Good News Friday: Good Deeds - July 11, 2014
The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee (JFSM) has received a gift of more than $1 million from Bradenton resident Semha Zimmerman, who passed away in March 2014. Zimmerman requested that the funds be used in honor of her husband, Abraham, who passed away in 2002 from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Semha Zimmerman was born in Baghdad, Iraq, on March 10, 1922, the second of six children. As a young woman, she was a sought-after secretary, as she was fluent in Arabic, French, English and Hebrew and was a self-taught typist. JFSM will use the funds to continue its mission of saving and enhancing Jewish lives in Sarasota-Manatee and around the world.
All Faiths Food Bank has purchased a new 36-foot-long refrigerated box truck through a $70,000 grant from the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. This addition to AFFB’s fleet aids in the transportation of food to distribution centers in Sarasota and DeSoto counties, as well as to the food bank’s 20,000-square-foot warehouse.
United Way of South Sarasota County has awarded a $17,000 grant for one-to-one mentoring programs to Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast. With this support, local children are paired with an adult mentor, which research has shown to improve the life of the child by providing guidance and a trustworthy role model.
The animal rescue and recovery team at Mote Marine Laboratory received more than $12,000 from the Sea Turtle Grants Program to purchase a 13-foot Boston Whaler from Marine Max that will enhance Mote’s Stranding Investigations Program, the 24-hour response service for distressed sea turtles, dolphins and whales and to enable new research about the threats they face.
PGT Industries’ 1,600 team members have pooled together a collection of children’s clothing to donate to Child Protection Center (CPC). CPC maintains a closet with clothing items that range in size from infants to adolescents. Clients, their families or anyone in the community can visit the Child Advocacy Center at 720 S. Orange Ave. in Sarasota to receive clothing, diapers, socks and shoes.