For the fifth year in a row, the annual Season of Sharing campaign has again broken the $2 million milestone. With donations ranging from $5 to $100,000, this year’s campaign received an outpouring of gifts from more than 2,900 donors.
Created by the Herald-Tribune Media Group and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County in 2000, Season of Sharing is a community-wide campaign that provides a safety net for families and individuals in danger of becoming homeless. Funds that are raised are distributed by a network of nonprofit fiscal agents and may be used for rent or mortgage, utility bills, child care, transportation, food vouchers or other crucial expenses.
“We’re so grateful to live in a community that truly embraces the annual Season of Sharing campaign. Thanks to the media partners, nonprofit organizations, and the incredible giving spirit of our community, everyone comes together to ensure families and individuals on the verge of losing their homes are given hope and the ability to stay in their homes,” says Roxie Jerde, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. “It’s a great demonstration to prove that our community truly cares about all its citizens. Thanks to the generosity of so many, our most vulnerable neighbors have a safety-net they can rely on when life throws unexpected challenges.”
This year The Patterson Foundation matched $100,000 for every $500,000 raised by the community in order to promote giving, for a total of $300,000. This year’s campaign was also boosted by two $100,000 gifts from notable local philanthropists, Gerri Aaron and Jacqueline Lewis, to inspire others to give.
“Every year our community’s giving spirit inspires us,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “The contributions provided by The Patterson Foundation served to spur further displays of generosity from community donors throughout Season of Sharing by strengthening the impact of their gifts and helping even more local families remain secure in their homes.”
Of each dollar raised, 100% will go directly to support families and individuals on the verge of homelessness, thanks to hundreds of hours of administrative support donated by the Community Foundation, local media partners, and nonprofit fiscal agencies involved in this collaborative effort.
Season of Sharing provides a preventative measure towards addressing homelessness. Knowing it costs eight times more to put a family back into housing after they have lost the roof over their head, stopping homelessness before it happens is an approach that makes sense. Not only is this reasoning more economically sound, it also allows individuals and families to avoid the heartache, anxiety, and indignity of losing the place they call home. More than 85% of recipients don’t return for help again the following year.
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Statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on President's Speech
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) released the following statement in response to the president’s State of the Union speech this evening:
“The American people are sick and tired of the partisan politics that’s going on in Washington. We need leaders who are willing to put aside party politics and work together for the good of the country. We need a president who will not only call for more bipartisanship, but shows he’s willing to work in a bipartisan way.”
Statement from U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson on President’s Speech
U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) released the following statement in response to the president’s State of the Union speech this evening:
“The American people are sick and tired of the partisan politics that’s going on in Washington. We need leaders who are willing to put aside party politics and work together for the good of the country. We need a president who will not only call for more bipartisanship, but shows he’s willing to work in a bipartisan way.”
Mast State of the Union Reaction
U.S. Congressman Brian Mast (FL-18) today released the following reaction to the President’s State of the Union Address:
“Tonight, I was glad to hear the President outline a bipartisan agenda to rebuild our nation’s infrastructure, including our waterways. Decades of failures to fix water infrastructure issues in Florida have created an untenable situation resulting in massive discharges of toxic water directly into the heart of our community. Working together, I’m hopeful we can turn the President’s proposals into legislation that addresses these issues in a robust and bipartisan way because our community can’t afford to wait any longer.”
Rep. Mast serves as the Vice Chairman of the Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Earlier this month, Rep. Mast sent a letter to the President requesting full funding for Florida’s top water infrastructure priorities, including the S.B.10 storage reservoir. You can read the letter here.
Statement from the Coalition of Franchisee Associations
Statement from Terry Hutchinson, Florida franchise owner and Vice Chairman of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, on passage of Senate Bill 1076
“Today’s passage of Senate Bill 1076, the “Small Business Parity Act” is a major step in the right direction for Florida’s small businesses. We applaud Senator Steube for his leadership in sponsoring this good bill and for the members of the Senate that voted for the bill today. As a Florida franchise owner and Vice Chairman of the Coalition of Franchisee Associations and on behalf of the 40,000 small franchise operations in our state, I am proud of our legislators for taking action to level the playing field and protect Florida small businesses and jobs.“
Gov. Scott Appoints Christian Cunningham to Southwestern State College District Board of Trustees
Governor Rick Scott announced the appointment of Christian Cunningham to the Florida Southwestern State College District Board of Trustees.
Cunningham, 56, of Naples, is the chief human resources officer for Herc Rentals. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. Cunningham succeeds Christopher Vernon, and is appointed for a term beginning January 30, 2018, and ending May 31, 2021.
The appointment is subject to confirmation by the Florida Senate.
Congress passes legislation to protect Olympic athletes from sexual abuse
Legislation sponsored by Sen. Bill Nelson establishes independent
entity to investigate alleged abuses and protect victims
The U.S. Senate today approved legislation to require amateur athletics governing bodies – such as USA Gymnastics and USA Swimming – to immediately report sexual abuse allegations to local or federal law enforcement, or a child-welfare agency designated by the U.S. Justice Department.
The legislation – sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) – is designed to ensure that aspiring U.S. Olympic athletes can report allegations of abuse to an independent entity to investigate, and to make sure that all national governing bodies follow the strictest standards to prevent and detect child abuse.
“The system failed these young women horribly,” Nelson said today in reference to the hundreds of female gymnasts and other Olympic and collegiate athletes who have reported being victims of sexual abuse. “USA Gymnastics failed them. The USOC failed them. Michigan State failed them. By putting new safeguards into law to protect athletes from abuse we’re sending a message that this cannot and must not happen again.”
Nelson, the top Democrat on the Senate Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over federally-chartered sports-related organizations like the U.S. Olympic Committee, filed the legislation last year in the wake of recent allegations of sexual abuse against personnel involved with USA Gymnastics, USA Swimming, USA Taekwondo, U.S. Speedskating, and USA Cycling.
Specifically, the bill amends the Ted Stevens Amateur and Olympic Sports Act to require Olympic amateur athletic governing bodies to establish rules and policies for their respective sports, including restricting one-on-one interactions between adults and children so that child predators, like Larry Nassar, can no longer exploit the system. The statute of limitations for such cases will also be extended under the bill to give victims of abuse more time to sue sex-crime perpetrators.
The bill, which was approved by the House earlier this week, now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.
A copy of the bill is available here.
Tony Alvarez, Gianna Rivera Win “Fresh From Florida” Student Chef Cook-Off
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services today announced that Tony Alvarez and Gianna Rivera of Bloomingdale High School in Hillsborough County are the 2018 “Fresh From Florida” Student Chef Cook-Off champions. Alvarez and Rivera competed against two other regional teams of two to four students from across the state. All three “Fresh From Florida” Student Chef Cook-Off teams will participate in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Taste of Florida Agriculture reception tonight in the Florida Capitol courtyard.
As the winning team, Alvarez and Rivera each earned a Florida Prepaid 529 Savings Plan and an apprenticeship with celebrity chef Art Smith, and their recipe will be made available for Florida school food service authorities to use in their cafeterias.
Alvarez and Rivera prepared their original T&G Burrito, which featured salsa made of Florida-grown vegetables. Student contestants had two hours to prepare four servings of their dishes to be judges on: taste, appearance, creativity, best and most use of local ingredients, best and most use of commodity items, school food service appropriateness and execution.
The “Fresh From Florida” Student Chef Cook-Off entry requirements include:
- Applicants must be a Florida student in 9th through 12th grade.
- The recipe must meet National School Lunch meal pattern and nutrition standards.
- The recipe must incorporate at least two Florida ingredients from the approved list.
- The recipe must incorporate at least one USDA commodity item from the approved list.
- The recipe must be prepared in less than two hours.
- The recipe must be replicable by school nutrition professionals.
Alvarez and Rivera and the other team finalists prepared their original dishes for a panel of judges, including: Chef Art Smith, Chef Bill Castleberry and Leon County School Food Service Procurement Supervisor Amy Hayden. Chef Art Smith has earned two James Beard awards, served as executive chef to Former governors Bob Graham and Jeb Bush, and spent 10 years as Oprah Winfrey’s personal chef. Chef Bill Castleberry has been a restauranteur, caterer and a culinary educator for the past 25 years. Amy Hayden has served in the school food service industry for 17 years.
For more information on the “Fresh From Florida” Student Chef Cook-Off, visit FreshFromFlorida.com/StudentCookOff.
200+ Anti-Fracking and Conservation Advocates to Gather in State Capital
MEDIA ADVISORY
Advocates will rally for a fracking ban, conservation funding, and more
On Wednesday at 10:30 a.m., more than 200 anti-fracking and conservation advocates from the Panhandle to Miami will rally ahead of a statewide lobby day. Advocates will urge legislators to pass a statewide fracking ban, increase support for renewable energy, ensure Florida’s waters are protected and fund land conservation.
A bill proposed this year would dedicate $100 million annually to Florida Forever, the state’s premiere land conservation program. Legislation to ban fracking in Florida has also been introduced in both the state Senate and House with bipartisan sponsorship.
SPEAKERS INCLUDE:
State Rep. Kathleen Peters
State Rep. Ben Diamond
State Rep. Sean Shaw
State Rep. Carlos Guillermo Smith
Dr. Lonnie Draper, Physicians for Social Responsibility
Kim Ross, ReThink Energy Florida
Victor Rodriguez, Organize Florida Climate Justice Committee
VISUALS: More than 200 anti-fracking and land conservation advocates from across the state, colorful signs and banners
WHEN: Wednesday, January 31st at 10:30 am
WHERE: Waller Park (in front of the dolphins), 400 South Monroe Street, Tallahassee, Florida 32301 (Florida State Capitol)
Subway and “Fresh From Florida” Partner to Highlight Locally Grown Produce Served in Nearly 1,500 Florida Locations
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced today a new partnership between Subway and “Fresh From Florida” to promote the Florida-grown produce served in the restaurant’s nearly 1,500 Florida locations. Beginning this month and running through April, Subway restaurants will feature “Fresh From Florida” advertising and marketing materials highlighting Subway’s commitment to sourcing locally grown Florida cucumbers, green peppers and tomatoes during local growing seasons.
“Florida’s hard-working farmers make it easy for everyone to enjoy fresh, local produce any time of the year,” said Commissioner Adam H. Putnam. “I’m proud to partner with one of Florida’s largest restaurant chains to highlight the availability and affordability of ‘Fresh From Florida’ products across the state.”
Last year, Subway purchased more than 74 million pounds of Florida-grown tomatoes, cucumbers and green peppers.
“We are excited to partner with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the ‘Fresh From Florida’ program to highlight Subway’s commitment to locally sourced, farm fresh produce,” said Staci Clark, longstanding Panama City area franchisee. “Our customers have a high expectation of high quality ingredients that are grown right here in our local communities and this partnership ensures that we continue to meet those goals.”
The “Fresh From Florida” partnership highlights Subway’s commitment to sourcing Florida produce, and locations in the following cities will feature advertising and marketing materials: Tallahassee, Orlando, Panama City, Gainesville, Miami, Ft. Myers, Tampa, West Palm Beach and Jacksonville.
