Venice Urban Forest: Good for the environment, good for the soul
Gulf Coast Community Foundation has provided $200,000 in matching grants to Venice Area Beautification, Inc., to support its Urban Forest initiative. In the last six months, more than 400 trees have been planted, in addition to dozens of different species of native plants. Beyond increased wildlife traffic already seen in this greenbelt, the Urban Forest provides another crucial function: It will serve as an environmental buffer separating industrial areas from the Intracoastal Waterway, helping to protect Southwest Florida’s most prized resource.
Roadmap to a Resilient Region
About every two years, Gulf Coast commissions a “regional scan” to help us identify critical trends and priorities and develop transformative initiatives to address them. The scan is a planning tool we use to understand the long-term trends and emerging issues that will affect our region and then to articulate shared priorities and the necessary actions to address them.
“My Garden” Program Expands Access to Selby Gardens for Kids, Families
Selby Gardens has partnered with several nonprofit agencies that serve local youth to provide the memberships to underserved families in Sarasota and Manatee counties. The yearlong family memberships will allow them to visit the Gardens at any time, 364 days a year. The new My Garden program is made possible by a grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Fall Gulf Coast Board Institute Now Accepting Applications
Gulf Coast Community Foundation is now accepting applications for the Fall 2019 Gulf Coast Board Institute. The deadline to apply for this high-level governance training series for active nonprofit board members is August 16. The online application is available at GulfCoastCF.org.
Kids READ Stems Summer Slide
Imagine growing from a kindergarten-level reader to the cusp of second-grade level in a matter of weeks. That’s the trajectory one young Venice boy is on thanks to Kids READ. And his is not an unusual success story for the intensive summer literacy program.
Kirstin Fulkerson Named Senior Vice President for Philanthropy
Gulf Coast Community Foundation is pleased to announce that Kirstin Fulkerson has been promoted to Senior Vice President for Philanthropy. Kirstin will lead Gulf Coast's work with generous donors to help them achieve their philanthropic goals.
Philanthropy Funds Safer, Stronger Youth Swimmers
With water all around us here on the Gulf Coast, basic water-safety skills are vital. This summer, nearly 4,000 children in Sarasota and Charlotte counties have the knowledge and ability to remain safe near water thanks to swimming lessons funded through philanthropy.
Twenty-Four Graduate from Gulf Coast Leadership Institute
Twenty-four emerging community leaders from across the region graduated last week from the 2019 Gulf Coast Leadership Institute. The group made up the 14th class to complete Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s long-running leadership-development initiative.
Gulf Coast Elects Board Officers
The Board of Directors of Gulf Coast Community Foundation has elected Judy Cahn as Chair and Michael Saunders as Vice Chair for one-year terms as officers.