously for Team Build, a program through which a volunteer group commits to regular work on a Habitat home. SAR members plan at least three workdays dedicated to construction on a three-bedroom, two-bath home in Sarasota, which will be built from the foundation up.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Manatee County received a $10,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation for its Career Launch program at the Harllee Middle School and Southeast High School Boys & Girls Clubs. The program provides tools and activities to guide teens in exploring a variety of careers, making educational decisions and preparing for the world of work.
Manatee County Publix Super Markets and its employees pledged more than $722,000 to United Way of Manatee County’s 2013-2014 annual campaign; and on May 20, Publix Super Markets Charities presented a check to United Way of Manatee County for $299,500, representing the company’s corporate match, which will be used toward education, income and health in Manatee County communities.
