December 14, 2018

The Sarasota Scene

People & Business, Friday Edition

To submit your news for consideration, please send press info to scenemagazine@scenesarasota.com

Venice Theatre: Call for Donations to Help with Operating Costs                    Venice Theatre asks for its audience’s support through tax-deductible donations to ensure that the drama of the theatre can continue in the community. Historically, Venice Theatre would not have become the integral, staple of the community it has been for 68 years without such support. The Theatre strives to be the center for arts entertainment and education in south Sarasota County, to help students from all segments of the community build life skills through a diverse offering of outreach programs, and to provide seniors with entertainment and arts education.
2018 has seen increased programming and operations, and, as always, tremendously entertaining and touching performances. DONATE NOW

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art Receives $50,000 Arts Appreciation Grant from Gulf Coast Community Foundation
The grant will support the museum’s Art of Our Time initiative during the 2018-2019 season. The foundation’s Arts Appreciation grants provide unrestricted funding to cornerstone arts and cultural organizations in the region to help them pursue their artistic missions.
Through its support of Art of Our Time, Gulf Coast is recognized as a sponsor of the contemporary exhibitions Coco Fusco: Twilight (on view through Feb. 17, 2019), Interpolations: Artwork from The Ringling and Monda Collections (March 17 to Sept. 8), and Natasha Mazurka: Order Systems (March 17 to Sept. 8), as well as the New Stages performing arts series season.

The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee: 
Just Reel Films Series Launches in January
This free monthly series will showcase Jewish-themed films in different venues throughout the Sarasota-Manatee region. Just Reel Films, sponsored by Ian Black Real Estate in coordination with The Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee, is a new monthly film series that starts in January. The series is free, but audience members are encouraged to bring cans of food, toys and school supplies, which will be donated to such community organizations as All Faiths Food Bank, Toys for Tots, Food Bank of Manatee, and Title 1 schools. Films will be shown in different venues throughout the Sarasota-Manatee region, including libraries, churches, synagogues, and community centers. There is a limit of two tickets per attendee and all attendees must RSVP at https://jfedsrq.org/reel19. 

Broadway Series Master Classes set for Jan.12, 2019                                      Students grade 9 through adult will sharpen audition and performance skills  Three Master Class Workshops are coming up at Venice Theatre on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2019. These workshops provide a unique opportunity to work on their craft. Three facilitators will lead the day. Kristen Beth Williams, Dr. Harold Mortimer, and Alissa Mortimer. For more information on these workshops or other classes at Venice Theatre, contact Kelly Duyn at 941-486-8679 or KellyDuyn@Venicetheatre.net.

Oak Park’s Swezey Named District’s 2019 Teacher of the Year
Alumni of Distinction and Ignite Innovation Teacher awards also announced Shane Swezey, a music teacher at Oak Park School, was named the 2019 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year at the Dec. 12 Ignite Education celebration hosted by the Education Foundation of Sarasota County.
Sarasota County Schools’ Superintendent, Dr. Todd Bowden, made the announcement to a crowd of over 330 guests, thanking all 44 nominees for the work they do in their classrooms each and every day.
Swezey will represent district educators at events throughout the 2019 calendar year and will serve as the district’s nominee for state Teacher of the Year. His fellow finalists, Tessa Healy, of Wilkinson Elementary School, and Ashlee Middleton, of Sarasota High School, also were honored onstage at the annual awards ceremony, and 41 Teacher of the Year designees representing local schools were recognized.

SCF Collegiate School Schedules Information Sessions for Prospective Students
State College of Florida Collegiate School willhost information sessions and begin accepting applications for the tuition-freecharter school’s enrollment for Fall 2019. Prospective families with studentsentering grades 6-10 should attend an information session at SCF’s NeelPerforming Arts Center, 5840 26^th St. W. Sessions are scheduled for6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 10 and Monday, Jan. 28. Families may tour theCollegiate School (Building 19) after each session. A session in Spanish willbe offered from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 24, in Learning Studio 1 at the CollegiateSchool. For more information, call the Collegiate School at941-752-5494, or email SCFCS@SCF.edu.

SCFCommunications and Marketing Department Wins Seven State Awards State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota’s (SCF) Communications and Marketing (CAM) department has won seven awards from the Association of Florida Colleges (AFC) Communications and Marketing Commission (CMC).
SCF brought home five first-place awards, a second-place award and a third-place award. First place awards were for SCF’s Annual Report; publication of an article about SCF alumnus and inventor Sean Chan; an admissions marketing brochure designed to look like a graduation cap; a marketing campaign for the college’s new Weekend College; and a poster advertising music and theatre scholarship auditions. SCF also took home a second-place award for a marketing campaign for the new “BSN in 4” nursing program and a third-place award for an admissions direct-mail piece.

Kellogg & Kimsey’s Sporting Clays Tournament raises $11,000 for Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County 
Philip Kellogg, President of Kellogg & Kimsey, Inc., recently presented the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County with an $11,000 check from the company’s 2018 Sporting Clays Charity Tournament. The event took place at Knights Trail Park in Nokomis, FL, on November 9, 2018, and all proceeds were designated to support the nonprofit’s youth development programs. This is the second year that Kellogg & Kimsey selected the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County as the beneficiary of the event, bringing the total donation amount to $21,000.

Sarasota Orchestra: Just five weeks before the nation finds out whether he’ll add a second Grammy to his shelf, violinist James Ehnes will perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in Sarasota Orchestra’s Masterworks concert Summer to Winter. Suncoast resident and international sensation James Ehnes won the 2007 Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra. He earned his second nomination this year for Best Classical Instrumental Solo. Grammy winners will be announced on February 10, 2019.

Mote Recruits New VP Kevin Cooper has been selected for the new role of Mote Vice President for Communications & Strategic Initiatives (VP-CSI). Mr. Cooper is currently serving as the President of the Greater Sarasota Chamber of Commerce, and is expected to likely begin his official duties with Mote at some point during the 1st quarter of 2019 following an appropriate transition period at the Chamber.

Longboat Key Turtle Watch Grants Holiday Wishes for Mote’s Sea Turtle and Education Programs Mote Marine Laboratory staff thanked Longboat Key Turtle Watch (LBKTW) for their generous donation of $9,670 to Mote’s sea turtle and education programs during a check presentation on Dec. 7 at Mote on City Island, Sarasota. LBKTW members monitor sea turtle nesting on the Manatee County portion of Longboat Key under the Marine Turtle Permit held by Mote’s Sea Turtle Conservation & Research Program (STCRP), and they conduct education and outreach. Mote’s STCRP has monitored sea turtle nesting and coordinated conservation from Longboat Key south through Venice for 37 years.

Sarasota Artist and All Star Children’s Foundation to Collaborate on Custom Painting for New Foster Home Campus Meg Krakowiak, award-winning Sarasota artist, will collaborate with Board Chair Graci McGillicuddy to create a custom painting for the new children’s facility. The piece will be designed to enhance the campus’ inspirational, calm and happy environment.

SMH Recognized for Advanced Care for Heart Attack Patients                          The American College of Cardiology awarded Sarasota Memorial full accreditation this month as a designated Chest Pain Center with Primary PCI and Resuscitation for demonstrated expertise in treating patients with chest pain. Sarasota Memorial is the first hospital in Sarasota County to receive the highest-level designation, which followed a rigorous onsite evaluation of the staff’s ability to evaluate, diagnose and treat patients who may be experiencing a heart attack or cardiac arrest.

Pops Orchestra Donates to Military Officers Scholarship Fund                       The Pops Orchestra recently presented a $5,000 donation earmarked for veteran financial aid to the Military Officers Scholarship Fund. The check was presented by Rear Admiral Brian McCarthy USN, Chapter President, Executive Director and Pops Orchestra Board Member to Clare Power, Chairman of the Chapter’s Scholarship Committee and Col Len Friedlander USAF, Florida MOAA Chapter President, at the chapter’s Annual Military Gala in December. The donation is earmarked for returning veterans needing financial assistance to attend our local colleges and technical schools.

Loveland Center 10th Annual BBQ Fundraiser                                                            The Venice-based nonprofit strives to give individuals with developmental and intellectual disabilities the opportunity to live their lives to the fullest. Guests – 600 in total –  of the organization’s 10th Annual Loveland BBQ raised $193,000.

Allegiant Private Advisors Announces Promotion of Benjamin W. Jones, CFP®, AIF® to President                                                                                                   Jones, who currently serves as Allegiant’s Chief Investment Officer, will formally transition into the leadership position by the year-end. Allegiant Private Advisors Co-Founder Martin Kossoff, CFP®, AIF®, who has served as President since the firm was established in 1997, will assume the role of Chairman.

Seagate Development Group Begins Site Work at University Storage  Seagate Development Group has begun site development work at University Storage with an anticipated construction start in late December. The storage units are located at 20091 Tiburon Wal in Estero. The facility will consist of 90,000 square feet of climate-controlled indoor and drive-up exterior storage options. The three-story building will offer approximately 600 storage units in a combination of sizes ranging from 5’ x 5’ to 10’ x 30’, with 19 unconditioned exterior drive-up units. The site will also feature security safeguards throughout the property.

Goodwill Manasota Earns International Honors Goodwill Manasota earned significant recognition during the Goodwill Industries International summer conference in Austin, Texas. The organization won the “Retail Excellence: Market Leadership by Share of Used Goods” award for having the highest market penetration of its donor market, and “Market Leadership by Donations” award for capitalizing on the highest proportion of its available used goods market. Goodwill Manasota has received the “Market Leadership by Share of Used Goods” for five years running; this was Goodwill’s fourth “Market Leadership by Donations” award.

Tickets Now Available: Ringling College Library Association Presents 2019 TOWN HALL Lecture Series At the Van Wezel PAC  Individual and limited tickets are now available for morning lectures only for the 2019 Ringling College Library Association (RCLA) TOWN HALL Lecture Series. Morning lecture tickets will be sold online and must be purchased five days prior to the lecture dates. Tickets prices are based on seating location and will be available on a first come first serve basis. The 39th annual lecture series will showcase international newsmakers and their insights on timely national and global issues. MORE INFO

John Fischer Announces His Retirement as Managing Director of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota
As Fischer prepares to step down after 17 years of service, the organization looks to the future with a renewed mission, vision and direction for Fischer’s successor and for the continued growth of Artist Series Concerts. John Fischer, managing director of Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota, has announced that he will retire in June following the organization’s 2018-19 season. He will have served as the organization’s managing director for 17 years. The search for a new executive director to replace Fischer will begin soon and the organization has also adopted a new mission that will go into full effect next season. A complete job description, list of qualifications and details about applying for the executive director position are available online at www.ArtistSeriesConcerts.org/work-with-us/.