“Unity Award” Winners Honored with Grants from the Community Foundation of Sarasota County to Support their Nonprofit Passions

Categories: BELONGING AND CULTURE: Building Support & Capacity, BELONGING AND CULTURE: Uniting Community, Nonprofits, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion,

SARASOTA, FL – In honor of Sarasota Magazine’s 10th annual “Unity Awards” that celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion in our community, the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has awarded grants from its President’s Fund to each of the nonprofit organizations that this year’s award winners support and devote their time to.

The recipient organizations are:

  • Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida in honor of KT Curran
  • Children First In honor of Brock Leach
  • UnidosNow, Take Stock in Children, and Forty Carrots in honor of John Annis
  • Oasis Middle School in honor of Gabriel Ortiz
  • A Life Story Foundation in honor of Kevin Swan
  • Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium in honor of Aly Busse
  • My Warrior’s Place in honor of Phil Mockler
  • Senior Friendship Centers in honor of Robert Rogers
  • SOAR Learning Center in honor of Jacquelyn Paulk and David Rubin

“Each one of these inspiring leaders has brought a diverse perspective and an equally diverse story to enhance their own work in our community,” says Roxie Jerde, President and CEO of the Community Foundation. “While remaining unique, authentic, and true to themselves, all of today’s winners are united by a belief that we all can be the one to build the community we all want to live in. We are honored to award these individuals and their nonprofit partners with grants to further their own community impact.”

The awards were presented Tues., Feb. 18 at Michael’s On East in Sarasota and are featured in the magazine’s February issue, which can be found online here.

“As I always say, ‘All of us are smarter than one of us,’ and embracing diversity is at the heart of this message and is truly the spirit behind the Unity Awards,” says Jerde.

The Unity Awards were first presented by Sarasota Magazine in 2010. The awards honor people who build bridges that further our sense of belonging by promoting respect, acceptance, cooperation, and tolerance with a goal of equality among racial, ethnic, religious, sexual orientation, ability and socioeconomic groups.

###

About the Community Foundation of Sarasota County: The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is a public charity founded in 1979 by the Southwest Florida Estate Planning Council as a resource for caring individuals and the causes they support, enabling them to make a charitable impact on the community. With assets of $418 million in more than 1,500 charitable funds, the Community Foundation awarded grants and scholarships totaling $21.5 million dollars last year in the areas of education, the arts, health and human services, civic engagement, animal welfare and the environment. Since its founding, the Community Foundation has been able to grant more than $274 million to area nonprofit organizations to our community thanks to the generosity of charitable individuals, families, and businesses. For more information, visit www.CFSarasota.org or call (941) 955-3000.