Senior Friendship Centers Receives $80,000 Grant From Community Foundation of Sarasota

Senior Friendship Centers recently received an $80,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to launch a Senior Services Resilience Navigator position dedicated to supporting older adults in Charlotte County. This new role will provide individualized support to seniors who continue to face long-term challenges from recent storm seasons—helping them prepare, stay safe, and recover with greater stability and independence. Funding for this program is provided by the foundation's Suncoast Disaster Recovery Fund.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports that older adults are two to five times more likely to die in a disaster than the general population, making them the most disproportionately affected age group during hurricanes and extreme weather events. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, seniors face elevated risk due to chronic health conditions, mobility limitations, social isolation, and reliance on electricity-dependent medical equipment. With more than 40 percent of Charlotte County residents age 65 or older and the rising frequency of severe storms in Southwest Florida, there is an urgent need to promote the resilience of older adults.

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