wcw7-23pages

JULY 2023
Brena
Slater
Chief Executive Officer,
Safe Children Coalition
Also in this issue:
■ Art Center
Sarasota’s Juried
Regional Show
■ Good News Dept.
■ Travel: Florida’s
National Parks
■ Travel Deals
for FL Residents

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2 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

JULY 2023
contents
Editor and Publisher
Louise M. Bruderle
Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net
Contributing Writer
Carol Darling
Contributing Photographer
Evelyn England
Art Director/Graphic Designer
Kimberly Carmell
Assistant to the Publisher
Mimi Gato
West Coast Woman is published
monthly (12 times annually) by
LMB Media, Inc., Louise Bruderle,
President. All contents of this
publication are copyrighted and
may not be reproduced. No part
may be reproduced without the
written permission of the publisher.
Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs
and artwork are welcome, but return
cannot be guaranteed.
focus on the arts
Art Center Sarasota has “Identity: Exploring
the Human Condition.” The 2023 Annual
Juried Regional Show runs through August 5.
p13
HOW TO REACH US:
Email: westcoastwoman@comcast.net
Here are our columns:
n Out & About: includes
fundraisers, concerts, art exhibits,
lectures, dance, poetry, shows
& performances, theatre, film,
seasonal events and more.
n You’re News: job announcements,
appointments and promotions,
board news, business news and
real estate news.
dining in
Grilling with Walnuts—No, we don’t
mean placing walnuts on the grill like a
steak, but the versatile walnut can be
part of a variety of traditionally grilled
items like steak, corn, fish and burgers.
p27
FOLLOW US AT:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
WCWmedia
EARS
WCW
35
YEARS
WCW Mailing Address:
P.O. Box 819
Sarasota, FL 34230
email:
westcoastwoman@comcast.net
website:
www.westcoastwoman.com
west coast
WOMAN
travel feature
Planning to visit any of America’s National Parks? Check out
the 11 U.S. National Parks located in Florida.
p28
departments
4 editor’s letter
7 Out & About: listings for things to do
live and/or online
9 healthier you: The Renewal Point
13 focus on the arts:
ArtCenter Sarasota
15 all about craniosacral therapy
16 west coast woman: Brena Slater,
CEO, Safe Children Coalition
18 good news in our community
21 get to know: Palm Aire Women’s Club
23 in our community: UnidosNow
25 you’re news
26 dining in: Grilling with Walnuts
28 travel: Florida’s National Parks
29 travel: Florida travel deals
30 healthier you:
Processed Food - is it all bad?
■ on the cover: Brena Slater, CEO, Safe Children Coalition.
■ Image: Louise Bruderle
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 3

just some
thoughts
Louise Bruderle
Editor and Publisher
West Coast Woman
Safe Children Coalition
CEO Brena Slater
There’s lots to manage with many moving parts at
Safe Children Coalition (SCC). For one thing, it’s a
very large nonprofit with five offices, 300 employees
and a youth shelter. They have a $54 million budget,
and they work with over 9,000 children and families
served in foster care, adoption and prevention and
diversion programs. SCC works through Circuit
12 which incudes Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto
Brena Slater counties. Add to that, SCC is building a new youth
Image: Louise Bruderle shelter and now raising the funds for it. It’s a big
responsibility.
I have to admit, it’s not easy writing about such a large and complex
agency that covers so many issues and not make it sound like a report.
But it’s harder work investigating for possible abuse or neglect and then
removing a child from a home. The woman in charge at SCC, Brena Slater,
has 32 years in the profession of caring for kids and families in crisis
— her entire career, in fact. She knows what her frontline case managers
are going through since she did it herself.
Yet she found time to meet and talk with me and answer questions.
For such a demanding job, Brena has a calm demeanor that must be
reassuring to her staff. In this month’s WCW profile you’ll learn about
how SCC manages child welfare (a broad topic that includes abuse and
neglect, but also foster care, adoptions and reunifications) in our area.
It’s a Hit!
Our “Good News Dept.” column is a big hit apparently, as measured by
the amount of information we receive and by all the clicks and shares
seen on our social media outlets. Maybe the content is popular due to a
general craving for good news, but the column also highlights how generous
this community is and how proactive it is in finding solutions.
For example, Neal Communities donated $10,600 to Take Stock in
Children of Manatee County to provide a tuition-based college/technical
college scholarship to a student
in the Manatee County
program or Arts Advocates
has awarded 11 Sarasota and
Manatee county students
with scholarships for the
2023-2024 school year totaling
$38,500.
And there’s the Barancik
Foundation which recently
approved grants for 20 local
nonprofits that support the
community in the areas of
arts and culture, early learning, student success, business development,
foster care, ecological restoration, and more. Six of the grants will go toward
capacity building for nonprofits to strengthen their infrastructure
and, in many instances, add full-time staff.
Another foundation, Selby, awarded 45 graduating high school students
with scholarships to support their four undergraduate years of
college. This year’s “Selby Scholars” includes 24 first generation students,
those who represent the first in their families to go to college. In total,
$887,000 has been approved by the Foundation for Selby Scholars and
institutional grants this year.
The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation awarded scholarships
to five local high school students who plan to pursue careers in
healthcare. Through the G. Duncan Finlay Health Careers Scholarships
and The Heather G. Miller Health Careers Scholarship, each student
will receive up to $10,000 to help offset the cost of college tuition and
expenses over the next four yearsRecent grants are supporting All Faiths
Food Bank programs that provide nutrition assistance to community
members in need. Two recent contributors to the food bank’s work
are Isermann Family Foundation, $20,000 for the BackPack program,
and Bank of America Charitable Foundation, $30,000 for the Mobile
Pantry Program.
With its Gulf Coast Community Foundation grant, Girls Inc. is able
to provide researched based summer programming scholarships for
girls in our community, along with continued support for their families
through their Family Strengthening Program. Funding was made possible
through the L. Channing Endowment Fund at Gulf Coast Community
Foundation.
A lot of these reflect that last month was graduation time. But you get
the idea - generous organizations offering a hand up, not a hand out.
Choral Artists of Sarasota’s
Independence Day Concert July 4
Choral Artists celebrates America’s forefathers every Independence
Day. But, according to Joseph Holt, the artistic director and conductor of
Choral Artists of Sarasota, “For our ultimate July 4th concert, we decided
to celebrate our nation’s ‘foremothers’ as well.”.
The program
will also
showcase
popular songs
of World War
II, including
“White Cliffs
of Dover,” “I’ll
Be Seeing You,”
and “We’ll Meet
Again.”
During the
second half,
the Lakewood
Ranch Wind Ensemble will perform hits from the Big Band era.
The concert concludes with such uplifting anthems as “Colossus of
Columbia” and “From Sea to Shining Sea.”
“As this will be our final Independence Day concert, we decided to go
out with a bang,” Holt says. “We thought it’d be fitting to end the program
with fireworks — sonic fireworks, that is. Tchaikovsky’s ‘1812 Overture’
was our one and only choice for musical pyrotechnics! It’s traditionally
performed with cannons. As none were available, we’ll be handing out
paper bags to everyone. At the crescendo, you pop your bag!”
According to Holt, that audience participation perfectly captures the
July 4th spirit. “You’re not simply listening to the triumphant music of
freedom—you’re helping to make it. I think Tchaikovsky would approve!”
Choral Artists of Sarasota presents “American Fanfare,” July 4, 4:30
p.m., at the Sarasota Opera House, 61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota.
Tickets: www.ChoralArtistsSarasota.org or call 941-387-4900.
Looking to Travel? Look no more…
Are you reading WCW on your phone in an airport? It’s possible — the
roads and the skies are very crowded. And if you are, we hope your flights
are on time and not canceled and your vacation is relaxing and fun.
But if you’re in planning mode and looking for something new close to
home or maybe a deal or two, be sure to read our travel features in this
month’s WCW.
Did you know we have National Parks in Florida? Me neither. I didn’t
know any of them beyond the Everglades. And we have a feature on some
deals on Florida travel. FL residents get a nice discount at many hotels
this time of year so take a look and see if one works for you and by all
means, enjoy!
Louise Bruderle | Editor and Publisher |
westcoastwoman@comcast.net
We welcome your thoughts and comments on this column and on other columns and features in this issue.
You can reach us at westcoastwoman@comcast.net. We’re on the web at www.WestCoastWoman.com.
4 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

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out &about
At The Bay
Ride and Paddle at The Bay.
Experience the flora and fauna at The
Bay through a guided kayak nature
tour. Offered every Saturday at 8:30,
a.m. join in for a free, 2-hour, intermediate-level
tour through The Bay’s
restored mangroves and to the north
and south of the park, allowing paddlers
to explore Sarasota Bay and
learn more about The Bay Park from
Ride & Paddle’s experienced guides.
Next dates: July, 8, 15, 22, 29 and
August 5. Location: The Bay Park-
Kayak Launch, 1055 Boulevard of the
Arts, Sarasota. Reservations: www.
thebaysarasota.org/.
▼
CoolToday Park
Offers Movie
Nights
CoolToday Park, the Spring
Training Home of the Atlanta Braves,
has Movie Nights. Back by popular
demand, the Summer Movie Nights
provide a unique experience for
everyone during the summer, while
remaining fun and affordable.
Father’s Day on June 18 will give
fathers the opportunity to play catch
on the field with their kids before
the movie begins. The Holiday favorite,
Elf; will be shown on July 23.
The Movie Nights will take place on
most Sundays, inside the stadium at
CoolToday Park.
Here’s the schedule:
• July 9- Thor- Love & Thunder
• July 16- Jaws
• July 23 - Christmas in July- Elf
• July 30 - Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The movies will be shown on the
scoreboard and will begin at 5 p.m.
each night. Tickets are available at
the CoolToday Park box office or at
cooltodaypark.com/movies. Parking
is free, seats will be available in
the seating bowl.
▼
American Jewish
Committee (AJC)
Lecture Series
July 19—Benjamin Rogers, AJC
Director, Middle East and North Africa
Initiatives. The United States, Israel,
and the Arab World: Where do we
go from here?
As we prepare to celebrate the third
anniversary of the Abraham Accords,
where have there been successes, and
where have there been challenges?
Join them as they discuss the ever-shifting
dynamics of U.S. - Middle
East relations.
• August 23—Belle Yoeliu, AJC Chief
Advocacy Officer. The State of Jewish
Affairs: Around the World with AJC
There is never a dull moment for the
Jewish people and the State of Israel.
Join them for an in-depth conversation
as they tackle some of the most
challenging current events and how
they are impacting our community.
Advance reservations required.
To RSVP, call AJC at 941-365-4955 or
email sarasota@ajc.org. Held at Michael’s
On East, Sarasota. $39 per lecture
includes luncheon.
▼
Get to Know
Southface Sarasota
▼
Southface has a Green Drinks
Meetup on July 20, 5-7
p.m. Join them at Sun
King Brewery. It’s a sustainably
good time every
third Thursday of the
month. Join Southface
Sarasota members and
local experts to talk sustainability
and network
over drinks at the Sun
King Brewery. No registration
required.
The event is offered in
partnership with Green
Drinks Sarasota and
the USGBC (U.S. Green
Building Council). Held
at Sun King Brewing,
1215 Mango Ave., Sarasota.
Information: www.
southface.org/sarasota/
Choral
Artists
Presents
American
Fanfare
Choral Artists will
be partnering with the
Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble
for a star spangled event on Tuesday,
July 4 at 4:30 pm the Sarasota Opera
House, 61 N. Palm Avenue, Sarasota.
Come celebrate our National Day
of Independence and patriotic pride
through choral fireworks, Sousa
marches, and the American songs
we all know and love. Tickets:
941-387-4900 or visit ChoralArtists
Sarasota.org.
▼
RADD Bike Rides
DreamLarge is behind BLVD Bike
Rides, a free community bike ride
that aims to bring residents, neighbors
and friends together to celebrate
the community and cycling in downtown
Sarasota.
Join them every quarter from April
to December for a specially-themed
ride (each with its own fantastic guide).
The guided group ride will end at a
different local restaurant or bar. Riders
are encouraged to stay and mingle
with their fellow bikers after the ride.
The event is free and open to everyone
in the community and aims to
bring residents, neighbors and friends
together, while enjoying a fun bike
ride in downtown Sarasota. Bring your
own bike and water bottle for this ride.
Their next ride is on July 13. Ride
Leader is Bill Waddill, Chief Operating
Officer The Bay Park Conservancy.
Check-in begins at 5:30 p.m.; Ride begins
at 5:45 p.m.
So you can plan ahead, here are future
ride dates: October 19 Halloween
Edition with Ride Leader: Jeff Vredenburg,
Sustainability Program Educator
for the City of Sarasota. Check-in
begins at 5:15 p.m.; Ride begins at 5:30
p.m. Held at DreamLarge Office, 513
Central Ave, Sarasota.
For information, visit www.Dream
Large.org. Register at www.
eventbrite.com
▼
Van Wezel
Updates and
Friday Fest
▼
The Van Wezel has its free, outdoor
At Sarasota Art Museum:
Stephanie J. Woods
my papa used to play
checkers, 2022.
Framed archival
ink-jet print
(watermelon, hand
dyed cotton fabric,
hair beads, barrette
bows, and afro hair)
summertime concert series, Friday
Fest. The lineup of bands this year
includes:
• July 21: One Night Rodeo
• August 11: TEN76
• September 22: Jah Movement
Bring blankets or lawn chairs, take in
the music and the sunset by the bay,
and enjoy food and beverages from
local vendors.
Bishop Museum
of Science and
Nature
In the field of engineering, human
achievements receive the most recognition,
but Eco Engineers, the
new temporary exhibit at the Bishop
Museum of Science and Nature,
shifts the spotlight to the flora and
fauna that shape ecosystems with
their own engineering feats.
The exhibit pays homage not only
to furry friends like beavers, but also
to plants like red mangroves and live
oaks that leave an indelible mark on the
landscape. The exhibit is divided into
three zones, including the land, water’s
edge, and sea sections. Giant photos of
the featured species fill the space, creating
an immersive environment.
A selection of photos bring each
species to life, with the largest photos
measuring about 3 by 6 feet. The
coral photos, lent to the Bishop by the
Coral Restoration Foundation, will
stun visitors. 3D elements, like corals
and a beaver skull from the museum’s
collections complement the photos
and text. Eco Engineers runs through
September 3.
Laser Light Nights at The Bishop
Museum of Science and Nature runs
through September 2, 7pm and 9pm.
Break out the big hair and acid-washed
denim every Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday night and prepare to rock
out to some of your favorite artists. A
variety of food options and drinks are
available for purchase onsite.
The Bishop Museum of Science and
Nature, 201 10th St. W., Bradenton. Information:
bishopscience.org.
▼
Sarasota
Art
Museum
Sarasota Art Museum
of Ringling College
presents Stephanie J.
Woods: my papa used
to play checkers runs
through September 17.
In her first solo museum
exhibition, Woods
presents new multidisciplinary
works inspired
by her firsthand experience
of West Africa and
with themes focusing on
transatlantic cultural
continuity and memories.
• Also on display is
The New Black Vanguard
Photography
Between Art And Fashion
though September
17. The exhibit presents
artists whose vibrant
portraits and conceptual
images fuse the genres
of art and fashion photography
in ways that
break down long-established
boundaries.
The New Black Vanguard: Photography
between Art and Fashion, presents
artists whose vibrant portraits
and conceptual images fuse the
genres of art and fashion photography
in ways that break down long-established
boundaries.
Their work has been widely consumed
in traditional lifestyle magazines,
ad campaigns, and museums, as
well as on their individual social-media
channels. The images open up
conversations around the representation
of the Black body and Black
lives as subject matter; collectively,
they celebrate Black creativity and the
cross-pollination between art, fashion,
and culture in constructing an image.
This exhibition includes select
works from these groundbreaking
contemporary photographers: Campbell
Addy, Arielle Bobb-Willis, Micaiah
Carter, Awol Erizku, Quil Lemons,
Namsa Leuba, Renell Medrano,
Tyler Mitchell, Jamal Nxedlana,
Daniel Obasi, Ruth Ossai, Adrienne
Raquel, Dana Scruggs, and Stephen
Tayo. A salon wall also features images
created by other young Black photographers
contributing to this movement
while simultaneously proposing
a brilliant re-envisioned future.
Sarasota Art Museum is participating
in Blue Star Museums, a program
that provides free admission to U.S.
military personnel and their families
this summer. The Museum, which
already provides free admission yearround
to veterans and active-duty
military members with ID, will also
offer free admission to their families
through September 4 through its participation
in Blue Star Museums.
Visit sarasotaartmuseum.org/
visit to learn more about visiting Sarasota
Art Museum during the Blue Star
Museums program and preview its
current and upcoming exhibitions.
Sarasota Art Museum is located at
1001 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.
▼
Art Galleries
▼
Art Uptown Gallery has a New
Artists Exhibit, “Creative Collaboration”
in July. The exhibit showcases
the original paintings of artists,
Donna Grossman, Christine Hales,
Debbie Kadagian, Maureen Riesco
and Kathryn Adele Schumacher. Met
them at the First Friday public reception
on July 7 from 6-9 p.m. All five
award-winning artists are local, fulltime
residents of Sarasota. The exhibit
runs through July 28.
From July 29 to August 25, Art
Uptown Gallery will display their artists’
creative interpretations on the
theme: “FLORA.” The gallery will offer
paintings and flower-filled collages,
plein-air landscapes, abstract and
traditional florals, decorative glass,
ceramics, whimsical garden sculptures,
bronze and glass mosaics to
enchant visitors with a variety of
“plant-based” fine art. FLORA ’s First
Friday opening public reception will
be on August 4 from 6-9 pm.
Art Uptown Gallery, 1367 Main St.,
Sarasota. Info: 941-955-5409 or www.
artuptown.com
At Art CenterSarasota: On view
through August 5: Regional Juried
Show: Identity, Exploring the
Human Condition.
Artists will submit work that addresses
a sense of who they/we are as individuals,
or who we are as a society.
These works will highlight the journey,
the turmoil, the ecstasy of the
human condition.
These works may reinforce the
underlying communication of emotional
truth as only understood by
other human beings. The Annual Juried
Regional Show is Art Center Sarasota’s
largest juried show of the year
and encompasses all four of our gallery
spaces. Juror: Christy Paris, Adjunct
Art History Professor and PhD candidate
at the University of South Florida.
Location: 707 N. Tamiami Trail,
Sarasota, www.artsarasota.org.
▼
At The Ringling
Reclaiming Home, Contemporary
Seminole Art runs through September
4. This group exhibition marks
The Ringling’s first presentation of
contemporary art by Native American
artists with ancestral, historical, and
present-day connections to Florida.
An imperative step toward establishing
a meaningful relationship
with the Native American artistic
community, Reclaiming Home will
highlight the breadth and depth of
the artwork by Seminole, Miccosukee,
and mixed-heritage artists from
Florida with the important work by internationally-recognized
artists. The
exhibition will expand the conceptual
framework of Native American art
made in Florida today and provide a
fuller understanding of the complexities
of issues within the art of the Seminole
diaspora.
Artists include Noah Billie (Seminole),
Wilson Bowers (Seminole),
Houston R. Cypress (Miccosukee),
Alyssa Osceola (Seminole), Jessica Osceola
(Seminole/Irish), Brian Zepeda
(Seminole), Corinne Zepeda (Seminole
/Mexican), and Pedro Zepeda
(Seminole). Presented with the important
work by the internationally-recognized
artists of Muscogee
(Creek) and Seminole descent from
Oklahoma and beyond—Elisa Harkins
(Cherokee/Muscogee [Creek]), C.
Maxx Stevens (Seminole/Muscogee
▼
continued on page 8
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 7

out and about continued
[Creek]), Tony Tiger (Sac and Fox/
Seminole/Muscogee [Creek]), and
Hulleah J. Tsinhnahjinnie (Taskigi/
Diné [Navajo]/Seminole)—the exhibition
will expand the conceptual
framework of Native American art
made in Florida today and provide a
fuller understanding of the complexities
of issues within the art of the Seminole
diaspora.
Reclaiming Home is also the first
collaboration between Florida’s Ah-
Tah-Thi-Ki Museum of Seminole culture
and history, located on the Big
Cypress Indian Reservation, as several
important loans from the museum
will be featured in the exhibition.
• From the Chambers Honoring
John Sims is also at Ringling Museum
through August 6. In December
2022, the innovative artist, activist,
writer, and filmmaker John Sims
passed away suddenly at his studio
in Sarasota.
The loss of Sims left a deep impact
on the art world. His art, informed by
mathematics, design, sacred symbols,
and poetic text, boldly confronted
white supremacy, the Confederate flag,
and the deep disparities and division
within our society.
The Ringling worked closely with
Sims, who was their artist in residence
in 2020. The exhibition From the Chambers,
Honoring John Sims brings those
two works together, on view publicly for
the first time, in conjunction with John
Chamberlain’s sculpture Added Pleasure.
The exhibition serves as just one
part of the significant legacy the artist
leaves behind, in Sarasota and beyond.
On view in the Searing East galleries.
The John and Mable Ringling
Museum of Art, 5401 Bay Shore Rd.,
Sarasota. Info: www.ringling.org.
Theatre
Black Pearl Sings! Runs to July
30 in the Keating Theatre. In 1935
Texas, two women from very different
backgrounds discover the other holds
the key to everything they’ve each
been searching for. Susannah is an
ambitious Library of Congress musicologist,
determined to record undocumented
slave songs. Pearl is an African
American woman with a soulful
voice, a steely spirit, and a sentence in
a high-security female prison. Pearl’s
memory is a treasure trove of unrecorded
slave era music, but can she
hand over her ancestors’ songs without
giving up something of herself?
▼
• Ken Ludwig’s A Comedy
of Tenors begins August 2 in the
Gompertz Theatre. One hotel suite,
four tenors, two wives, three girlfriends,
and a stadium filled with
screaming fans. It’s 1930’s Paris and
the stage is set for the concert of the
century…as long as producer Henry
Saunders can keep Italian superstar
Tito Merelli and his hot-blooded wife
from causing utter chaos. Runs to
August 20.
• Florida Studio Theatre has its
annual Sarasota Improv Festival
which will feature over 20 of the top
improv troupes from across the country
and as far as Canada and the United
Kingdom. The Festival will be held
on FST’s downtown Sarasota campus
July 20-22.
Headlining the 13th Annual Sarasota
Improv Festival is MC Hammersmith,
a multi award-winning hip
hop improviser
and comedian
from the United
Kingdom.
• Their Summer
Cabaret has The
Surfer Boys, a
tribute to the
band credited
for creating pop
music’s iconic
“California
sound.” In this
lively music
revue, four
Broadway veterans
bring The
Beach Boys’ biggest
hits to life
with classics like
“California Girls,”
“Good Vibrations,”
“Barbara
Ann,” and “Surfin’ USA.” The Surfer
Boys is in FST’s Goldstein Cabaret
through August 13.
• Next up is Divas Three, a celebration
of the artists whose musical impact
earned them the coveted title of
“Diva.” In this dazzling Cabaret, three
powerhouse female vocalists deliver
the biggest hits by some of music’s
most influential women, such as Aretha
Franklin, Carole King, Celine
Dion, and Whitney Houston. Featuring
classics like “We Are Family,”
“Stop! In the Name of Love,” “Total
Eclipse of the Heart,” and “It’s Raining
Men.” Divas Three runs in the Court
Cabaret from July 11-September 10.
Tickets at FloridaStudioTheatre.org
FST Improv presents Comedy
Lottery, where 12 audience members
select the night’s lineup of games.
Once the games have been selected,
FST Improv cast members spin scenes,
sketches, and songs to win over the
audience’s laughter. Every performance
is different, but one thing is
guaranteed: the improvisers’ fate is in
the audience’s hands. Runs Saturdays
in FST’s Bowne’s Lab to July 29.
▼
• Beginning August 5, FST Improv
Presents: As Seen on TV, an original
sitcom created on the spot. Featuring
a never-before-heard theme song and
commercials, As Seen on TV includes
all of the elements of one of America’s
favorite forms of televised entertainment.
Runs Saturday nights through
September 30.
• FST Improv Presents: Fast Times
at John Hughes High, returns for an
exclusive performance on August
12. Inspired by films as The Breakfast
Club and Risky Business, FST Improv
cast members will shape an all-new
story celebrating the abundant awkwardness,
hormones, and dreams of
American teenage life.
• Bringing the Summer Improv
Season to a close is FST Improv Presents:
The End of the World, which
performs for one night only: September
2. Disaster has struck the
planet and the future of humanity is
at stake. The world’s only hope is for
FST Improv to record a movie telling
the true story of the end of the world,
leaving their film behind as a warning
to any future civilization looking
to make a go of it here on Earth. This
90-minute improvised disaster movie
performance will have audiences
rooting for FST Improv’s performers
At The Ringling: Reclaiming Home, Contemporary Seminole Art runs through
September 4. Image: Alyssa Osceola (Seminole), Carolyn (detail), 2022.
to beat the odds and survive the end of
the world.
• Taking the Bowne’s Lab stage
in Tournament of Fools and Comedy
Roulette are returning cast members:
Kevin Allen, Tori Baird, Taylor
Bungo, Cameron Clements, Christian
Corpora, Valerie Dale, Sylvia
Day, Sarah Durham, Darryl Knapp,
Will Luera, Shawn McWhinnie,
Kathryn Parks, Keegan Penny, Sal
Piccolo, Christine Reagan, Autumn
Steiner, Joshua Thomason, AJ Trinci,
Danielle Trzcinski, and Matt Walker.
Jim Prosser or Helena Rankin will
alternate as musical improvisers on
the piano at each performance.
Visit www.floridastudiotheatre.org/
Urbanite Theatre has its That
Must Be The Entrance To Heaven
running through July 9. Four Latino
boxers all chase a world title to
achieve their personal versions of
heaven. But to get there, they must
battle each other, their own battered
bodies, and the universe itself. All
four men walk the line between life
and death in this poignant, poetic collision
of combat and cosmos.
▼
Urbanite Theatre, 1487 2nd Street,
Sarasota. Tickets: (941) 321-1397 or
visit www.urbanitetheatre.com.
▼
Manage Performing Art Center has:
• Seussical KIDS Show—Transporting
audiences from the Jungle of Nool
to the Circus McGurkus, the Cat in
the Hat, our narrator, tells the story of
Horton, an elephant who discovers a
speck of dust containing tiny people
called the Whos, including Jojo, a Who
child, who gets in trouble for thinking
too many “thinks.”
Horton’s challenge is twofold — not
only must he protect the Whos from
a world of naysayers and dangers, but
he must also guard an abandoned egg
that’s been left in his care by the irresponsible
Mayzie La Bird. Although
Horton faces ridicule, danger, kidnapping
and a trial, the intrepid Gertrude
McFuzz never loses faith in him. Ultimately,
the powers of friendship, loyalty,
family and community are challenged
and emerge triumphant.
Seussical KIDS is fun for the whole
family. Date: July 21 at 7 p.m.
• Late Nite Catechism is a play that
takes the audience back to their youth.
The irrepressible Sister teaches class
to a roomful of “students.” Throughout
the course of the class the benevolent
instructor rewards the “students” for
correct answers
with glow-inthe-dark
rosaries
and other
nifty prizes.
Naughty students
may well
find themselves
on stage sitting
in a corner
reflecting their
actions. However,
even the
most reluctant
“students” will
be clamoring
to get into this
Sister’s class.
Date: July 23, at
3 p.m.
www.manatee
performing
artscenter.com.
They’re at 502 Third Avenue West,
Bradenton.
Sea Turtle Nesting
Season
It’s that time of year, when sea
turtles make their way to the shore for
nesting season. Despite spending the
majority of their lives in the ocean,
adult female sea turtles lay their eggs
on dry land. Between their ocean
home and sandy nesting sites, they
travel hundreds or even thousands of
miles each year.
As you walk along the beach during
this season, keep your eyes peeled for
any signs of turtle tracks leading up
to the dunes. Remember to give these
amazing animals plenty of space and
respect their nesting areas.
Sarasota County beaches play host
to the largest population of nesting sea
turtles on the Florida’s Gulf Coast. Sea
turtle nesting season runs through
Oct. 31. In this time, residents are
urged to keep light out of sight and
remove unused beach furniture and
coastal structures during that time.
Each season, there’s an average of
more than 200 sea turtle nests per
mile along Sarasota County’s coastline;
however, only one out of every
1,000 hatchlings survive to adulthood.
Most die from predators, and the
exhaustion and starvation caused by
disorienting bright, artificial lights.
Here are some ways to
help sea turtles beat the odds:
• Each night, remove all furniture
and recreational items from the
beach and store them in an area
landward of the beach and dunes.
• Properly dispose of trash. Sea turtles
ingest plastic bags, and garbage
attracts predators that eat turtle eggs.
• Knock down sand sculptures and
fill in holes before you leave the
beach so turtles have direct access
into and out of the water. A turtle that
falls into a hole cannot get out.
• Reduce use of flashlights on the
beach at night.
• Recreate in locations away from
marked nesting areas.
• Property owners must either extinguish
all white lights visible from
the beach or replace them with
amber or red light-emitting diodes
(LED) or low-pressure sodium vapor
(LPS) bulbs and pair them with
shielded fixtures.
For questions or assistance,
visit scgov.net.
▼
Selby Gardens
Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
has Diving Into Nature with the iconic
art of Sarasota designer and illustrator
John Pirman. The exhibit will
feature Pirman’s celebrated artwork
inside the Museum of Botany & the
Arts and outside in the Gardens of the
Downtown Sarasota campus.
John Pirman: Diving into Nature
will be on view from July 22-September
17. The show comprises works
spanning Pirman’s long career in New
York City and now in Sarasota, along
with pieces from his formative years
growing up in Ohio.
Several images of Selby Gardens
scenes will be printed in large format
on aluminum and set directly in the
locations that inspired them. Selby
Gardens downtown location is at 1534
Mound Street, Sarasota. For information,
visit www.selby.org.
▼
Summer Movies
at Sarasota
Opera House
Sarasota Opera again has its
Summer Classic Movies at the Opera
House. These are the movies for July.
Next month we’ll post more.
• The Big Lebowski — July 14 at 7:30
p.m. From the Academy Award-winning
Coen Brothers, this hilariously
quirky comedy-thriller about bowling,
avant-garde art, nihilistic Austrians,
and a guy named “The Dude.” Directed
by Joel Coen, starring Jeff Bridges,
John Goodman, Steven Buscemi,
Julianne Moore, Peter Stormare, John
Turturro, David Huddleston, Sam
Elliott, and Philip Seymour Hoffman.
▼
• Oklahoma! Starring Hugh Jackman
- July 16 at 1:30 p.m. This HD
film marks the 25th Anniversary of
this National Theatre Production. This
acclaimed, Olivier Award-winning
production of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s
Oklahoma! Starring then-newcomer
Hugh Jackman (Les Misérables,
The Greatest Showman) as Curly,
alongside Maureen Lipman, Josefina
Gabrielle and Shuler Hensley, this
stage production was filmed during its
record-breaking 1998 run in London.
• You Can’t Take It With You — July
28 at 7:30 p.m. This film is an adaptation
of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play
about an eccentric family of carefree
misfits, whose only seemingly normal
member, a young lady, falls for her
employer’s son, the gentlemanly product
of stuffy, snobby parents. And when
the members of the two disparate clans
meet, there are fireworks. Directed by
Frank Capra, starring Jean-Arthur, Lionel
Barrymore, James Stewart, Edward
Arnold, and Mischa Auer.
Information and tickets can be
found at SarasotaOpera.org.
Art Around
the State
The Boca Raton Museum of Art
has Benn Mitchell Photographs:
Hollywood to NYC. From the age of
13, when he received his first camera,
Mitchell produced photographs
that capture a particularly American
vitality. Born in New York City in 1926,
he sold his first photograph to “Life”
magazine when he was 16. Then, at
▼
continued on page 10
8 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

healthier you
Balance Your Hormones,
Balance Your Brain
University of California scientists
discover a unique program
to reverse cognitive decline by
balancing hormones:
Known by many names: brain degeneration,
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Multiple
Sclerosis, and others, cognitive decline
can slip in and steal our health, our feelings,
our memories, and even our loved
ones. Having spent billions of dollars
on research over the last 80 years with
thousands of scientists working on the
problem, there is still no cure. Medications
have had marginal effects at best.
Furthermore, it has been pointed out
that women are at the epicenter of the Alzheimer’s
epidemic, with 65% of patients
and 60% of caregivers being women.
That’s the bad news, now for the good –
In a breakthrough brain health
program, studied at the esteemed Buck
Institute for Research on Aging (University
of California, L.A.), a team of scientists
were able to reverse memory loss in 90%
of the patients. Cognition returned in
3-6 months, with the only failure being
in late stage Alzheimer’s. Better yet,
improvements have been noted over the
course of years now!
The great news out of all this is that
brain degeneration is not inevitable. Your
brain has amazing powers of regeneration
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it, reverse it, and recover what is lost.
A case study
A 55-year-old woman, married with
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• “Losing it”
• “Absent-minded”
• “Trouble sleeping”
• “Flipping out”
• “Can’t focus”
• “Fuzzy thoughts”
• “Think I’m getting early Alzheimer’s”
Fortunately, she was not getting Alzheimer’s.
Within a few months of hormone
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Dr. K. Yaffee writes in the Journal of
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· Estrogen therapy decreased ẞ-Amyloid
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· Testosterone improves cognitive function
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· Cortisol bathes the Prefrontal Cortex
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memory and executive function.
· Insulin maintains neural synapses and
amyloid regulation.
· Growth Hormone is significantly lower
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· Thyroid irregularities can lead to impaired
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If you or a loved one have been experiencing
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—————————————————
SOURCE: Dr. Watts, MD, ND, MSNM and
Deb Spinner, ARNP, MSN, are experts in
Bio-identical and NeuroAdrenal Hormone
Balancing. With over
25 years experience in
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MD, ND, MSMN
The Renewal Point
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To schedule an appointment, ask questions,
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References:
1. Lambert, S. The Endocrinology of Aging and the Brain.
Arch Neurology, 2002. 59:1709-11.
2. Wilcoxon, J. Behavioral Inhibition and Impaired Spatial
Learning and Memory. Behavior Brain Res. 2007. 1771(1):
109-116.
3. Davidson, S. Endocrine Society ~ 93rd Annual Meeting,
2011.
4. Flood, J. Age-related Decrease of Plasma Testosterone.
Physiol. Behavior, 1995. 57: 669-73.
5. Lupen, S. The Modulatory Effects of Corticosteroids on
Cognition: Studies in young human populations. Psychoneuroendocrinology
2002. 27: 401-16.
6. Croft, S. Intranasal Insulin Therapy for Alzheimer’s disease
and Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment. Arch Neurol.
Sept. 2011.
4905 Clark Road, Sarasota
Phone: 941-926-4905
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JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 9

out and about continued
age 17, he headed west, gaining permission
from Warner Brothers to
frequent the studios, shooting Hollywood
stars on various sets and sound
stages. One of his most valued photographs
in this exhibition features
Humphrey Bogart in a rare moment
of respite, having a cigarette break
between takes.
After two years of duty as a navy
photographer, he returned to New
York City and worked as a photographer
in a large commercial studio.
In 1951 he started a commercial studio.
Finally, he retired to Boca Raton,
where he and his wife Esther avidly
supported the Museum, donating
many of Mitchell’s photographs to the
collection. The Museum is located at
501 Plaza Real, Boca Raton.
More info at: bocamuseum.org/art/
benn-mitchell-photographs-hollywood-nyc
▼
An exhibition showcasing Salvador
Dalí’s rarely seen drawings,
“Where Ideas Come From: Dalí’s
Drawings” features newly conserved
works on view for the first time in
more than three decades.
Experience the opportunity to see
Dalí’s fragile works on paper, highlighting
the artist’s creative process
throughout the many phases of his
career on view through Oct. 22 at The
Dalí Museum.
The exhibition chronicles the movement
of the Surrealist’s imagination
through more than 100 pencil, pen,
charcoal, watercolor and gouache
works, many of which have been
secured in the Museum’s vault for
more than three decades and likely
will not be displayed again for many
years to come.
“Where Ideas Come From” also
marks the debut of two recent Surrealist
acquisitions by The Dalí:
“Drawing for ‘Bacchanale,’ Ludwig II
of Bavaria” (1939), a ballet-inspired
portrait of King Ludwig II of Bavaria,
and “Untitled (Paranoiac Face)” (c.
1935), a frontispiece dedicated to Paul
Éluard from Dalí’s book “Conquest of
the Irrational.”
The Dalí Museum organizes
“Where Ideas Come From” chronologically,
presenting works that date
from 1916 to 1974. Four sections —
Early Period; Surrealism; Nuclear
Mysticism, Classicism and Religion;
and Late Period — feature studies for
major oil paintings, portraits, experimental
drawing techniques and commercial
projects, including film.
The Early Period opens with student
sketches, book illustrations, poster
designs and self-portraits that demonstrate
Dalí’s journey from Classicism
to Cubism and eventually anti-art.
The works also showcase his natural
mastery of drawing and painting
techniques. Dalí learned to draw at a
young age and adopted the approach
of Old Master painters in his work.
The Dalí anchors the Surrealism
section with studies for such works as
“The Weaning of Furniture Nutrition”
(1934), illustrations for the poetic
novel “Le Chants de Maldoror” (1940)
and examples of Dalí’s experimentation
with various Surrealist drawing
techniques. This section also features
“Study for ‘Disappearing Images’”
(1939) which marks the beginnings of
“Old Age, Adolescence Infancy (The
Three Ages),” a significant 1940 double
image oil painting
in The Dalí’s
collection.
Following World
War II, Dalí coined
himself a classicist
and “Nuclear Mystical
painter.” This
section includes
illustrations for
works by the Italian
poet, writer and
philosopher Dante
Alighieri and the
ballet “Tres Picos,”
familiar motifs of
exploding watches,
flies, disintegrating
figures and religious-tinged
images
of dissolving angels.
In “Study for Soft
Watch Exploding”
(1954), the sketch
for “Soft Watch at
the Moment of the First Explosion,”
Dalí presents an object that has disintegrated
into nearly unrecognizable
particles. Transformations and studies
for “The Sacrament of the Last Supper”
(1955) and “Christ of St. John of the
Cross” (1951) round out this section.
The final section, Late Period,
includes diverse selections with small
studies of “The Hallucinogenic Toreador”
(1969-1970) and “Galacidalacidesoxiribunucleicacid
(Homage to
Crick and Watson)” (1962-1963), both in
the Museum’s oil collection. The exhibition
concludes with the 1974 “Iceberg”
sketch, a self-portrait Dalí gifted
to the founders of The Dalí Museum, A.
Reynolds and Eleanor Morse.
After viewing a multitude of Dalí’s
sketches, experiments and finished
drawings, visitors to The Dalí will also
have a chance to try their hand at drawing
like the Surrealist icon. A series of
instructional videos, sketchpads and
pencils are available for visitors to create
symbolic Dalinian imagery or other
ideas inspired by the exhibit.
Additionally, the Museum is offering
a multitude of programs inspired by
drawing and creativity including free
lectures, artistic workshops and tasting
events. More information about
the exhibition, events and programs is
available at TheDali.org.
USF Contemporary Art Museum
presents Rico Gatson: Visible Time
running through July 29. The USF
Contemporary Art Museum, part of
the Institute for Research in Art in the
USF College of The Arts, presents Rico
Gatson: Visible Time. For more than
two decades, Brooklyn-based artist
Rico Gatson has been celebrated
for his vibrant, colorful, and layered
artworks. Inspired by significant moments
in African American history,
identity politics and spirituality, his
oeuvre includes images of protests and
longstanding injustices—touching on
subjects like the murder of Emmett
Till, the Watts Riots, and the formation
of the Black Panthers—as well as
dynamic abstract geometries that celebrate
Pan-Africanist aesthetics and
Black cultural and political figures.
Gatson has transformed the walls
of the USF Contemporary Art Museum
with a kaleidoscopic, life-size
image of Zora Neale Hurston—author,
anthropologist, filmmaker, and Florida
resident—along with a large-scale
abstract composition. USF students
▼
Headlining the 13th Annual Sarasota Improv Festival is MC Hammersmith, a
multi award-winning hip hop improviser and comedian from the United Kingdom.
have painted alongside the artist
to help complete the installation
inspired by the author of Their Eyes
Were Watching God. While Visible
Time also includes important paintings
and works on paper by Gatson,
the exhibition will additionally feature
a mini-survey of the artist’s video
works from 2001 to the present.
Rico Gatson is a multimedia visual
artist whose work explores themes of
history, identity, popular culture, and
spirituality, through sculpture, painting,
video, and public art projects.
USF Contemporary Art Museum,
4202 E. Fowler Ave. CAM101, Tampa.
For more info, visit CAM.USF.EDU.
Tampa Museum of Art has Identity
in the Ancient World on view
through March, 2025. Today, we recognize
various expressions of identity,
such as personal, social and national
identity. Certain frames of identity
are well-defined or fixed, others are
based on personal choice or may
change over time. Think of economic
class and social status, education and
profession, culture and nationality.
Also, language, lifestyle, musical
preference, personal companionship,
political allegiance or religion. These
frames of identity may invoke a sense
of belonging or form exclusive alliances.
They may also provoke feelings of
marginalization, even policies of segregation.
Or, they may create demands
for acceptance and equal treatment.
This exhibition engages the public
to reflect upon the differences and
similarities between the ancient world
and our contemporary society. Some
themes the visitor may encounter include
masculinity and femininity, intimacy
and ethnicity.
In the ancient world such expressions
of identity could not always be
articulated explicitly because the terminology
for voicing thoughts about
personal, cultural and national frames
of identity often did not exist. That is
not to say that Egyptians or Persians,
Greeks or Romans did not experience
a sense of belonging to a certain group
sharing a cultural, linguistic and historical
heritage. They recognized biological
differences between men and
women, and they believed that certain
social roles belonged to the different
genders. Ancient societies were unambiguously
patriarchal and hierarchical,
with certain political rights
held as privileges of well-defined
▼
classes. Others were
excluded – such as
enslaved persons,
peasants, women
and/or resident
aliens (even when
living in the same
country for generations),
who had little
or no rights.
Tampa Museum
of Art, Cornelia
Corbett Center, 120
W. Gasparilla Plaza,
Tampa. tampamuseum.org/
Best In Showdogs
in Art is at The
MFA through August
6, 2023. The
MFA curators (and
resident dog-lovers)
have collaborated
on an exhibition
linking their disparate areas of expertise
and media across time and space
with a unifying theme—in this case,
our beloved canine partners.
Humans and canines have been
co-evolving for over 30,000 years,
developing a rich and complex set of
relationships that is revealed through
works of art. Working exclusively from
our collection, our curators have chosen
their favorite works that memorialize
this special relationship.
From ancient times through contemporary
times, dogs have been constant
companions. They have assisted
by hunting and guiding, supported
through their steadfast loyalty, and
amused with their energy and antics.
This small focus show—drawn entirely
from the MFA Collection—highlights
the ways dogs have been represented
throughout the history of art.
▼
• Also on display is Shashin Japanese
Photographs From the Meiji
Era, 1870-1900. Runs through July
23, 2023. Although photography was
invented in 1839 in France, shashin—
the Japanese word for photograph—
was not fully introduced in Japan
until the mid-1860s. Learning the
craft from European photographers,
Japanese photographers were quick
to embrace the ambrotype, albumen,
and carte-de-visite processes. Most
opened studios in the 1870s amid stiff
European competition, but by the
1890s, Japanese photographers dominated
the market.
While many Japanese studios
adopted the earlier conventions established
by European studios, photographers
like Kusakabe Kimbei
(1841–1934) incorporated subtle variations
in content which underscored
the movement toward modernization
prevalent in Meiji-era Japan (1868–
1912). Discovering a new approach to
present local subjects to a primarily
foreign audience, his meticulously
hand-painted genre images reflect a
dynamic merging of the subject matter
and artistic sensibility of Japanese
woodblock prints with photographic
technology. Ogawa Kazumasa (1860–
1929)—a pioneer in photomechanical
color printing—produced lusciously
colorful botanical works that emphasized
the artistic merits of photography.
Ambrotype portraits housed
in handmade kiri-wood boxes—a
uniquely Japanese presentation—
served as personal mementos of loved
ones. Later, cartes-de-visite made images
of family and notable personalities
accessible to everyone.
This selection of photographs showcases
the skill and innovation of Japanese
photographers working in Japan
from 1870–1900. Comprised of almost
50 works from the MFA Collection,
early Japanese photography served a
multitude of functions including mementos
for remembrance, collectibles
for tourists, and furthered the notion
of photography as an art.
The MFA is located at 255 Beach Dr
NE, St. Petersburg. mfastpete.org
At Norton Museum of Art On
View: Portrait of Mrs. Frederick
Guest (Amy Phipps) by John Singer
Sargent. Last month, we unveiled our
first oil painting by celebrated American
artist, John Singer Sargent. Portrait
of Mrs. Frederick Guest (Amy
Phipps), 1905, is a generous gift from
the sitter’s grandson, Alexander M.
D. C. Guest, and the Guest family. Not
only is this work a significant example
of Sargent’s defining style, but the portrait
also showcases the captivating
history of Amy Phipps Guest, whose
interest in aviation led to Guest learning
to pilot an aircraft herself, and ultimately
providing the crew and plane
for Amelia Earhart’s world-famous
transatlantic flight in 1928. You can
view this work in the Trust Gallery on
the First Floor.
Forty years of American Modernism
will be on view at the Norton with two
exhibitions, At the Dawn of a New
Age: Early Twentieth-Century American
Modernism and From Man Ray
to O’Keeffe, American Modernism at
the Norton.
Held in conjunction with the exhibition
At the Dawn of a New Age: Early
Twentieth-Century American Modernism,
this show will explore connections
between the leading collections
of American modernist art held by the
Norton and the Whitney Museum of
American Art. The core of the Norton’s
holdings in this area is still the works
acquired by museum founder Ralph
Norton, who grew increasingly fascinated
by modernism in the last years
of his life. His bequest to his museum
reflects his passion for work by painters
such as Charles Demuth, John
Marin, and Georgia O’Keeffe who were
supported by New York photographer
and dealer Alfred Stieglitz as well as
American direct carvers like John
Flannagan. To July 16, 2023
Norton Museum of Art | 1450 S. Dixie
Highway, West Palm Beach, www.
norton.org/
▼
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IN
ADVERTISING?
Contact us:
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10 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 11

Transform Your Mental Health
Journey at Our Empowering Summit!
SATURDAY, OCT 28, 2023 • 9:00 AM - 2:30 PM
ROBARTS ARENA, SARASOTA • FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
Discover a brighter path to mental health and wellness at the Step into the Light: A Mental Health Summit!
Join us for an empowering and transformative event on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023 at Robarts Arena in
Sarasota, FL.
Open to the Public, Free Admission
This is your chance to take control of your mental health journey and connect with a supportive
community. Whether you’re a client, clinician, parent, or advocate, this summit is designed to empower
you with valuable insights, coping skills, and resources.
Engaging Speakers and Inspiring Talks
Keynote speaker Linda Larsen shares her journey from despair to hope. Experts discuss anxiety,
depression, trauma, children’s mental health, and navigating the system. Gain knowledge and guidance.
Connect and Learn from Experts
Step into the Light offers an interactive and immersive experience where you can learn from experts in
the field of mental health. Engage in critical conversations, gain new coping skills, and access valuable
community resources that will transform how you think about mental health.
Step out of the darkness and into the light. Together, we can make a difference.
Register today at SunshineFromDarkness.org
Scan the QR code with the camera on your phone, visit
SunshineFromDarkness.org or email Marlene@SunshineFromDarkness.
12 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

focus on the arts
Art Center Sarasota has
“Identity: Exploring the Human Condition”
The 2023 Annual Juried Regional Show runs through August 5
1st Place:
George
Zebot
(Venice)
Healing
Democracy,
2021
Oil on
Wood.
40 x 32 in.
2nd Place: Julie White (out-of-state)
Reflection, 2022
Oil and Mixed
Media on
Canvas.
24 x 18
x 1.5 in.
3rd Place:
Ravi Venkataraman (Longboat Key)
Breaking Free, 2023
Acrylic on Wood. 9 x 13 x 5 in.
Merit Award: Eva Bejar Merit Award: Jana Millstone Honorable Mention: Perry deVick Honorable Mention: Denise Pruett
rt Center Sarasota’s
2023 exhibition
season continues
with its annual
regional exhibit,
the largest juried exhibition of
the year. “Identity: Exploring
the Human Condition,” highlights
the diverse talents of artists
from across the southeast
region of the United States and
is on display in all four gallery
spaces.
On view through August 5,
the juror is Christy Paris, an art
professor and PhD candidate in
the College of Education at the
University of South Florida.
According to Christina Baril,
Art Center Sarasota’s exhibitions
director, the annual regional exhibit
“showcases a broad range
of perspectives and reactions
from an exceptionally diverse
group of artists.” She explains
that the theme, “Identity: Exploring
the Human Condition” is
meant to “highlight the journey,
the turmoil, and the ecstasy of
the human condition. These
artworks may reinforce the underlying
communication of emotional
truth as only understood
by other human beings.”
The winning works of art are:
• 1st Place: $800
George Zebot (Venice)
Healing Democracy, 2021
Oil on Wood. 40 x 32 in.
• 2nd Place: $600
Julie White (out-of-state)
Reflection, 2022
Oil and Mixed Media on Canvas. 24 x
18 x 1.5 in.
• 3rd Place: $400
Ravi Venkataraman (Longboat Key)
Breaking Free, 2023
Acrylic on Wood. 9 x 13 x 5 in.
• Merit Award: $100
Eva Bejar (Brandon)
Roses on Grey, 2021
Oil on Canvas. 40 x 30 x 1 in.
• Merit Award: $100
Jana Millstone (Sarasota)
Everybody Smiled, 2021
Acrylic on 2 Shaped Wood Panels. 24
x 33 x 1.5 in.
• Honorable Mention: $50
Ann Kozeliski (Tallahassee)
Enough for the Bus, 2022
Sumi-e’, Asian Watercolors on Single
Shuen Paper, Unmounted. 60 x 30 in.
• Honorable Mention: $50
Perry deVick (St. Petersburg)
Memento Mori, Memento Vivere, 2020
Oil on Wood Panel. 18 x 24 x 2 in.
• Honorable Mention: $50
Richard Monteleone (Bradenton)
Chemical Isolation, 2021
Oil on Canvas. 48 x 60 in.
• Honorable Mention: $50
Denise Pruett (Fort Myers)
Internal Struggle, 2022
Photography. 23.75 x 27.75 x 2 in.
“The exhibition includes a variety of
breathtaking interpretations on the
theme of identity and the human experience,”
says Christy Paris, the exhibition
juror. “I was incredibly impressed by all
the submissions and the talent each artist
demonstrated through skill and creatively
and uniquely handling the mediums. This
exhibition is filled with a diverse array of
voices and styles, and it was an honor to
be part of the selection process.”
Paris is an art history professor and
PhD candidate in the College of Education
at the University of South Florida.
Her dissertation focuses on queer inclusivity
in art- and museum-based educational
settings drawing on an exhibition
she curated in the fall of 2022 entitled,
“#visibleUSF: Queering the Art Narrative
through Curatorial Activism.” The
exhibition included works created by
LGBTQIA+ artists from USF and pieces
from the USF Library’s LGBTQ Special
Collections. Paris earned a Museum
Studies graduate certificate from Florida
State University
focusing on museum
education
and interned at
the Museum of
Fine Arts in Tallahassee
while
Christy Paris
earning her master’s
in interdisciplinary humanities.
While earning her master’s
in art history from USF, Paris
co-curated “Photographing the
City” at the Museum of Fine
Arts, St. Petersburg. Over the
last 15 years, Paris has taught
humanities, film, and art history
at FSU, USF, and University of
Tampa specializing in modern
art, contemporary art, art theory,
and museum education.
ART CENTER SARASOTA
707 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota
Call 941-365-2032 or
visit www.artsarasota.org
GALLERY HOURS
Monday-Friday: 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Saturday: Noon-5 p.m.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 13

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14 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

your healthier health you
Craniosacral Therapy Can Be Life Changing
CST treats the whole body physically, physiologically, mentally, emotionally and energetically
Clients come to me because they are in physical
pain such as neck, back, pain and TMJ as well as
for chronic headaches and migraines.
Pain and stress caused by
shortened Fascia
Fascia (strong connective tissue) encases all
our muscles, organs, brain and spinal cord.
Whenever fascia shortens any place in the
body, the entire network of fascia creates an
increased tension affecting the functioning
of our physical body as well as our organs,
our brain and spinal cord.
Our body is the history of every major
trauma we have experienced physically and
emotionally beginning with birth issues, falls,
head trauma, car accidents, childhood abuse
issues, death, divorce and other emotional
issues. Our body tries to minimize each trauma
by shortening fascia to isolate the energy
coming into the body from that trauma.
Shortened fascia results in pain, loss of mobility
and range of motion, organs becoming
less efficient and with parts of the brain and
spinal cord becoming stressed.
To keep the brain functioning, the body
transfers some of your functional work play
energy (7:00 AM-10:00 PM) to the brain resulting
in less energy to make it through each
day. As we age, the accumulation of all the
tightened fascia, from every major trauma
in life, begins to restrict every aspect of our
body’s functions resulting in pain, loss of mobility,
mis-functioning organs, loss of energy,
as well as our brain losing some its sharpness.
How Craniosacral
Therapy Works
The Craniosacral Therapist creates a safe
place, with gentle holding techniques, that
engages your body’s ability to self correct,
reorganize and heal itself with the release
of some of that tightened fascia during
each session. As the Craniosacral Therapist
engages your body, you will feel fascia releasing.
As the fascia releases, pain begins to
decrease, range of motion and mobility improve,
organs begin functioning better and
with less stress on the brain feels, it returns
the energy it borrowed at the time of each
trauma resulting in an immediate increase in
your energy levels. Rarely does anyone leave
from my first session not feeling better.
Short Leg Syndrome
Eighty-five percent of my clients have one
of their legs pulled up 1/2 to 1 by shortened
fascia. The tension from short leg syndrome
on the sacrum (5 fused vertebrae at bottom
of the spine) is transferred up the dural tube
that encases the spinal cord into the lower
and upper back, the neck, the cranium and
The physical stress in bodies caused by shortened
fascia (connective tissue) shuts down
energy flows to certain organs. Short leg syndrome
by ½ to 1 in (where one leg is pulled up
by shortened fascia) shuts down energy flow to
the spleen (an important part of your immune
system) and the small and large intestine. With
the release of that shortened fascia, energy returns
to these organs.
the brain. Headaches, migraines, TMJ and
neck problems can originate from the fascial
stress in the sacrum.
Releasing this sacral stress increases energy
in the bladder, sex organs, kidneys and
the chakras as well as releasing major stress
in the upper part of the body.
Cause of Shallow Breathing
A great majority of the clients who come to
me for various problems are also shallow
breathers. Fascial stress in the diaphragm
restricts the depth of breathing by restricting
energy flow to the lungs, the pericardium
and the heart. With the release of fascial diaphragm
restriction, the client immediately
starts breathing deeply and energy is restored
to the pericardium and the heart.
Shoulder blades that are cemented to the
body also restricts how much the rib cage can
open and thereby also restricting depth of
breath. Without proper breathing, your cells
do not get enough oxygen. Everyone, especially
people suffering from bronchitis, asthma
and COPD as well as shallow breathing can
benefit when the fascial stress is released.
Specialized Training
to work with Brain
Dysfunctions
Just as the body physically gets stressed from
physical and emotional trauma, the functioning
of the brain is also affected by fascial stress. For
our brains to remain healthy, we need dynamic
production of craniosacral fluid which performs
the important function of bringing nourishment
to all the cells in the brain and spinal
cord as well as cleansing all the metabolic
wastes given off by those same cells.
Once the craniosacral fluid cleanses these
metabolic wastes, efficient drainage of these
metabolic wastes into the lymph system is
absolutely necessary. Research has shown,
that at night, craniosacral fluid cleanses amyloid
plaques from the brain. If the drainage
is inefficient, then the brain is being bathed
in a toxic slurry. How does 15 or 20 years of
your brain being bathed in a toxic slurry
affect you: senile dementia, Parkinson’s,
Alzheimer’s and other brain dysfunctions?
A Craniosacral Therapist, who has received
training in working with the brain, can reverse
that stress on the brain that eventually can
result in those brain dysfunctions. As we all
know, the proper functioning of the body is
dependent on a healthy functioning brain.
Babies and Children can benefit
■ Our little boy Leo, four years of age, had a
difficult birth and at 7 months was put on antibiotics
for an ear infection and as a result developed
c-diff. His development came to a stop.
At 3 years, with the help of an OT, he started
to walk and talk. In spite of the improvements,
he was unable to answer questions and his
communication skills were very poor. Leo
had very poor muscle tone, a lot of stress in
his body and physical activities such walking,
jumping and climbing were difficult for him.
Beginning with the first session with Terry,
he began showing improvement and with each
following session. Everyone from his teachers
to his grandparents noticed an increase in his
■ “I was in awful pain and the
MRI showed 2 pinched nerves
and stenosis. I scheduled surgery.
My daughter suggested Craniosacral therapy.
After only 2 visits the pain was reduced to
advanced craniosacral about 80% and therapy I canceled the surgery. I went
for a 3rd visit and I am about 90% better.”
■ “Simply Amazing! One visit was all it took for
Terry to relieve 85% of my year long, nagging
(sometimes severe) neck/shoulder tightness/
pain!! My breathing improved tremendously.”
physical strength, as well as improvements in
comprehension, speech and communication
skills. For the first time, he started participating
in class lessons and interacting with his
classmates. Terry has made a huge impact on
getting Leo to a place a little boy should be at
age four. We cannot thank Terry enough.
■ Terry’s treatment helped our 6 week old
baby boy from recent hospitalization into
the first series of healthy bowel movements
when seemingly nothing could help. Our son
was able to latch onto the breast and for the
first time completed his feeding. He was much
calmer after working with Terry.
■ “He was able to relieve tension that I have
been carrying around for 15 years or more.
I left his office table with more energy than I
have had in years.”
■ “I began working with him because I was
dealing with anxieties, depression and lots of
emotional pain inside and out. You don’t realized
how much stress can cause damage to
your body, mind and soul. I can say Terry was
a big help.”
Terrence Grywinski
of Advanced
Craniosacral Therapy,
B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049
Testimonials from Clients
SOURCE:
■ Terrence Grywinski of Advanced Craniosacral Therapy,
B.A., B.ED., LMT #MA 6049. Terry has specialized in Craniosacral
Therapy since 1994 when he began his training at the Upledger
Institute. Described by his teachers, clients and colleagues
as a “gifted healer”, Terry’s intuitive sense and healing energy
provides immediate and lasting relief from injury, pain, mobility
issues as well as dysfunctions of the body and the brain. Part
of Terry’s ongoing education, he has completed 4 craniosacral
brain and peripheral nervous system classes which enables him
to work at a cellular
level and with brain
dysfunctions.
Call 941-321-8757
for more information,
Google Advanced
Craniosacral
Therapy.
■ “On a recent vacation to Siesta Key, I re-injured
my back. I found Terry online. I can say
with complete joy that was the best decision
I made in the history of my back pain. I have
sought many modalities and visit a CST regularly
and never have I had such a healing in
my entire body.
After 3 sessions, I made a 16-hour drive
home with no pain or discomfort in my entire
body. Unbelievable. My body has a sense of
moving freely and that is completely new. I’m
advanced craniosacral therapy
so grateful to Terry for his knowledge, for his
sensitivity to my needs and his kind generosity
in healing my body. I will see him when I return
next year.”
■ “I am a snowbird who spends 7 months
in Sarasota. I have had back problems for 25
years. Terry’s techniques have led to a great
deal of release and relief in areas that have
been problematic. I have been seeing him over
the years when my body says ”it’s time”. Usually
after a few sessions, I can tell a huge difference.”
PAID ADVERTORIAL
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 15

Brena
Slater
Chief Executive Officer,
Safe Children Coalition
SCC has five offices,
300 staff and a
multitude of
programs and services.
They’re the contracted
lead agency with the
Department of Children
and Families to provide
foster care, adoptions
and related services
in Circuit 12, covering
Sarasota, Manatee and
DeSoto counties and have
been doing so since 1997.
Brena came to Florida in
1996 and has spent her
entire career working in child
welfare —the last ten with
SCC. It’s demanding work,
but the goal is still the
same: that all children can
grow up in safe, stable,
nurturing families and
communities.
16 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

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Get Started Right”
Ican’t imagine her “elevator”
speech. Brena’s agency has five
offices, 300 staff, a multitude of
programs and services and is responsible
for all the cases of abuse
and neglect sent to them after DCF
(Department of Children and
Families) investigates.
There’s more. The nonprofit that she
runs, Safe Children Coalition (SCC), also
does adoptions and monitors foster care
and guardianship. Add to that early childhood
learning and operating a youth shelter
as well as referrals to many local nonprofits.
You get the point. An all-encompassing
agency, SCC is the contracted lead agency
with the Department of Children and
Families to provide foster care, adoptions
and related services in Circuit 12, covering
Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto counties
and has been doing so since 1997, according
to their website.
Brena came to Florida in 1996 and began
her career with DCF. She has spent ten years
at SCC, moving up “through the ranks” with
six years as Vice President and four as CEO.
Drug abuse, domestic violence and neglect
are the top reasons why a child may
be removed from a home. DCF does what is
called an initial investigation (some 7,698 in
2021-2022) that stems from 13,008 Florida
Abuse Hotline calls.
Then Safe Children Coalition takes over.
No child is turned away and all children are
carefully placed in what appears to be an
all-compassing system to get them in a situation
that keeps them safe via what’s called
“crisis management.”
Children in “unsafe” situations may be
placed with a relative or non-relative, enter
foster care or go to residential housing.
What SCC calls “exit to permanency” is
actually a lot more positive than the name
suggests. It can mean adoption, guardianship
or family reunifications.
For such challenging work, Brena stays
calm talking about the serious work her
large nonprofit does. Her years on the frontlines
as a caseworker (unusual for her position)
gave her the perspective that her own
young case managers have.
Crisis calls come in all hours and happen
to you “whether you have kids or not,” she
notes. Having been in the field 30 years—
her entire career— she also smiles at the age
disparity as in once using the word "beeper"
or another time “CD,” which no doubt drew
blank looks from some of her Gen Z staff.
But, back to being serious, she admits it’s
hard for her caseworkers and what they experience
in their work with children. They
see first hand abuse and neglect. “You want
parents to get better. But you sometimes
have people call you names. You’re a 23 year
old and you want to save the world. Trust
me, there are days that are hard.”
Brena commutes three hours a day
round trip from her home in Tampa taking
her either to their main office in north
Sarasota or to Tallahassee where DCF has
its offices, and where the Florida Legislature
meets. In total, she oversees five offices
and a youth shelter.
As a CEO, she’s not above cleaning at
one of their offices if need be, and smiles
recalling that a staff member took her
picture doing so. “We all pitch in when we
need to.” So there’s no ivory tower, no big
ego, and no corner office (hers is small and
windowless).
But she also has many staff members who
have worked for SCC for over 20 years and
Brena has worked to raise salaries because
she wants them to make a career at SCC.
Does she have a favorite part of her job?
Yes, they’re the reunifications — those moments
when a family is made whole again
when children are returned to their home and
to their parents. “I like seeing success: caseworkers
happy, judges happy, parents happy.”
Some 40% of the children in their care are
reunited with their biological parents.
Portraits of past adoptees line the walls
of their main office in north Sarasota. Some
are recent, some go back much further. We
stop at an image of a large tree with children’s
names in the leaves. There’s Isabella
15, Mariah 2, Giovanni 8, to name a few.
These and all the other children on the tree
have been adopted.
SCC’s mission is “Protect children,
strengthen families and build community.”
The chart of their organization is complicated,
but they "blend available resources
to support, advocate, grow and educate
the children and families we serve.”
Part of that includes “early childhood
literacy for low income families, a program
for middle and high school students to help
them succeed academically and counseling
services for youth experiencing difficulties
with truancy, runaway behavior or
homelessness.”
They serve over 1,500 abused and neglected
children every day, help 150 youth
get adopted annually, assist over 750 homeless
youth stay in school, provide after
school care at three elementary schools and
manage 40 subcontracts providing services
to our children and families.
SCC is the lead agency “for community
based care” meaning that they collaborate
with other local community agencies
working in critical care for children and
families like SPARCC and First Step to
name just two.
Brena oversees SCC’s $54 million budget
explaining that the funds are mainly “pass
through” which means, in layman’s terms,
money in, money out. Of that, $12 million
goes for foster care (the largest component of
what SCC does) and $12 million for adoptions
with a good chunk contracted out for mental
health and trauma-informed services.
The latest news with SCC is that they’ve
launched a capital campaign for a new
youth shelter that started with a $1 million
grant from the Charles & Margery Barancik
Foundation.
According to a release that announced
the grant, “There are typically over 2,000
teens who are homeless in Circuit 12 (Sarasota,
Manatee and DeSoto counties) and
there is always a waiting list for the shelter.”
SCC has the only shelter for homeless,
foster or runaway youth in Sarasota. These
homeless or unaccompanied teens are
“without safe shelter due to extreme parental
conflict, abuse or neglect, or a parent’s
inability to cope.” The previous shelter was
more than 60 years old and limited the
number of teens the program could serve.
The ultimate goal of the youth shelter
program is to reunite youth with their families
as appropriate, or to help parents find
resources for more appropriate care, thereby
keeping teens out of foster care. It will
provide nearly 3,000 safe shelter bed-nights
a year and serve up to 200 youth annually.
A synopsis of her agency would be they
try to do everything to protect children and
keep them from harm and neglect. And they
also do everything they can to try and keep
families intact and functioning in a healthy
way. And, if that’s not possible, they create
the best outcome for the child.
And as to the challenges of the work she
does? “I do it for the families…I see how
hard my staff work and it’s so important for
me to be a leader and role model.” The way
to look at this profession is, “Child welfare is
not a job - it’s a calling.”
For more information about Safe Children
Coalition, visit sccfl.org.
STORY and IMAGES: Louise Bruderle
For more Information
Call 941.914.1560
Amanda E. Stiff, MBA Financial Advisor
AccessAdvisorsLLC.com 941 914-1560 | Astiff@AccessAdvisorsLLC.com
1800 Second St. Suite 895 Sarasota, FL 34236 | 1305 Langhorne Rd. Lynchburg, VA 24503
Securities are offered through Level Four Financial, LLC a registered broker dealer and member of FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services are offered through Level
Four Advisory Services, LLC, an SEC-registered investment advisor. Level Four Financial, LLC, Level Four Advisory Services, LLC and Access Advisors, LLC
are independent entities. Neither Level Four Financial, LLC, Level Four Advisory Services, LLC nor Access Advisors, LLC offer tax or legal advice.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 17

good news department
Neal Communities Supports
Take Stock in Children of Manatee County
For the past year, young professional
Katie Rhyne, community
affairs coordinator at Neal Communities,
has mentored Amajai
Kirksey, a Manatee High School
student, through a program set up
by Take Stock in Children of Manatee
County.
Take Stock in Children’s mission
is to break the cycle of poverty for
low-income, academically qualified
students by providing opportunities
for a postsecondary education.
The students, from middle
to high school age, are matched
with a volunteer mentor, provided
college readiness services and a
dedicated college success coach.
Each student is awarded a college
scholarship and provided with postsecondary
support through degree or certification attainment.
For Rhyne and Kirksey, the mentoring journey
began near the end of Kirkey’s junior year
of high school and continued throughout her
senior year. Rhyne provided guidance as Kirksey
filled out college applications and made
decisions about how she would like to continue
her education after high school. They spent
at least 30 minutes a week together.
Rhyne is supported in her mentoring by
both her immediate supervisor, Ivory Matthews,
Neal Communities’ vice president of
community and governmental affairs, who
has volunteered with Take Stock in Children of
Manatee County for more than 10 years, and
(l-r) High school senior Amajai Kirksey receives a scholarship
certificate presented by Katie Rhyne, community af-
fairs coordinator for Neal Communities and Anne LeBaron,
CEO of Take Stock in Children of Manatee County.
by the company itself.
Neal Communities donated $10,600 to Take
Stock in Children of Manatee County to provide
a tuition-based college/technical college
scholarship to a student in the Manatee County
program. That scholarship was awarded to
Kirksey, and Rhyne presented it to her during
the Take Stock in Children of Manatee County
graduation ceremony. They were joined by
two other Neal Communities’ employees who
also volunteer with Take Stock in Children of
Manatee County, Neal Communities’ Finance
Director Pamela Curran, who was named Take
Stock Manatee Mentor of the Year this past
January, and Neal Communities’ Sales Associate
Sarah Toedman.
For information, visit TakeStockManatee.org.
The William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
Girls Inc. of Sarasota County awarded grant from
Gulf Coast Community Foundation
With its Gulf Coast Community Foundation
grant, Girls Inc. is able to provide researched
based summer programming scholarships for
girls in our community, along with continued
support for their families through their Family
Strengthening Program. Funding was made
possible through the L. Channing Endowment
Fund at Gulf Coast Community Foundation.
Girls Inc. supports all families, including
single parents, who would not be able to
continue to work without quality childcare
during the summer months. By offering affordable
and accessible childcare to single
Selby Foundation awarded 45
graduating high school students
with scholarships to support
their four undergraduate years
of college. This year’s “Selby
Scholars” includes 24 first generation
students, those who
represent the first in their families
to go to college. In total,
$887,000 has been approved by
the Foundation for Selby Scholars
and institutional grants this year.
Majors students have selected include
sciences (Electrical Engineering, Nursing, Aerospace
Engineering, Medical Health Sciences,
Computer Science, and Environmental Engineering,
for example); Business Administration;
Criminology; Advertising; Graphic Design;
and others.
More than half of the 2023 Selby Scholars
are from Sarasota County, with additional students
from Charlotte, DeSoto and Manatee
counties. Most students will attend in-state
colleges and universities, though five scholars
have chosen out-of-state schools.
In addition to the scholarships awarded
directly by the Foundation, universities, vocational
schools and colleges will receive
$231,000 in institutional grants for educational
scholarships offered to their students.
To learn more, visit SelbyFdn.org.
parents, Girls Inc. is able increase a family’s
resiliency and promote beneficial familial
outcomes. Girls Inc. is not only committed to
focusing on serving the “Whole Girl,” but are
also committed to serving the “Whole Family.”
The summer camp programs put in place allow
working families to have a safe and secure
environment for their children to learn, grow,
and thrive. Girls Inc. ensures that parents will
have the opportunity to continue working
while their daughter is in a safe space.
For more information, visit www.GirlsIncSRQ.
org.
Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation Latest Grants
The Barancik Foundation recently approved
grants for 20 local nonprofits that support
the community in the areas of arts and culture,
early learning, student success, business
development, foster care, ecological
restoration, and more. Six of the grants will
go toward capacity building for nonprofits
to strengthen their infrastructure and, in
many instances, add full-time staff.
In the area of education:
• A $350,000 grant to The Greater Sarasota
Chamber of Commerce Foundation for the
organization’s Opportunities For All program
which supports minority-run small
businesses and paid internships to grow
social capital and create long-lasting relationships.
• A $200,000 grant to Take Stock in Children of
Sarasota County to increase organizational
capacity. Take Stock in Children’s approach
helps students graduate from high school
with the knowledge and skills they need to
attain a college degree or certification and
enter the workforce.
• A $225,000 grant to The Children’s Movement
to support The Future Project for
creating a roadmap for policy and funding
grounded in parent and educator voices.
• A $20,000 grant to the Education Foundation
of Sarasota County to support post-secondary
education efforts. Through PLANit Sarasota,
the Education Foundation is helping
families and high school graduates learn
about the potential long-term consequences
of taking a “gap year.”
• A $75,000 grant to J5 Experience for capacity
building. By nurturing the mother/daughter
bond and creating intergenerational cycles
of opportunity, J5 is building stronger families
and future leaders. This grant allows
the team to add a full-time director, contracted
certified teachers, paraprofessionals,
and tutors.
• A $155,000 grant to Links to Success for ongoing
operational support. Desoto County’s
median family income ranks second to last
in Florida, posing significant challenges for
students to receive the necessary educational
resources and opportunities to excel.
Links to Success provides resources,
services, experiences, and guidance to help
students achieve academic success.
To support humanitarian causes:
• A $450,000 grant to Project 180 for the purchase
of an additional home to help reduce
recidivism.
• A $180,000 grant to The Twig Cares to expand
operations in Venice. Twig empowers
children in families connected with the
foster care system to believe in themselves
and the future. With this grant, The Twig is
expanding its Venice location.
• A $350,000 grant to Help to Home to support
the Hope Village project. The organization
is securing 16 new temporary housing
units in Manatee County for homeless residents
throughout our region.
Disaster Recovery and Resiliency:
• A $100,000 grant to United Way of South
Sarasota County in support of its efforts
to advance hurricane recovery through the
Long-Term Recovery Group. Individuals
and families struggled to make ends meet
before COVID-19 and inflation. This investment
builds capacity by helping them retain
case managers to continue supporting
south Sarasota County residents.
Foster Care Stability:
• A $145,000 grant to Bridge a Life to support
foster and adoptive families. Bridge a Life is
meeting foster families where they are and
utilizing technology to strengthen partnerships
with other organizations that can help
their mission.
Continued Growth and Capacity Building:
• A $200,000 grant to Truly Valued for capacity
building. Truly Valued promotes positive
self-esteem, education, confidence, and
character among youth and families. This
investment allows the nonprofit to increase
staffing and expand programmatic needs.
Protecting Students and Respecting
Families in Sarasota:
• A $250,000 grant to Equality Florida Institute
to provide support for LGBTQ parents,
their children, and youth.
This will support the nonprofit’s efforts to
connect, train and empower parents, community
advocates, and students and allows
for professional development of mental
health providers who work with LGBTQ
youth and families.
Mental Health:
• A $1,000,000 grant to First Step of Sarasota
to support the organization’s No Wrong
Door strategy. This investment allows the
nonprofit to expand its crisis emergency location
to provide services when and where
they are needed.
Serving Those Who Served:
• A $150,000 grant to Operation Warrior Resolution
for capacity building.This veteran-run
nonprofit provides innovative, holistic treatments
for mental health to veterans and
their family members, alleviating PTSD, anxiety,
and other mental health-related issues.
Teen Health Educator Program Expansion:
• A $225,000 grant to Healthy Teens to support
current operations and expand Sarasota
County services, equipping them with
the knowledge and skills needed to make
informed decisions about their physical,
mental, and emotional health.
In the Area of Arts and Culture:
• A $400,000 grant to Hermitage Artist Retreat
for general operating support. This
grant allows the nonprofit to enhance its
educational programming and strengthen
staff resources.
• A $100,000 grant to The John and Mable
Ringling Museum of Art Foundation to enhance
the Howard Bros. Circus Model which
the Museum is updating.
To Support the Environment:
• A $121,000 grant to Oyster River Ecology for
capacity building. The nonprofit is working
to restore and preserve the ecological functions
of the Suncoast while increasing understanding
of our natural systems. With its
first executive director, the organization will
build partnerships, elevate public engagement,
and drive ecological restoration and
enhancement projects.
• A $150,000 grant to Friends of the Myakka
River for capacity building. Myakka River
State Park is one of the region’s most
under-appreciated natural wonders and
under-utilized environmental education
resource. With the addition of a full-time executive
director, the nonprofit will increase
education efforts, outreach, and impact.
The Board also approved a $300,000 investment
into Barancik Foundation’s Affordable
Housing Initiative for work on a Newtown
improvement project.
continued on page 20
18 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

good news department continued
Arts Advocates Awards $ 38,500 in Scholarships
Arts Advocates has awarded 11 Sarasota and
Manatee county students with scholarships
for the 2023-2024 school year totaling $38,500.
Since 1969, the scholarship program has
awarded over $1.1 million to students whose
studies include visual and related arts, dance,
writing, music, theater and architecture. Here
are the recipients:
• Danny Bó Delongaig is a two-time recipient
of an Arts Advocates scholarship. He is entering
his senior year at Baldwin Wallace University
in Ohio where he is majoring in musical
theater. Upon graduating, he plans to audition
in New York City.
• Lillian Fox received her second Arts Advocates
scholarship. She will be a sophomore
at the University of South Florida where she
is pursuing a double major in studio arts and
dance performance. When she graduates in
2026, Fox plans to audition for ballet and
modern dance companies.
• Colin Leonard is a three-time Arts Advocates
scholarship winner. He’s entering his junior
year at Oberlin Conservatory of Music in
Ohio, studying for a degree in music with a
minor in environmental studies.
• Wilderley (“Will”) Mauricette, who is majoring
in film, enters his senior year at Ringling
College of Art & Design this fall. He
received a first-place award at a recent film
festival as an emerging filmmaker. Mauricette
completed a full-length feature film,
“Monopoly Money,” while attending school
fulltime. The film was shown at the Sarasota
Film Festival and other film festivals around
the world.
• Maria Medina discovered
her passion
for music at an
early age in Cuba.
Medina graduated
from Florida State
College at the top
of the music program.
In spring
2022, she won the
FSC Piano Division.
Medina wants to
Maria Medina
integrate Hispanic musical roots in the areas
of film scoring and music for media.
• Emma Pritchett, a two-time recipient of the
Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe awarded NEA grant
The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe has received
a $25,000 Grants for Arts Projects award
from the National Endowment for the Arts
(NEA) to help underwrite its 2024 production of
“Ruby” as well as to defray the costs of community
outreach activities related to the play.
NEA Chair Maria Rosario Jackson, PhD has
approved more than $31 million in grants for
1,130 projects – including the WBTT award – as
part of the NEA’s second round of funding for
Grants for Arts Projects in fiscal year 2023.
After two postponements due to COVID,
WBTT can finally bring the world-premiere
musical “Ruby” to the stage. This musical
by WBTT Founder and Artistic Director Nate
Jacobs and his brother, Michael Jacobs, explores
the secrets just beneath the surface of
the idyllic, genteel exterior of a quaint Florida
town. Nate Jacobs will direct. Show runs February
28-April 7, 2024.
The community outreach activities WBTT
will implement include two free performances
of “Ruby” for low-income and minority-based
community and student groups, and a free
“WBTT Voices” community forum focusing on
the content of the play.
Arts Advocates scholarship, is studying at
the University of South Florida’s School of
Architecture. She is interested in being a
role model for young girls to enter the field
of architecture.
• Noelle Prouty is interested in studying how
art influences our understanding of nature.
This fall, she enters her sophomore year at
the University of Florida Honors College majoring
in art and biology. She plans to pursue
a career in medical or biological illustration.
• John Quigley is a second-time winner of an
Arts Advocates scholarship. Quigley is a military
veteran entering his junior year at the
Ringling College of Art & Design majoring in
illustration/digital art, preparing for a career
as a concept/storyboard artist.
• Mehak Sandhu, a graduate of the Booker
High School Visual & Performing Arts Program,
enters college this fall to major in fine
arts. Sandhu is focused on the marketing and
business side of art and looks forward to creating
an online presence in the art world.
• Samantha Tanelli enters college in the fall to
major in fine arts and illustration. She plans
to write and illustrate children’s books. Tanelli’s
goal is to inspire people to explore
their emotions, reduce anxiety, and increase
self-esteem.
• Danae Tran, who graduated from Booker High
School, will major in violin performance. Tran
has attended FSU’s Music Camp, Sewanee
Summer Music Festival in Tennessee, and the
Brevard Summer Institute in North Carolina.
At the age of 10, Tran was selected to participate
in the Perlman Suncoast Super Strings
Program. Tran hopes to become a member of
an orchestra.
Fox’s and Quigley’s artwork will be on
display in the Arts Advocates Gallery in July.
The gallery, located in the Crossings at Siesta
Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota,
is open Saturdays from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.
Deb Altshul-Stark, co-chair of the Arts Advocates
scholarship team along with Tonya Eubank,
stated, “Members of Arts Advocates are
proud to support these students in furthering
their educations. We are impressed by the
work, optimism, and drive of our awardees. We
look forward to following their careers.”
To learn more, visit artsadvocates.org.
Cast members from the scheduled spring
2020 production of ‘Ruby’; the show has been
postponed twice due to COVID.
Photo by Sorcha Augustine
For information, visit westcoastblacktheatre.org.
SMH Foundation
Awards Thousands in Health Career Scholarships
Grants to All Faiths Food Bank’s
BackPack and Mobile Pantry programs
Recent grants are supporting All Faiths Food
Bank programs that provide nutrition assistance
to community members in need. Two
recent contributors to the food bank’s work
are Isermann Family Foundation, $20,000 for
the BackPack program, and Bank of America
Charitable Foundation, $30,000 for the Mobile
Pantry Program.
The BackPack Program provides students at
risk of food insecurity with “backpacks” filled
with kid-friendly, healthy food to take home
to eat over the weekends and during school
holidays. This program takes place over the
course of the school year at 70 schools and
youth-serving organizations.
Mobile Pantries provide community members
with fresh produce, meats, and groceries
at sites throughout the region all year long.
Some Mobile Pantries provide community
The Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation
awarded scholarships to five local high
school students who plan to pursue careers
in healthcare. Through the G. Duncan Finlay
Health Careers Scholarships and The Heather
G. Miller Health Careers Scholarship, each
student will receive up to $10,000 to help offset
the cost of college tuition and expenses
over the next four years.
For 30 years, the health careers scholarships
have provided $773,750 to 166 high
school seniors, and are critical as the demand
for health care professionals grows each year.
This year’s recipients of the G. Duncan Finlay
Scholarships included:
• Zechariah Riddle of North Port High School,
who plans to attend Florida Atlantic University
to pursue a degree in Nursing.
• Kara Parsotan of North Port High School,
who plans to attend University of Massachusetts
Boston to pursue a Pre-Med degree.
• Scarlett Ochoa-Conde, dually enrolled at
Sarasota High School and the Suncoast
Technical College LPN program, who plans to
attend State College of Florida to pursue a
degree in Nursing.
• Paxton Barrick of Venice High School, who
plans to attend University of Florida to pursue
a degree in Physical Therapy.
• This year’s recipient of the Heather G. Miller
Scholarship was Mitchell Dominguez, a
senior at Booker High School who plans to
attend State College of Florida to pursue a
degree in nursing.
A volunteer loads food into a community
member’s car during a Mobile Pantry
Courtesy photo/All Faiths Food Bank
members with pre-packed grocery boxes and
others offer the opportunity to shop farmers’
market-style and choose what they want.
For more about All Faiths Food Bank, visit allfaithsfoodbank.org.
Foundation Announces
2023 Gulf Coast Leadership Institute Class
Gulf Coast Community Foundation
has selected 29 participants from
across the region for its 2023 Gulf
Coast Leadership Institute. The
foundation provides leadership
training designed to identify, develop,
and connect a diverse and growing
group of aspiring community
leaders. Class members will take
part in six training sessions from
May through June conducted by the
nationally recognized Leadership Development
Institute at Eckerd College. Gulf Coast provides
all training and resources at no cost to participants
in exchange for their commitment to use
their new skills to benefit the community.
The 29 participants selected for the 2023 Gulf
Coast Leadership Institute are:
• Jasmine Akins, CAN Community Health
• Charlene Altenhain, The Glasser/
Schoenbaum Human Services Center
• Uzi Baram, New College of Florida
• Emilie Campos, Harvest House
• Kecia Carroll, KC Roberg
• Chris Collins, Ability to Include, Inc.
• Misty Daniels, Community Volunteer
• Grier Ferguson, Church of the Redeemer
• Marlene Hauck, Lee & Bob Peterson
Foundation/Sunshine from Darkness
• Megan Howell, Second Heart Homes, Inc.
• Ashley Jimenez, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens
• Jessica Johnston, SPARCC
• Cynthia Keaton, Prescott HR
Gulf Coast Leadership Institute’s 2023 class has begun their
leadership training at Gulf Coast Community Foundation’s
Sarasota Philanthropy Center.
• Amber Lamerson, The Bay Park Conservancy
• Will Luera, Florida Studio Theatre
• Cole McHargue, Merrill Lynch
• Michael Meerman, CareerSource Suncoast
• Anne Miller, Operation ECO Vets
• Sarah Miller, NAMI Sarasota & Manatee Counties
• Nan Morgan, Planned Parenthood of
Southwest and Central Florida
• Steven Pajevic, Crystal Clean Green Cleaning
• Karen Pharo, Children First
• Mark Royce, Bayside Sod Inc.
• Evan Samson, DMSI International
• Tiona Settles, Centerplace Health
• Lauren Stroman, The Sarasota Ballet
• Kiarra Womack, William G. and Marie Selby
Foundation
• Earl Young, Take Stock in Children/Booker
Promise
• Lisa Zachary, SunCoast Blood Centers
For more information, visit www.GulfCoastCF.
org/GCLI.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 19

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Learn about all
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20 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

get to know
FOR MORE THAN SIX DECADES
THE Palm Aire Women’s Club
HAS Made a Difference
This year the Palm-Aire
Women’s club (PAWC)
celebrated its 65th anniversary
by distributing
grants to six local charities
in need of funding.
The Charity Committee, headed by
Carolann Garafola, selected small
independent charities that help our
community. Giving back to the community
was the reason the PAWC
came into to existence 65 years ago.
All funds raised flow back into the
community in the form of scholarships
and grants to local charities.
Representatives from the chosen
organizations: Barbara
Price (Baby Basics), Victoria Brown
(Dollar Dynasty), Valerie Green and
Erline Constant (Healthy Teens
Coalition), Laurel Lynch (Hope
Family Services), Rosemary McMullen
(Mothers Helping Mothers), and
April Glasco and Erin McIntyre (Second
Chance Last Opportunity)
attended the May luncheon and
gratefully received the grants.
These grants allow their organizations
to continue helping those in
need. The PAWC recognizes what
these organizations accomplish
and supports the critical work they
are doing.
Several past presidents attended
their annual luncheon to observe
both the grant distribution and the
traditional PAWC installation ceremony.
Honorary Lifetime member
Barbara Link presided as the board was sworn in.
Peg McKinley became the first president of the Palm
Aire Women’s Club to serve three terms. This year
she will be assisted by: Vice-President Ann King,
Recording Secretary Nancy Curley, Treasurer Susan
Romine and Corresponding Secretary Linda Greene.
Sherry Kenny and Ann King will co-chair the PAWC
Fashion Show “STEPPING OUT” scheduled for February
23, 2024. Sherry and Ann have already worked together
on other successful fund-raising campaigns.
Sherry is a new member of the Women’s Club, originally
from the Chicago area. She is experienced in
financial services marketing. Ann is the PAWC Vice
President and has years of experience in High Tech
sales, marketing as well as event management.
Darci Jacob will sponsor the fashion show and her
store is known for its high-style fashion in a boutique
environment. She has developed deep roots
within the community and often sponsors charitable
events including a prior PAWC fashion show.
Even though there are no meetings scheduled over
the summer months, Mix and Mingles and small
group lunches are being planned. These events are
extremely popular. At the Mix and Mingles, members
host other members, potential members, and
3
guests. It’s a great way for present and future members
to get acquainted and stay connected, especially
over the summer months. Check the Palm Aire
Women’s Club Facebook Page for dates and times.
New members are always welcome. Dues are $40
which goes towards providing scholarships and
grants and is 100% tax deductible. Membership is
open year-round. Mail checks to PAWC Dues, P.O.
Box 21051, Bradenton, FL34204.
For more information on PAWC, visit www.
palm-airewomensclub.org or contact membership
chair, Katherine Pike at katherinemaryt@
yahoo.com.
— SOURCE: PAWC
History of
The Palm-Aire Women’s Club
On April 30, 1958, a group of 17 women in Desoto
Lakes decided to get together on a regular basis to
promote friendship and enjoy social activities. They
elected their first president, Frances Briddon, called
their group the DeSoto Lakes Women’s Club and as
the months passed, a state charter as a non-profit
organization was acquired.
1
2
1
Past PAWC presidents gathered to
support Peg McKinley as she was
sworn in for a third term. Left to right-
Michelle Crabtree, Carolann Garafola,
Beverly Allen, Doris McCowen, Joan
Greene and Peg McKinley.
2Rosemary McMullen, Victoria Brown,
Valerie Green, Carolann Garafola,
Erline Constant, Candace Holloway,
April Glasco, Barbara Price, Char
Young, Eryn McIntyre and Mary Beth
Rempp at the Charity Luncheon.
3New Members Lisa Devivo and
Joan Morgan were introduced to
the members.
4The new PAWC Board was installed
at the last meeting. Left to Right,
President Peg McKinley, Recording
Secretary Nancy Curley, Vice
President Ann King, Corresponding
Secretary Linda Greene and
Treasurer Susan Romine.
On September 3, 1958, the first “Rules and Bylaws”
were adopted and within two months membership
had grown to 29. The group
merged with women from the
DeSoto Lakes Country Club Colony
(now known as Palm Arie Country
Club) in October of 1961. In January
of 1964 the group formed the Palm-
Aire Women’s Club.
Membership has grown throughout
the years, at one time rising
so high that it was necessary to
rewrite the bylaws to cap membership
at 325 active members. In
4
today’s busy world membership
averages 150, but the mission of the membership
remains the same, to raise money for scholarships
and charities.
Scholarships were originally given to students who
had completed two years at Manatee Community
College, now the State College of Florida (SCF) and
were pursuing their bachelor’s degree. These scholarships
are given to students through non-endowed
funds which the club established and contributed
to throughout the years. Students may use their
scholarships to remain at SCF or transfer to a different
four-year university; however, they are required
to maintain a high-grade point average. Since the
spring of 2011 the Palm-Aire Women’s Club has also
offered scholarships to Manatee Technical Institute,
which is today known as Manatee Technical College.
In addition to scholarships, the club donated money
and items to local charities each year. The Palm-Aire
Women’s Club has supported several local charities
throughout the years with cash donations presented
at the May luncheon, Additionally, members have
donated diapers and baby wipes, peanut butter,
health kits and school supplies for the homeless,
Christmas gifts and storybooks, and numerous other
items to individuals in need.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 21

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22 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

in our community
Celebrates First-Generation Students at its
Future Leaders Academies
GRADUATION
Future
Leaders
Academy
senior Maria
Prisila E. and
her parents.
She will be
attending
New College
of Florida.
Future Leaders Academy for Middle School graduate Santiago B.
and his family.
Executive Director
Cintia Elenstar
Executive
Director
Cintia
Elenstar
announcing
that this
year’s
seniors
collectively
earned
over $4.5
million in
scholarships
and grants.
More than 50 young participants
were acknowledged for their
academic achievements
at the May 25 event
More than 50 young
participants in
UnidosNow’s Future
Leaders Academies
program were acknowledged
for their academic successes
on May 25 at the Harvest
House’s Life Enrichment Campus
in Sarasota. During the event,
UnidosNow Executive Director
Cintia Elenstar announced that of
the group, 15 high school seniors
achieved 100 percent college acceptance
and collectively earned
approximately $ 4.5 million college
scholarships and grants. The graduates
will attend MIT, Wake Forest,
University of Portland, UF, New
College, USF, Ringling College of
Art, State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota,
among other schools.
The Future Leaders Academy
(FLA) is a rigorous year-round program
offered primarily to low-income,
first-generation Latinx high
school students and their families
in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
The UnidosNow event brought
together community partners and
mentors to recognize and applaud
students of all ages who participate
in the Future Leaders Academies
program. Several students
and parents provided personal testimonials
about how UnidosNow
and the Future Leaders Academies
program have positively impacted
their lives.
“UnidosNow assisted me in
achieving its slogan: ‘To dream
big!’ I have been empowered by
the UnidosNow team to seek a
degree in computer science studies,
and I will be participating in
the University of Florida’s Gator
Engineering Program,” explained
Ariem P., a graduating senior from
Sarasota High School.
Norma C., the parent of an elementary
student in the FLA program,
told the audience that it has
not been easy for “immigrants like
us to start over in another country.
There are many cultural and
linguistic barriers. But thanks to
UnidosNow, my family and I have
been discovering the opportunities
available to us for integrating into
this community.”
The event also celebrated alumni
who have graduated from college,
as well as past FLA graduates who
are enrolled in college and work
as college coaches for the current
cohort of high schoolers. Isabella
M., a UF student enrolled in MIT’s
summer astrophysics program
shared, “When someone asks me
how UnidosNow has impacted me,
I always say that without them,
I would be flying aimlessly into
space, lost in the darkness between
the stars. They have provided me
with the fuel to lift off and coordinates
to lead me to another galaxy
full of accomplished dreams.”
Elenstar challenged the graduates
to “make epic happen” and
offered them four suggestions for
doing just that:
1) Stay true to your values, that’s a
matter of integrity and selfrespect.
2) Speak up: your voice matters.
Stand up for yourself and for what
is right.
3) Be compassionate. Embrace yourself
and the world with lovingkindness.
4) Believe in the power of collaboration.
We can achieve so much
more when we work together.
Elenstar also thanked the Unidos-
Now funders, which include Charles
and Margery Barancik Foundation,
Bank of America, the Community
Foundation of Sarasota County,
The Patterson Foundation, William
G. and Marie Selby Foundation,
Manatee Community Foundation,
Gulf Coast Community Foundation,
The Bishop Parker Foundation, the
Cook Family Foundation, Evalyn
Sadlier Foundation, the Cornelia T.
Bailey Foundation, Scheidel Foundation,
and the Louis & Gloria Flanzer
Philanthropic Trust.
To learn more about UnidosNow
and the Future Leader’s
Academy, visit unidosnow.org
or email at info@unidosnow.org.
About UnidosNow
Founded in 2010, with a mission
to elevate the quality of life of the
growing Hispanic/Latinx community
through education, integration,
and civic engagement,
UnidosNow has established
itself as a leader in the field of
postsecondary education attainment.
To date, through direct
service programs, advocacy, and
coalition-building, UnidosNow
has served over 3,500 low-income
Hispanic/Latinx students
and their families through its
elementary, middle, and high
school programs, and has assisted
high school students in
earning more than $ 18 million in
scholarships and grants.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 23

THE
MANTLE
JULY 7-9, 2023
Helping Children Diagnosed With Epilepsy
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The stigma and social isolation; the uncertainty of
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24 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

you’re news
Accolades
■ Sarasota County’s Fleet Services
ranks third in the nation. Fleet
Services Manager Justin Mullins,
Fleet Operations Manager Michael
Naletko and Fleet Acquisitions and
Replacement Program Supervisor
Erinn DeJonge accepted the award
during the 2023 Government Fleet
Expo and Conference.
Sarasota County Fleet Services
maintains more than 1,600 county
vehicles, fire and rescue trucks,
white fleet vehicles and heavy
equipment. Since 2014, Government
Fleet and the American Public
Works Association have bestowed
this award to the top 20 Leading
Fleets in the U.S. and Canada.
Fleets are judged on showing
leadership with staff, with customers,
and within the community; staying
efficient and competitive; overcoming
challenges; and having a vision
and direction for the operation.
Government Fleet also named
the No. 1 fleets in size categories
— the No. 1 mid-size fleet (500-999
assets) is Lynchburg, with approximately
731 on- and off-highway
vehicles, and the No. 1 small fleet
(499 or fewer assets) is Forest
Preserve District of DuPage County,
with approximately 350 on- and
off-highway vehicles. Raleigh is
also the No. 1 large fleet (more than
1,000 assets), with more than 2,000
on-highway vehicles and almost
900 off-highway vehicles.
■ Kimberly Evener, Director of
Client Services for Forza Wealth
Management, was recently
awarded the
Certified
Trust & Fiduciary
Advisor
(CTFA)
professional
certification
from the
American
Bankers
Kimberly Evener
Association
(ABA). ABA professional certifications
promote standards of performance
in the financial services
industry by validating individuals’
knowledge and expertise.
The CTFA certification is awarded
to individuals who demonstrate
excellence in the wealth management
and trust industry. To qualify
for the CTFA certification, individuals
must achieve a certain level of
experience and education in the
trust profession, pass an exam, and
agree to abide by a code of ethics.
The CTFA exam covers many areas,
including fiduciary and trust activities,
financial planning, tax law and
planning, investment management,
and ethics. The CTFA certification
also requires individuals to meet
professional continuing education
and development requirements.
“We congratulate Kimberly on
achieving the CTFA designation,”
said Timothy Videnka, CFA, CFP,
Chief Investment Officer & Principal.
“This accomplishment not only
demonstrates her expertise and
dedication but also exemplifies our
commitment to continuous learning
and professional development
for the benefit of our clients.”
Evener joined Forza Wealth Management
in July 2022 as Director of
Client Services; she is responsible
for all aspects of client services,
including strategic direction, coordination,
and operations. Evener
also holds the license of Investment
Advisor Representative with the
State of Florida (Series 65) and has
been in the financial services industry
for 19 years.
■ Cindy Quinn of RE/MAX
Alliance Group has achieved the
RE/MAX Titan
Club Award,
ranking #25
in Florida
among top
individual RE/
MAX agents
for commissions
earned
in 2023. This
Cindy Quinn
is the second
year she has achieved this high
level. The Titan Club Award honors
high-achieving real estate professionals
for their service to buyers
and sellers during the past year.
Quinn has more than 20 years
of real estate experience with local
knowledge of the Anna Maria Island,
Longboat Key and Bradenton
markets. She is based in the Anna
Maria Island office at 5316 Marina
Drive, Holmes Beach.
RE/MAX Alliance Group is the #1
RE/MAX franchise in Florida and
the #1 RE/MAX franchise in Florida
for contributions to the Children’s
Miracle Network. The company
now offers residential and commercial
real estate solutions through 13
offices in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte,
Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco
and Hernando counties. For more
information, visit www.alliancegroupfl.com.
Appointments
■ The Manatee County Board of
County Commissioners (BOCC)
voted to install Jodie Setnor Fiske
as the Director of Public Safety.
Fiske, who has been Acting Director
since January 2023, started with
Manatee County Emergency Management
in November 2022.
Prior to her tenure with the
County, Fiske was the Florida Field
Supervisor of Regional Response
Coordination Teams and the
Regional Response Coordinator for
Region 6. In these roles, she was
responsible for overseeing preparedness,
planning, recovery and
mitigation emergency management
needs in 10 Florida counties in
Southwest Florida.
Director Fiske’s experience in
disaster response and recovery is
extensive, contributing to various
operations, including the Parkland
School Shooting and Hurricane
Jodie Setnor Fiske
Michael in 2018, the Naval Air
Station Pensacola Base Shooting in
Escambia County and Hurricane
Dorian in 2019. In 2020, she played
a critical role in COVID-19 Operations,
as well as the response efforts
for Hurricane Iona, Hurricane Eta
and the Piney Point Gypsum Stack
Breach in Manatee County.
Fiske holds a Master of Science
degree in Homeland Security/
Emergency Management from
Kaplan University and a Bachelor
of Science degree in Administration
of Criminal Justice from George Mason
University, Fairfax, VA.
For information about Manatee
County Government, visit mymanatee.org.
■ Fifth Third Bank, National
Association, has announced
Stephanie Green as South Florida
region president. As region president,
Green is responsible for the
growth and strategic direction of
the Bank’s commercial, wealth
and asset management, business
banking and treasury management
businesses.
Green has spent her career with
Fifth Third, having progressed
through multiple leadership positions
in retail, business banking,
human capital, mortgage and
wealth and asset management. She
most recently was managing director,
Fifth Third Private Bank, in the
Bank’s Central Ohio region.
Fifth Third South Florida has 76
full-service banking centers and
more than 550 employees.
Board News
■ Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota
and DeSoto Counties has added
three community leaders to its
Board of Directors.
The new appointees include
Julie L. Herd,
General Counsel
– Sarasota
County
Sheriff’s
Office; David
Mills, Broker
Associate and
Success Coach
Julie L. Herd EXP Realty -
Icon Luxury
Group / Lakewood Ranch.; and
Patricia C. Pope, CEO and Chief
Creative Officer – Pope Consulting.
The new board members join
Chair, Meghan O. Serrano, Esq.,
Shumaker, Loop & Kendrick, LLP;
Chair-Elect Ken Freeman, Gartner
Executive Programs; Treasurer,
David Arch, Chairman and CEO
of Blistex Inc; and Past Chair, Lee
DeLieto, Michael Saunders &
Company.
Currently, BGCSDC’s board
is leading three bold initiatives,
including capital projects and enhanced
programming and safety
efforts in Arcadia, Newtown and
North Port.
For more information, visit www.
thebaysarasota.org.
■ The Diva Angels have appointed
Launita
“La” Burtley
as their next
National
President. La
will lead the
organization
with the goal
of meeting
its objectives
Launita “La” Burtley
of growing
membership, bridging gaps between
chapters, building internal
relationships, practicing positive
sisterhood, and providing support
where needed.
La has been operating motorcycles
for over 30 years in Michigan and
Florida and has been an active member
of the Gulf Coast Diva Angels
(GCDA) chapter for the past three
years. La initially served the GCDA
chapter as Secretary, then took on
the role of the Chapter Director
in 2023. She has attended GCDA
meetings, enjoyed many group rides
and events, invited riders and friends
to join in on local rides or dining
out, participated in volunteer events,
helped to raise funds and attract and
recruit new members.
La has 25 years management and
leadership experience in telecommunications.
She managed and
directed 60+ door-to-door sales
reps in multiple locations in Florida
and Michigan, as well as five sales
managers. And finally, she also
coached girls high school basketball,
AAU basketball and summer
softball leagues.
La is taking the reins from Tara
Londergan, who stepped down as
the Diva Angels National President to
focus more time on job and family.
Learn more at www.divaangels.
org for more information and to
find a chapter near you.
■ The Patterson Foundation has
added Cathy Layton as the newest
member of its Governing Board.
Layton, a retired commercial real
estate broker, has lived in Sarasota
since 1970. She has served the community
in many ways since, notably
in volunteer leadership roles with
multiple public and private entities.
This includes appointed and
elected positions with the Sarasota
County Planning Commission, the
Sarasota Housing Authority and the
Sarasota County Charter Review
Board, among others. Most recently,
Layton served on the boards of the
William G. and Marie Selby Foundation
and the Bay Park Conservancy
(BPC), chairing both groups.
The Patterson Foundation has
long supported BPC and its work
with the community to create The
Bay, an open and accessible public
park that will span 53 acres along
Sarasota’s bayfront.
For information on The Patterson
Foundation and its Governing
Board, visit thepattersonfoundation.org.
■ The TREE Foundation of
Sarasota has added two new board
members: recently retired pediatrician/neonatologist
Dr. Robert Beck
of Fairfax, Virginia, and EarthJustice
legal recruiter Carmela French of
Washington, DC.
TREE Foundation, an international
non-profit organization
based in Sarasota, is dedicated to
tree and forest research, exploration,
education, and conservation
across the globe.
Also a talent management consultant,
French holds a BA in Conservation
Biology from New College of
Florida. She was a leader and Chair
for the DC Chapter of the Climate
Reality Project from 2017-2019.
Biology major in college, Dr. Beck
is concerned about climate change
and the impact of humans on the
global inventory of forests and seeks
to strategize and implement sustainable
solutions to these issues.
His career includes leading
newborn intensive care services for
Fairfax Neonatal Associates in Virginia
as President (1997-2005) and
Board Member (2006-2022). The
TREE Foundation was founded in
1999 and is actively leading efforts
to create forest canopy walkways
around the globe to preserve the
Earth’s vital, endangered forests.
Learn more at treefoundation.org or
mission-green.org.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 25

Come celebrate freedom and
the power of music!
American Fanfare
Dr. Joseph Holt, Artistic Director
Lakewood Ranch Wind Ensemble joins the
Choral Artists to celebrate freedom with
beloved American songs. Our National Day of
Independence swells with patriotic pride through
choral fireworks and rousing Sousa marches.
Great Voices.
Powerful Music...
Experience It!
Tuesday, July 4 | 4:30 pm
Sarasota Opera | 61 N. Palm Ave, Sarasota
ORDER YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Call 941.387.4900 or
visit ChoralArtistsSarasota.org
YOUR TABLE
IS WAITING
You're invited to indulge in rave-worthy menu items and an
inviting ambiance at Mattison's Forty-One. Whether you are
dining in the restaurant, hosting an event in one of our private
or semi-private event spaces, or enjoying happy hour at the
bar - you'll receive outstanding service and quality ingredients.
mattisons.com
Mattison's Forty-One
7275 South Tamiami Trail
Sarasota, FL 34231
941-921-3400
26 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

dining in
No, we don’t mean placing walnuts on the grill like a
steak, but the versatile walnut can be part of a variety of
traditionally grilled items like steak, corn, fish and burgers.
Romesco is a beloved
institution in the Catalonian
region of Spain,
and it contains many
of that beautiful sunny
region’s signature
flavors. While there
are probably as many
variations as there are
Catalonians, most contain
some or all of the
following ingredients:
tomatoes, garlic, almonds,
red peppers,
nuts (almonds, pine
nuts, or hazelnuts), toasted bread, smoked paprika, olive oil, red pepper flakes, and
sherry vinegar.
It can be used to sauce fish (probably the original usage), chicken, turkey, grilled beef,
and vegetables. The flavor is deep, smoky, and robust, but not necessarily spicy or hot.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup well-drained roasted red peppers
1/2 cup California walnuts
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
DIRECTIONS:
Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Cover and refrigerate
until ready to serve. Serve over grilled summer vegetables or grilled steak.
INGREDIENTS:
Fresh corn on the cob,
husked (8 cobs)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
For the PESTO:
1 large bunch fresh
basil (@2.5 ounces)
1/2 cup packed fresh
parsley, chopped
1 cup California walnuts
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
cheese
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
F Walnut Romesco Sauce
Walnut Romesco Sauce T
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cloves garlic
1 bunch fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place walnuts (for marinade and salsa) on a baking sheet. Toast
walnuts for 5 minutes. Remove from oven. Roughly chop when cool.
For the CORN:
Preheat grill to medium high heat. Clean and lightly oil your grill. Brush each corn on
the cob with vegetable oil. Place on the grill.
Grill corn for 10-15 minutes, rotating corn 2-3 times throughout cooking time. Remove
corn from grill and place onto serving platter.
For the PESTO:
While corn is cooking, prepare pesto. Add basil, parsley, 1 cup walnuts, Parmesan
cheese, lemon juice and zest, garlic, salt and pepper to a food processor. Pulse until
finely chopped, about 30 seconds. Drizzle in olive oil and process until combined, 15-20
seconds. Spoon pesto into a bowl.
INSTRUCTIONS:
F Hearts of Palm Crab Cakes
Hearts of Palm Crab Cakes T
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Smear pesto with a knife over the top side of each corn on the cob. Sprinkle corn with
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Serve.
• Source and more recipes at: walnuts.org/recipes •
F Grilled Mahi Mahi w/Walnut & Peach Relish
Grilled Mahi Mahi w/Walnut & Peach Relish T
INGREDIENTS:
4 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon red chili flakes, or
crushed red pepper flakes*
3 peaches, fresh, firm but ripe,
cut in half, pitted
4 tablespoons canola oil (to be
divided)
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, or
to taste (do be divided into 3)
3/4 cup California walnuts, toasted,
chopped
1 fennel bulb, small, trimmed and
thinly sliced (about 1-1/2 cups sliced)
1/4 cup red onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons basil, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
6 mahi mahi fillets, 5–6 ounces each*,
skinless
*If mahi mahi is not available, substitute
swordfish, halibut, or other firm white fish.
For the WALNUT & PEACH RELISH:
Place the coriander seeds, fennel seeds and red chili flakes in a small dry skillet over
medium heat. Stir and toss often for 4 to 5 minutes, until darkened slightly. Note: Red
pepper flakes give off a pungent aroma when toasted in a skillet, so take care not to
inhale the fumes while the spice mixture is hot.
Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a spice or coffee grinder. Grind into a fine
powder and set aside. Heat an outdoor grill to medium-high.
In a bowl, toss the peaches in 2 tablespoons canola oil and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt.
Place peaches on a hot grill, cut side down.
Grill for 3 to 4 minutes, until browned, or even a little charred. Turn and grill for 1 to 2
minutes longer. Remove from heat and let stand a few minutes, until cool enough to handle.
Dice into 1/2-inch pieces and transfer to a large bowl.
Add the walnuts, fennel, red onion, basil, olive oil, red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the ground coriander spice blend.
Gently stir to combine. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
Brush top and bottom of each mahi mahi fillet with the remaining 2 tablespoons of canola oil.
Then evenly sprinkle both sides with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and
about 2 teaspoons of the remaining ground coriander spice blend. (The more blend you
use, the spicier the fish will be.).
For the GRILLED MAHI MAHI:
With your fire still at a medium-high heat, place each fillet on the grill and cook for 4 to
5 minutes. Turn and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Fillets are fully cooked when
they are well browned and firm to the touch, and the fish flakes easily. If you aren’t sure,
use a small knife to cut into the middle of one of the fillets.
Arrange grilled mahi mahi on a serving platter and top with walnut and peach relish.
Serve immediately, passing any remaining relish at the table.
F Walnut & Mushroom Teriyaki Burgers
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup rolled oats
12 oz. crimini or baby bella
mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 cup California walnuts
1/3 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 eggs
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
DIRECTIONS:
Walnut & Mushroom Teriyaki Burgers T
1/4 cup teriyaki sauce, plus additional
for serving if desired
Buns, leafy lettuce, sliced red onion,
sliced avocado and grilled pineapple
slices (optional)
Place oats in a food processor and process until oats resemble a coarse meal. Remove
and set aside.
Place mushrooms in food processor and finely chop; add to bowl with oats.
Add walnuts and green onions to food processor and chop fairly finely. Add to bowl with
soy sauce, seasonings and eggs. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Using wet hands
shape into 6 patties.
Heat oil in a very large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add patties and cook for 3 to
5 minutes on each side, brushing with teriyaki sauce during the last 2 minutes of cooking.
(Burgers may also be cooked on a grill, set on a well-oiled piece of heavy duty foil. Brush
lightly with oil before flipping.)
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 27

travel feature
Planning to visit any of
America’s National Parks?
Check out the 11 U.S. National Parks located in Florida
There are more
than 400 national
parks
across the country.
Here are
some Florida’s
parks:
Florida’s National Parks, Preserves,
Monuments, Seashores
and Forests promise adventure,
graphic history, and natural wonders.When
people think of U.S.
National Parks in Florida, what most likely
will come to mind are Everglades National
Park, Biscayne National Park, and perhaps
the Dry Tortugas. But did you know there are
actually 11 U.S. National Parks in Florida?
You can snorkel coral reefs, splash in
crystalline waters and discover a Fort at the
mysterious Dry Tortugas National Park; curl
your bare toes into the pristine sugar-sands
of Gulf Islands National Seashore, a phenomenon
that stretches endlessly alongside emerald-hued
waves; and explore the legendary
Everglades National Park, the wild ‘river-of-grass’
where the Florida panther hides.
As an added bonus, there are three free
entrance days in 2023. Fee waivers do not
include costs associated with camping,
boating, shuttles, tours, and other activities,
but if you do plan on taking advantage
of the promotion, be sure to plan well in
advance. Numerous national parks have
incorporated entry reservation systems to
compensate for soaring visitor numbers,
with officials citing “congestion and crowding
that can negatively impact public safety,
visitor experiences, and park resources.”
To maximize your trip, meanwhile, try
out the free National Park Service app, an
interactive service that consolidates up-todate
information on hiking trails, lodging,
news alerts, dining options, and more.
Download the app for free on Apple
and Google Play, and consider planning
a visit on any of this year’s remaining free
entrance days:
• Aug. 4 — Celebrating the two-year
anniversary of the signing of the
Great American Outdoors Act
• Sept. 24 — National Public Lands
Day
• Nov. 11 — Veterans Day
For those interested in Park Service
perks beyond National Park Week, there
are select criteria that allow for free or discounted
entry throughout the year.
Veterans with any disability percentage
remain entitled to a lifetime access pass
free of charge, which can be acquired on
the spot at any federal recreation area
where passes are issued by presenting a
form of government-issued identification
(driver’s license, state ID, passport, birth
certificate) alongside documentation of a
service-connected disability.
You can also consider annual and lifetime
passes, including discounted rates for seniors,
active-duty military, elementary school
students, and Park Service volunteers.
c NATIONAL
PRESERVE
Big
Cypress,
Ochopee
The freshwaters
of the Big Cypress
Swamp,
essential to the
health of the
neighboring Everglades,
support
the rich
marine estuaries
along Florida’s
southwest coast.
Conserving over
729,000 acres of
this vast swamp,
Big Cypress Na-
De Soto
Dry Tortugas
tional Preserve Timucuan
contains a mixture
of tropical
and temperate plant communities that are
home to diverse wildlife, including the Endangered
Florida panther.
c NATIONAL PARK
Biscayne | Miami, Key Biscayne
& Homestead
Within sight of Miami, yet worlds away,
Biscayne protects a rare combination of
aquamarine waters, emerald islands, and
fish-bejeweled coral reefs. Evidence of
10,000 years of human history is here too;
from prehistoric tribes to shipwrecks, and
pineapple farmers to presidents. For many,
the park is a boating, fishing, and diving
destination, while others enjoy a warm
breeze and peaceful scenery.
c NATIONAL SEASHORE
Canaveral | Titusville and
New Smyrna Beach
Reflect on the pristine barrier island which
is composed of dune, hammock, and lagoon
habitat. Explore ancient Timucua shell
mounds. Experience the sanctuary that is
provided for thousands of species of plants
and animals that call Canaveral National
Seashore home.
c NATIONAL MONUMENT
Castillo de San Marcos,
St. Augustine
Built by the Spanish in St. Augustine to defend
Florida and the Atlantic trade route,
Castillo de San Marcos National Monument
preserves the oldest masonry fortification in
the continental United States and interprets
more than 450 years of cultural intersections.
c NATIONAL MEMORIAL
De Soto, Bradenton
In May 1539, Conquistador Hernando de
Canaveral
Soto’s army of soldiers, hired mercenaries,
craftsmen, and clergy made landfall in Tampa
Bay. They were met with fierce resistance
of indigenous people protecting their
homelands. De Soto’s quest for glory and
gold would be a four year, four thousand
mile odyssey of intrigue, warfare, disease,
and discovery that would form the history
of the United States.
c NATIONAL PARK
Dry Tortugas, Key West
Almost 70 miles west of Key West lies the
remote Dry Tortugas National Park. This
100-square mile park is mostly open water
with seven small islands. Accessible only
by boat or seaplane, the park is known the
world over as the home of magnificent Fort
Jefferson, picturesque blue waters, superlative
coral reefs and marine life, and the vast
assortment of bird life that frequents the area.
c NATIONAL PARK
Everglades, Miami, Naples,
and Homestead
Everglades National Park protects an unparalleled
landscape that provides important
habitat for numerous rare and endangered
species like the manatee, American
crocodile, and the elusive Florida panther.
An international treasure as well - a World
Heritage Site, International Biosphere Reserve,
a Wetland of International Importance,
and a specially protected area under
the Cartagena Treaty.Everglades National
Park is the third largest national park in the
contiguous United States and is one of the
most unique ecosystems in the world.
c NATIONAL MEMORIAL
Fort Caroline, the Timucuan
Preserve; Jacksonville
Big Cypress
Castillo de San Marcos
Fort Matanzas
At the settlement of la Caroline, French settlers
struggled for survival in a new world.
Many sought religious freedom in a new
land, while others were soldiers or tradesmen
starting a new life. The climactic battles
fought here between the French and Spanish
marked the first time that European nations
fought for control of lands in what is now the
United States. It would not be the last time.
c NATIONAL MONUMENT
Fort Matanzas, St. Augustine
Fort Matanzas National Monument preserves
the fortified coquina watchtower, completed
in 1742, which defended the southern approach
to the Spanish military settlement of
St. Augustine. It also protects approximately
300 acres of Florida coastal environment
containing dunes, marsh, maritime forest,
and associated flora and fauna, including
threatened and endangered species.
c NATIONAL SEASHORE
Gulf Islands, Gulf Breeze, Florida &
Ocean Springs, Mississippi, FL, MS
Millions of visitors are drawn to the Gulf
of Mexico for Gulf Islands National Seashore’s
emerald coast waters, magnificent
white beaches, fertile marshes and historical
landscapes.
c ECOLOGICAL & HISTORIC
PRESERVE
Timucuan, Jacksonville
Visit one of the last unspoiled coastal wetlands
on the Atlantic Coast. Discover 6,000
years of human history and experience the
beauty of salt marshes, coastal dunes, and
hardwood hammocks. The Timucuan Preserve
includes Fort Caroline and Kingsley
Plantation.
28 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

travel news
Scoop Some Scallops This Summer and
Scalloping season began
on July 1 this year at Crystal
River and Plantation on
Crystal River. They’re offering
guided scalloping deals starting
at $ 991* for mid-week stays for
two guests that includes:
• Two-night stay in a garden or
water view deluxe room, patio
room or golf villa
• Guided scalloping tour including mask,
snorkel and fins with one of the area’s top
captains
• Souvenir bag with mesh scalloping bag,
scallop recipes and water
• Chef-prepared cook-your-catch from the
day’s harvest (scallops or fish) for lunch or
dinner and serve with two sides**
• Breakfast daily
A popular activity for families, scalloping
is like snorkeling, but with the simple
addition of a mesh bag for storing the harvest.
Most scallops can be found in the shallow
grass flats of the Gulf of Mexico that range
anywhere from three to six feet deep. Only
two to three inches in length and located
inside a fan-shaped shell, the scallops can be
easy to spot with their 30-40 bright blue eyes
that help them detect predators.
“Cook Your Catch”
Once daily scallop
limit has been reached,
they can be prepared by
the hotel for a cook-yourcatch
meal. If guests
choose not to book a scalloping
package, they can
still have their scallops
cooked**.
For $ 17.95 per person,
the chef at West 82° Bar & Grill will prepare
guests’ shucked scallops during lunch or dinner
one of four ways: scampi style, au gratin,
sautéed in lemon butter or Chef’s choice.
The eco-friendly Plantation on Crystal
River is surrounded by the natural springs
of King’s Bay and more than 25,000 surface
acres of pristine lakes and rivers, as well as
wildlife refuges and state parks.
For more information on Plantation on
Crystal River, visit PlantationonCrystal
River.com
* Price listed is for two people, two-nights midweek
with a guide in a Garden View room. Weekend
pricing also available. Subject to availability.
Resort fee, taxes and gratuities not included.
** For meals, scallops must be shucked, cleaned,
stored on ice, and delivered to the dining room
a minimum of 2 hours prior to dinner or lunch
reservation.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Resort & Spa
At Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
in Bonita Springs, residents can
receive 15 percent off their room
rate throughout the year and access to
the resort’s staycation experience.
Guests must present a valid Florida ID
upon check-in. Hyatt Regency Coconut
Point Resort & Spa, is in Bonita Springs,
near the city of Naples.
To receive the 15 percent off their room
rate, book through hyattregencycoconutpoint.com
and use the booking code CP-
FLR, or call the resort at (239) 444-1234.
The resort features year-round getaway
opportunities with multiple on-site pools.
Guests can enjoy the waterfall pool, scenic
lap pool, and adventure pool which features a
corkscrew waterslide and a smaller waterslide
for younger children.
Guests can also relax on the waterfall
pool deck, in multiple heated whirlpools, or
reserve one of the resort’s cabanas which features
chaise lounge and sofa seating, a mini
fridge stocked with sodas and waters, and a
large-screen television, and dedicated food
and beverage service.
The resort also provides spacious relaxation
areas that showcase the tropical setting, as
well as a variety of lawn games on its grassy
courtyards including corn hole, giant Jenga
and oversized Connect Four. After a day of
exploring the resort, guests can roast marshmallows
and make s’mores at palm tree-shaded
fire pits, or practice their golf skills at a
lakeside practice putting green. The resort
also features rejuvenating spa treatments at
Stillwater Spa, yoga classes offered on select
dates, and live music in its Belvedere Lounge.
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa
features several newly-renovated spacious
guestrooms and suites. Each room includes
floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors with
sweeping views.
The Diplomat Beach Resort
Situated along beaches of Hollywood,
Florida – centrally located between
Miami and Fort Lauderdale – The Diplomat
Beach Resort provides a picturesque
backdrop for a summer staycation retreat.
Whether you’re looking to lounge on the
beach, enjoy a day of paddleboarding, or take
a dine around The Dip to experience their
new menu offerings, there’s something for
everyone. Even on the rainiest of SoFla days,
you can discover the sunshine beyond The
Dip – with plenty of museums, shops, and
local attractions to explore.
Summer Vacation Packages:
• “RR&R” - Rest and Relaxation at the Resort
– Unwind and rejuvenate with a 50%
discount on select spa services. Enjoy complimentary
valet parking, making arrival and
departure hassle-free. Guests can enhance
their stay with a complimentary room upgrade.
Visitors get guaranteed premium pool
and beach seating
• Vacation Like a VIP – Includes a $ 100 daily
food and beverage credit, which can be used
at the property’s restaurants and lounges.
Visitors get two complimentary “Welcome”
Vistors to and and residents in
Sarasota County can take advantage
of summer deals with Fun in the
941 special offers. These deals allow visitors
to easily find savings to experience dining,
entertainment and attractions like the locals.
Some offers visitors can take advantage of
include:
Through September 11, Siesta Key is
offering a discount on lounge chair rentals
at their private beach, located near Beach
Access 12. Siesta Key Beach is TripAdvisor’s
2023 No. 2 beach in the U.S. and No. 11 beach
in the world.
Now through September 11, The Bay is
offering free 2-hour kayak tours through
the restored mangrove bayou and along the
Sarasota Bay shoreline. The Bay is a community,
city, and park conservancy initiative
that is conserving and transforming 53 acres
of city-owned land into a signature public
park that sits on Sarasota Bay.
Through August 31, the John and Mable
The Resort at Longboat Key Special
They’re offering a “Toes in the Sand Special”
that includes daily umbrella rental
and resort credit at their three Longboat
Key/Sarasota Resorts.
No matter which one you choose, you’ll have
it made in the shade with a daily beach umbrella
rental (a $ 25 daily value), and a daily resort
credit (amount varies by location ) to order
frozen cocktails right from your beach chair.
drinks, complimentary self-parking, and a
complimentary room upgrade. Rates starting
at $ 349 per night.
Fun in the 941
Local Happenings this Summer:
• Rolling Loud Festival (July 21-23): one of the
world’s hottest hip-hop music festivals. Rolling
Loud takes over Miami with its star-studded
lineup, featuring the biggest names in rap
and hip-hop. Dance to the beats just a short
distance from The Diplomat Resort.
• Miami Spice (August and September): a culinary
extravaganza that showcases the city’s
Ringling Museum of Art offers free admission
every Monday. Don’t miss “Reclaiming
Home: Contemporary Seminole Art” group
exhibition that marks The Ringling’s first
presentation of contemporary art by Native
American artists with ancestral, historical,
and present-day connections to Florida.
Reclaiming Home highlights the breadth
and depth of the artwork by Seminole, Miccosukee,
and mixed-heritage artists from
Florida, including Noah Billie (Seminole),
Wilson Bowers (Seminole), Houston R. Cypress
(Miccosukee), Alyssa Osceola (Seminole),
Jessica Osceola (Seminole/Irish), Brian
Zepeda (Seminole), Corinne Zepeda (Seminole
/Mexican), and Pedro Zepeda (Seminole).
The exhibition expands the conceptual
framework of Native American art made in
Florida today and provide a fuller understanding
of the complexities of issues within
the art of the Seminole diaspora. Runs to
September 4.
More fun at www.funinthe941.com.
Participating properties:
• The Resort at Longboat Key Club, Longboat
Key. If beach time needs to be paired with
spa time, tennis time, and golf time - this is
your best bet. Daily credit amount: $ 75
• Zota Beach Resort, Longboat Key. Peace
and quiet will be found at Zota Beach Resort.
Its stunning beach and posh pool deck are
best suited for sun worshippers. Daily credit
amount: $ 25
• Lido Beach Resort, Sarasota. A few short
miles removed from Longboat Key, Lido
Beach Resort delivers the best of both worlds.
A white-sand beach with newly added food &
beverage service delivered right under your
beach umbrella, and a stone’s throw from
bustling St Armands Circle. Daily credit
amount: $ 25
They also offer “Sunshine State Savings”
and Florida residents can save up to 15% off.
Visit www.opalcollection.com/longboat-keyclub/offers/florida-resident-discount/
for
details.
finest restaurants with special three-course
prix-fixe menus. Info: https://www.diplomatresort.com/.
JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 29

healthier you
Can Processed Foods
Find a Place in a Balanced Diet?
Packaged foods
can help keep the
kitchen stocked
with fast and
healthy options
What comes to mind
when you think of
the term “processed
foods”? Consumer confidence
in defining this
colloquial term varies,
according to IFIC’s (International Food
Information Council) recent consumer
survey, “Perceptions on Processed.”
The survey found that nearly half of
respondents selected the answer, “I can
easily explain what processed foods
are and identify examples of processed
foods.” But what are those explanations?
For some, “processed” equates solely to
“low in nutrients,” whereas others have a
more wholistic definition, acknowledging
that processing occurs on a spectrum
and that many of the foods we eat are
processed on some level.
If you’re wondering why these varying
definitions matter, consider that how we
think about processed foods is the first
step in directing how we can appropriately
incorporate them into eating patterns.
For example, their survey found that
when respondents were asked to choose
the positive aspects of processed foods
from a list of attributes, the most popular
options were “convenience” (with 45%
saying so), “affordability” (39%), and “shelflife”
(38%).
On the other hand, when provided
with the same list of attributes, but asked
to choose which aspects respondents
perceived as negative, the most selected
options were “impact on health” (44%),
“quality of ingredients” (33%), and “nutrition”
(31%). Are these fair assessments on
the part of consumers?
Here’s how processed foods may (or
may not) play a helpful role in an eating
pattern that is nutritious overall.
Saving Time. Some processed and
packaged foods are non-perishable or
quick to prepare while still featuring
minimal processing, so you can keep your
kitchen stocked with fast and healthy
options and spend less time prepping
dinner. Some great grocery-list suggestions
include frozen fruits and vegetables,
canned beans, legumes, and soups
(check the label for low-sodium options),
fortified cereal and granola
bars, microwavable brown
rice, popcorn, canned
or pouched tuna, whole
grain pasta, yogurt cups or
tubes, and cheese sticks.
■ Consider this example:
A mom of three young
children wants to feed her
family nutritious foods, but
is often so preoccupied
with taking care of their
other needs in the early
evening that it’s hard to
spend an hour making dinner
or running out to pick
up last-minute, fresh ingredients.
A microwaveable
package of brown rice
paired with frozen vegetables
and canned chicken
can save time while providing a swathe of
healthy nutrients to her family.
Convenience. Think about medical
professionals who tend to many
patients during long shifts and don’t
always have the ability take a break for
the perfectly crafted meal. Could a premade
smoothie with a beef stick, nuts,
or a nutrition bar help manage hunger
until they get a proper chance to sit
down and eat a full meal?
Or how about a college student who
could eat breakfast on the way to class
with a portable yogurt, microwaveable
oatmeal cup, or a high-protein nutrition
bar. If time permits, adding some canned
or frozen fruit can make for a quick, balanced
breakfast.
Products that come in single-serving
sizes make great snacks because they’re
easy to pack and can help with proper
portion control.
Affordability. Processed foods can
contribute to economic food security by
assuring that sufficient food is available
for people of all income levels. These
foods can contribute to nutrition security
as well. Again, consider that processed
foods occur on a spectrum and ideally
should be paired with fresh or minimally
processed choices to create healthy
meals and eating patterns. For example,
canned, frozen, or packaged proteins can
be paired with fresh vegetables to cut
down on price and waste while still providing
important nutrients for persons
and families with limited budgets.
Nutrition. How can processed
foods offer nutritional benefits? Mainly
through fortification. Fortification of
foods has taken place in the U.S. since
the early 20th century, when healthcare
providers noted that nutritional deficiencies
caused chronic health problems.
Starting in the 1920s, iodine was added
to salt as a preventative measure against
goiter. In the 1930s and 1940s, milk was
fortified with vitamin D and calcium, and
thiamine, niacin, riboflavin, and iron were
added to flour.
Additionally, in the late 1990s, folic
acid was added to various foods to
prevent neural tube defects in embryos.
Recent packaged foods have been fortified
with fiber, probiotics, and antioxidants,
all of which have been shown to
support health.
Still, some processed foods contain very
high amounts of added sugar, saturated
fat, and sodium. It’s well understood that
a diet too high in foods that are lower in
nutrients, but higher in fat, sugar, and
sodium is not beneficial for long-term
health. And while it’s certainly not recommended
that we make an everyday habit
of eating significant quantities of these
kinds of foods, it’s also worth noting that
different people have different health
conditions, preferences, and life goals, so
it’s important to figure out what makes
sense for your own individual lifestyle.
The Final Goal: Balance. What
we eat over time is more important than
any single food we consume. Variety,
balance, and moderation are always key
tenets to an overall healthy diet.
Processed Foods Defined. According
to the Department of Agriculture,
processed food are any raw agricultural
commodities that have been washed,
cleaned, milled, cut, chopped, heated,
pasteurized, blanched, cooked, canned,
frozen, dried, dehydrated, mixed or
packaged — anything done to t hem that
alters their natural state. This may include
adding preservatives, flavors, nutrients
and other food additives, or substances
approved for use in food products, such
as salt, sugars and fats.
■ Which foods are more processed?
Here’s how the Academy of Nutrition
and Dietetics ranks processed foods
from minimally to mostly processed:
t Minimally processed foods, such as
fresh blueberries, cut vegetables and
roasted nuts, are simply prepped for
convenience.
t Foods processed at their peak to
lock in nutritional quality and freshness
include canned tomatoes or tuna, and
frozen fruit or vegetables.
t Foods with ingredients added for
flavor and texture, such as sweeteners,
spices, oils, colors and
preservatives, include
jarred pasta sauce, salad
dressing, yogurt and cake
mixes.
t Ready-to-eat foods,
such as crackers, chips
and deli meat, are more
heavily processed.
t The most heavily
processed foods often
are frozen or premade
meals, including frozen
pizza and microwaveable
dinners.
Minimally processed
foods have a place
in healthy diets. For
example, low-fat milk,
whole-grain or wheat
breads, precut vegetables
and fresh-cut greens are considered
processed foods. Also, milks and
juices may be fortified with vitamin D
and calcium, while breakfast cereals
may have added fiber. And canned
fruits packed in water or natural fruit
juice can be part of a healthy diet when
fresh fruit isn’t easily available.
It’s important to do some investigative
work by examining the ingredient list
and analyzing the Nutrition Facts label.
Just because a product reads “natural”
or “organic” doesn’t necessarily mean it’s
better for you.
Eating processed foods on occasion is
fine. However, look for hidden sugar, fat
and salt, especially those added during
processing. Most Nutrition Facts labels
now include added sugars.
Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends
getting less than 10% of total
calories from added sugars. Learn to
spot words like “maltose,” “brown sugar,”
“corn syrup,” “honey” and “fruit juice
concentrate.”
When it comes to sodium, people
often comment they don’t put salt on
their food. As it turns out, you don’t even
need to, because manufacturers have
already added salt for you — and too
much, in fact. The Dietary Guidelines also
recommends less than 2,300 milligrams
of sodium per day. So look for low- or
reduced-sodium foods. Also, try rinsing
canned vegetables with water to remove
some of the sodium.
Many health care professionals
consider transfat to be the worst type
of fat. Unlike other dietary fats, transfat
— also called transfatty acids — raises
your low-density lipoprotein (LDL
or bad) cholesterol and lowers your
high-density lipoprotein (HDL or good)
cholesterol. Although manufacturers
are working to eliminate transfat, if
a product has less than 0.5 grams of
transfat, manufacturers can claim it
has zero grams. Be cautious of foods
high in saturated fat, as well.
The key to healthy eating starts with
you. Educate yourself on what to look for
and talk with your health care professional
or nutrition expert to discuss a food
plan that works best for you.
30 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023

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JULY 2023 WEST COAST WOMAN 31

32 WEST COAST WOMAN JULY 2023