Optimism and Courage in the Face of a Crisis

The following guest column by Gulf Coast President|CEO Mark Pritchett appeared in the April 18 edition of SRQ Daily:

In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.

Over the past several weeks, many of our nonprofit partners have transformed their operations to meet urgent new community needs. More so, they have done it amid staggering hits to their own operations, personnel and even future viability.

It has been inspiring to work with these organizations, as well as with the generous Gulf Coast donors who are co-investing in their innovations. Together, we have granted over $1.8 million these past few weeks to help strong nonprofits provide childcare for first responders, telemedicine and remote counseling for patients and basic needs like food for families of laid-off workers.

As demands on first responders and front-line healthcare workers increased, the closure of our schools left nowhere safe for many of their children during the day. The SKY Family YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County both stepped up to help meet those dire childcare needs. SKY Y is providing all-day youth relief care at eight locations across three counties. Boys and Girls Clubs launched a First Responder Program with free childcare for Sarasota County Fire Department and Sheriff’s Office employees, Sarasota Memorial Hospital staff, and essential City of Sarasota workers. I love what SKY Y CEO Gene Jones told us: “Fighting this virus is a community effort, and those on the front lines cannot play their roles if we don’t play ours.”

Read the rest of Mark's column in SRQ Daily