wcw MAY 5/24

MAY 2024 

Sarah Wertheimer 

Executive Director of Embracing Our Differences 

Also in this issue: 

■ Psychic 

Sunday Tours 

■ Benefits 

of Walking 

■ Marvin Gaye 

at WBTT 

■ Sarasota 

Music Festival

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2 WEST COAST WOMAN MAY 2024

MAY 2024 

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. 

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. 

FOLLOW US AT: 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ 

WCWmedia 

focus 

on the arts: 

WBTT has “Marvin Gaye: 

Prince of Soul” closing their 

season with their mostrequested 

original musical. 

p18 

happening 

this month: 

Discover Sarasota Tours 

again has a Psychic Sundays 

Trolley Tour. During the 

tour, they provide mini tarot 

readings and a Spirit Gallery 

session. The tour runs every 

other Sunday from 1-3. 

p19 

WCW 

36 

YEARS 

WCW Mailing Address: 

P.O. Box 819 

Sarasota, FL 34230 

email: 

westcoastwoman@comcast.net 

website: 

www.westcoastwoman.com 

west coast 

WOMAN 

departments 

healthier you: 

May is national 

Walking Month 

Did you know that walking 

a minimum of 20 minutes 

every day can reduce 

the number of diseases, 

including heart diseases 

and high blood pressure? 

p12 

4 editor’s letter 

7 Out & About: listings for things to do 

11 focus on the arts: 

Venice Symphony 

12 healthier you: 

National Walking Month is in May 

14 health: all about Craniosacral Therapy 

16 west coast woman: 

Sarah Sarah Wertheimer, 

executive director of EOD 


Marvin Gaye at WBTT 

19 happening this month: 

Psychic Sundays Trolley Tour 

20 healthier you: craniosacral therapy 


Sarasota Music Festival 

24 get to know: 

Embracing our Differences 

26 you’re news 

30 dining in: Cake for mom 

■ on the cover: Sarah Wertheimer, the executive director of Embracing Our Differences. 

■ Image: Louise Bruderle 

MAY 2024 WEST COAST WOMAN 3

just some 

thoughts 

Louise Bruderle 

Editor and Publisher 

West Coast Woman 


Executive Director, 

Embracing Our Differences 

Maybe you were fortunate enough to see the 

Embracing Our Differences (EOD) outdoor exhibit 

that ran this past January to April 21. Or maybe you 

have seen it other years since its launch in 2004. 

Either way, you’re not alone. The exhibit has had 

nearly 4.5 million visitors over the years - appealing 

to locals and visitors alike. 

Any excuse to be outdoors in great weather and 

walking by Sarasota Bay is ideal, but also viewing 

meaningful, touching and compelling artwork and quotes from around 

the world displayed billboard style, makes it all the more enjoyable. 

This year’s response to the call for artwork and inspirational quotations 

had 16,604 entries from 125 countries and 44 states. Students 

from 584 schools around the world submitted artwork or quotations to 

the juried exhibit. 

The Best-in-Show Adult quotation award winner this year is, “I stand 

against hatred with love, prejudice with acceptance, and ignorance 

with knowledge,” submitted by Md. Faisal Arefin from Rajshahi, Bangladesh. 

The Best-in-Show 

Student quotation award is 

“Spread kindness like the 

world depends on it...because 

it does,” submitted by 

Jessie Ochsendorf, a seventh 

grader at Pine View School 

in Osprey. 

Embracing Our Differences 

has its own meaningful 

quote that informs 

its mission: “The value of 

human diversity is all that 

holds our nation together. 

And it’s what we stand for 

at Embracing Our Differences.” 

So this month we profile 

EOD’s executive director, 

Sarah Wertheimer who, 

along with her small, 

hard-working staff and 

large troupe of volunteers, 

manage every year to put 

on a fantastic, engaging and 

inspiring exhibit. While that 


Image: Louise Bruderle 

Embracing Our Differences Best-in-Show 

Quotation Winner: Jessie O. and artist 

Michael White 

would seem like enough, the 

EOD exhibit is just the most 

visual part of what they do. 

EOD’s many educational initiatives continue all year long. These 

include professional development opportunities for educators, reading 

days, unity days, and other learning programs and events. According 

to their website, “These ongoing arts education programs represent 

the most important aspect of our efforts. We’re reaching and impacting 

the lives of thousands of students and teachers, both locally and 

around the world.” More specifically, those programs have made an 

impact on more than 587,000 students since they were launched in 

2004. In 2022-2023 alone, 58,122 students and 1,981 teachers participated 

during the school year. It takes a great mission, great staff and 

board members, but a solid leader is what makes it all come together 

and EOD has one in Sarah. 

Read more about Sarah’s career and her work at EOD in this 

month’s profile. We also have a more in depth feature on the EOD 

organization itself. 

For more information, visit www.embracingourdifferences.org. 

Speaking of Good Work 

The Giving Challenge—noon to noon 

April 9-10— provides flexible, unrestricted 

funding to more than 700 nonprofit 

organizations across Sarasota, Manatee, 

Charlotte, and DeSoto counties. 

Hosted by the Community Foundation 

of Sarasota County, with giving strengthened 

by The Patterson Foundation, 

had some astounding results. In just 24 

hours, the community raised more than 

$17 million in unrestricted funds for 

724 nonprofits. Of that total, more than 

$6 million was gifted by The Patterson 

Foundation with their 1:1 match. 

They also had a record-breaking number of donors this year, with 

53,305 people stepping up to #BeTheOne to offer support to these wonderful 

nonprofit organizations. Organizations as diverse as St. Andrew 

Scottish Society Scholarship Fund Inc. to Child Protection Center, Inc. 

participates and raised vital funds to support their work. Here’s a link 

to the winners: www.givingchallenge.org/prizes. 

May and Women’s Health 

National Women’s Health Week takes place in May and a good way 

to work on your health is to get moving — as in walking. We’ve got an 

article on some great walks in our area and, before it gets too hot, enjoy 

these locations — some of which are close by, but which you may have 

overlooked. 

Did you know that walking a minimum of 20 minutes every day can 

reduce a number of diseases, including heart diseases and high blood 

pressure? 

The American Health Association was the first to introduce National 

Walking Day in 2007 to promote a healthy lifestyle. Time to start 

walking! 

As Season Winds Down 

It has been a wonderful season! There were so many things to do and, 

as I write this, I have received over a dozen schedules for next season 

which promises even more diverse programming. Of course, there are 

still lots of things to do in the months ahead including theatre, museums 

and a chance to get a parking spot at the beach. 

About those Press Releases 

We love hearing from you and helping to promote your events, news and 

personal accomplishments. Please help us by submitting brief releases 

that are ready to go. That way we can run them in print and also on our 

West Coast Woman Facebook page. 

Please make your release is in the just-the-facts style so that we don’t 

have to spend too much time rewriting and editing them. As for images, 

send a decent file size image - a minimum of 150K up to 1MB for headshots. 

We simply can’t use web images - they’re way too small for print 

and will come out grainy. Have questions about press releases? We’re 

happy to help. Send your questions to westcoastwoman@comcast.net. 

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. 


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Senior Friendship Centers monthly LGBTQ social 

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out &about 

Special Events 

Major Exhibition Evenings performed 

by the Sarasota Ballet’s Margaret 

Barbieri Conservatory will be 

on May 15, 5:30-7:30 p.m. It will be a 

performance by local, American and 

international ballet dancers overseen 

by Margaret Barbieri, Prima Ballerina 

with The Royal Ballet, and Assistant 

Director of The Sarasota Ballet. Tickets: 

selby.ticketapp.org. 

▼ 

The inaugural season of the Manatee 

Music Series continues with Paul 

Fournier on May 16. Accepted into 

Berklee College of Music in 2011, 

Paul decided to take a promotion job 

at BB Kings Blues Club in Manhattan, 

NY. He moved back to Florida to form 

more projects until recently launching 

as a solo act. 

In addition to the outdoor concert 

in the tree covered section of the park 

at 2811 51st St. W. in Bradenton, there 

will be family-friendly activities by 

local community partners and crafts 

sponsored by Bayside Church. For 

info, visit mymanatee.org or call 941- 

748-4501. 

▼ 

Selby Garden has Yoga in the Gardens 

on Wednesdays and Saturdays 

at 9:30 a.m. at their downtown Sarasota 

campus. This class focuses on 

alignment and breathing techniques 

and is open to all ages and skill levels. 

Bring a mat, towel, and water. The 

address is 1534 Mound St, Sarasota. 

Register at selby.org/events/yoga-inthe-gardens. 

▼ 

Project Pride SRQ will kick off 

Pride Month in grand style, as the 

community is invited to enjoy an evening 

filled with flowers, a DJ spinning 

today’s hits, cool country performances, 

and delightful surprises. 

Dive Bar Wine & Spirits will be 

on-site to craft specialty cocktails and 

some of Sarasota’s finest restaurants 

will offer light bites and desserts. 

The Grand Carnival takes place on 

June 1, 8-11 p.m. at the Sailor Circus 

Arena, 2075 Bahia Vista St., Sarasota. 

Tickets include open bar, light bites 

and entertainment. Proceeds benefit 

Project Pride’s programs and events, 

which aim to celebrate and unite Sarasota’s 

diverse community by providing 

social connections and by supporting 

Sarasota’s LGBTQ+ people, businesses 

and organizations. Visit ppsrq.org for 

information and tickets. 

▼ 

Project Pride SRQ, Senior Friendship 

Center & Golden Girls Solutions 

present “Silver Pride Sarasota,” celebrating 

LGBTQ+ ages 50 and better. 

This event celebrates our senior members 

of the LGBTQ+ community; the 

free afternoon program will feature 

live music, vendors, food trucks, and 

more from community partners. 

Takes place on June 8, 12-5 p.m. at 

Senior Friendship Center, 1888 Brother 

Geenen Way, Sarasota. Valet and 

individual parking will be available 

on-site. Booth space is available to 

interested businesses and organizations; 

deadline to sign up is May 15. 

Visit ppsrq.org for more information. 

▼ 

Women’s Interfaith 

Network (WIN) 

Their next event is “Food and Religion: 

What’s the connection?” on 

May 18 at 10:30 a.m. at the Oakhurst 

Clubhouse, 4255 Oakhurst Circle 

▼ 

East, Sarasota. 

Sacred 

foods. 

Forbidden 

foods. Symbolic 

foods. 

Fasting. 

Join in as 

they explore 

these topics 

across the 

spectrum of 

world religions. 

Guest 

speaker Allison 

van Tilborgh, 

who 

works at the 

intersection 

of religion, 

food, and 

feminism, is 

a scholar at 

the Graduate 

Theological 

Seminary 

in Berkley, 

CA. Raised in a Charismatic Christian 

community in South Africa, Allison 

is the founder of Interfaith Now, 

designed to bridge gaps and expand 

perspectives on faith and spirituality. 

This program is free and open to 

all. Bring your brown bag lunch. WIN 

will supply beverages and a variety of 

“symbolic religious food.” 

Register in advance by emailing 

melamarcus777@gmail.com. Learn 

more at womensinterfaithnetwork.org. 

At Bookstore1 

On May 21 the Banned Book Club 

will feature “The Kite Runner” by 

Khaled Hosseini. The Club is led by 

Bryn Durgin. Hosseini’s debut novel 

The Kite Runner has sold millions of 

copies and inspired a popular film 

and play, The Kite Runner has been 

met with several challenges since its 

2003 release. 

Meet in person at the bookstore at 

The Mark, 117 S. Pineapple Ave. in 

Sarasota. The book club is $18 which 

includes a copy of The Kite Runner to 

be picked up at Bookstore1 any time 

before meeting. 

Registration: www.sarasotabooks. 

com, or call 941-365-7900. 

▼ 

The Environment 

EcoWalk: Mangroves on May 

14, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Join UF/IFAS for 

an engaging walk into the world of 

mangroves. These walks will focus on 

learning about the ecology of mangrove 

ecosystems, identification of 

mangroves and other species associated 

with them, and wildlife viewing. 

Questions, call 941-861-9900. 

Register: www.eventbrite.com/e/ 

ecowalk-mangroves. 

▼ 

Rain Barrel Workshop on May 18, 

10-11 a.m. Learn more about the benefits 

of rain barrels, and purchase a 

recycled, food grade-plastic rain barrel 

for your property. 

During this class you’ll learn how 

the use of rain barrels can conserve 

water, save money by reducing the use 

of potable water in landscapes, and 

reduce stormwater runoff by storing 

and diverting runoff from impervious 

surfaces like roofs. Practical tips 

on the construction and installation 

of rain barrels will be provided. After 

the workshop, they have a Q/A session 

with the instructor, our Florida-Friendly 

Landscaping community 

▼ 

educator, and a Sarasota County Air & 

Water Quality representative. 

Each rain barrel is made of recycled, 

food grade-plastic barrel, holds 

up to 55 gallons, and measures 2 feet 

in diameter and 3 feet tall. Barrels 

ordered prior to the workshop will be 

available for pickup until 11:30 a.m. 

the day of the workshop. For questions, 

call 941-861-5000. 


rain-barrel-workshop. 

Climate Change: Fundamentals 

and Regenerative Solutions on May 

29, noon to 1 p.m. This class introduces 

the history of climate change 

science and outlines inclusive and 

effective solutions going forward.This 

class introduces the history of climate 

change science and outlines inclusive 

and effective solutions going forward. 

It is inspired by the work of Project 

Regeneration, a solutions-focused 

approach to climate change that 

weaves justice, climate, biodiversity, 

and human dignity into action, policy, 

and transformation. 

With this 1-hour presentation, 

you’ll become more informed on the 

history of climate change science 

and successfully implemented solutions 

to slow and eventually stop the 

increase of greenhouse gas levels in 

the atmosphere. Participants will walk 

away with specific strategies they can 

implement in their own lives. 


climate-change-fundamentals. 

▼ 

ABCs of Edible Gardening, Summer 

Style is on June 5 at noon. Make 

the most of your edible garden by 

using the summer time to your advantage. 

This class is part of the “Sarasota 

County Starter Kit: A Guide to Living 

on the Suncoast” series, which provides 

new residents with a range of 

information, from saving on utilities 

to dealing with wildlife, to help build 

happy, healthy, thriving homes and 

lives in this area. 

Enjoy Q&A with speakers Dr. Rod 

Greder, Sustainable Agriculture Agent, 

and Mindy Hanak, Community and 

School Garden Coordinator. For questions, 

call 941-861-5000. 


abcs-of-edible-gardening. 

▼ 

Selby Gardens 

▼ 

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens 

has Yayoi Kusama: A Letter to Georgia 

O’Keeffe which examines the work 

of major artists through the lens of 

their connection to nature. 

The exhibition runs through June 

30, 2024, at Selby Gardens’ Downtown 

Sarasota campus. It explores 

the impactful mentoring relationship 

that developed between artists Yayoi 

Kusama and Georgia O’Keeffe based 

on their personal correspondence at 

a critical point in Kusama’s artistic 

development. This show also explores 

the ways in which the work of both 

artists is rooted in nature, befitting an 

art and horticultural experience set in 

a botanical garden.” 

In the mid-1950s, Yayoi Kusama was 

a young artist living in Japan, where 

her future was very uncertain. Seeking 

advice from a more established 

female artist, Kusama wrote to Georgia 

O’Keeffe, whose work she greatly 

admired but whom she had never 

met. To Kusama’s surprise, O’Keeffe 

responded, thus establishing a correspondence 

that gave the young Japanese 

artist the courage to move to 

America and pursue her career in New 

York City, which was then the center of 

the art world. Kusama’s decision, with 

O’Keeffe’s encouragement, forever 

changed the course of modern art history. 

Tickets: https://selby.org/ 

ensembleNEWSRQ 

Upcoming performances include: 

The Ringling’s Art of Performance 

Series’ Parisian Refraction on May 

9-10, 7:30 p.m.; May 11, 2 p.m. and 

7:30 p.m. Led by Samantha Bennet 

and George Nickson, this series 

explores works and composers that 

either embody Paris, have been commissioned 

by groups in the city, or 

are deeply inspired or affected by the 

French capital. 

Performances showcase and highlight 

both the similarities and differences 

of musicians who have been 

changed by the City of Light. Performers 

include Maurice Cohn, conductor 

(assistant conductor, Dallas Symphony 

and music director, West Virginia 

Symphony); Lucy Fitz Gibbon, soprano; 

Conor Hanick, Han Chen and 

Ryan McCullough, pianos; and Mike 

Truesdell on percussion. 

Tickets for “Parisian Refraction” 

can be purchased at ringling.org or by 

calling 941-360-7399. For more info, 

visit https://ensrq.org/ 

▼ 

Island Gallery and Studios’ has 

photographer David Tejada 

running May 1-31 

The Circus Arts 

Conservatory 

On May 4-5 acrobats, clowns and a 

copious cast of colorful characters will 

dazzle in The Greatest Little Show on 

Earth: Genesis. After a rigorous - and 

fun - year of training, the students 

from the Sailor Circus Academy will 

amaze audiences with an incredible 

spectacle of youth circus arts in a full 

production that will elicit “oohs!” and 

“aahs” from fans of all ages. Held in 

the Sailor Circus Arena. 

Visit circusarts.org or call the Box 

Office at 941-355-9805. 

▼ 

Sarasota 

Orchestra 

Discoveries performances take 

place at the Sarasota Opera House 

• Becoming Tchaikovsky – May 11 

David Alan Miller, conductor; 

Zlatomir Fung, cello 

Bizet – Carmen: Excerpts from Suite 

No. 1 

Grieg – Peer Gynt: The Death of Aase 

Missy Mazzoli – These Worlds in Us 

Schumann – Symphony No. 4: Movements 

2 and 4 

Mozart – Overture to The Magic Flute 

Tchaikovsky – Variations on a Rococo 

Theme 

Tickets: www.SarasotaOrchestra.org 

▼ 

Artist Series 

Concerts 

Artist Series Concerts of Sarasota 

presents the final two concerts of its 

2023-24 season in May. Miró Quartet, 

which won an Emmy Award for a 

multimedia project, performs on 

May 5 at First Presbyterian Church in 

Sarasota. Trio Gaia, first prize winners 

of the 2022 WDAV Young Chamber 

Musicians Competition, takes the 

stage at the Studio for the Performing 

Arts Recital Hall at State College of 

Florida in Bradenton on May 14. 

One of America’s most celebrated 

and dedicated string quartets, Miró 

Quartet – Daniel Ching, William Fedkenheuer, 

violin; John Largess, viola; 

and Joshua Gindele, cello – has been 

performing to sold out houses in the 

world’s most prestigious concert halls 

since 1995. 

This program on May 5, 4 p.m. at 

First Presbyterian Church in Sarasota, 

includes Beethoven’s String Quartet 

No. 14, Op. 131, the piece around which 

the 2012 film “A Late Quartet” was 

based. Violinist Sandy Yamamoto and 

pianist Julio Elizalde join the quartet to 

perform Chausson’s Concerto for violin, 

piano and string quartet. 

Trio Gaia, New England Conservatory’s 

graduate piano trio in residence, 

has quickly gained recognition as 

one of the most compelling chamber 

groups performing today. Dedicated to 

offering audiences dynamic, personally 

relevant experiences, the trio – Grant 

Houston, violin; Yi-Mei Templeman, 

cello; and Andrew Barnwell, piano – 

won first prize at the 2022 WDAV Young 

Chamber Musicians Competition. 

This recital on May 14, 7:30 p.m. 

at the Studio for the Performing Arts 

Recital Hall at State College of Florida 

in Bradenton, includes music inspired 

by folk tunes, including the daring trio 

by Charles Ives, and Antonín Dvořák’s 

iconic “Dumky” Trio. 

For tickets and more information, 

visit ArtistSeriesConcerts.org or call 

(941) 306-1202. 

▼ 

continued on page 8 


out and about continued 

Florida History 

Lecture Series 

This spring, join the Sarasota 

County History Center while expert 

speakers and staff explore the history 

of how Floridians have tamed nature. 

Florida lives in most American 

imaginations as a place with sunny 

weather, luxurious beachfront homes 

and endless fun and ease. The reality 

isn’t too far from that, but there are 

some trade-offs. Florida’s climate can 

be hot, humid and stormy at times, 

not to mention the occasional threat 

of thunderstorms, hurricanes and 

forest fires. Inhabitants of Florida 

have had to learn to combat, live with, 

learn from, and weather the natural 

environment and natural disasters 

throughout the history of our state. 

Cuban Rancho Heritage is on May 

28, 2-3p.m. at Osprey Library and History 

Center. Register by May 27. 

Presented by Sara Alvarez, Education 

and Volunteer Specialist, Natural 

Resources Department, Manatee 

County Government. 

Designing for the Sunshine State: 

How Creative Architecture Made 

Florida More Livable is on June 18, 

2-3 p.m. at the Osprey Library and 

History Center. Presented by: Dr. Josh 

Goodman, Manager, Sarasota County 

History Center Jorge Danta Spector, 

Sarasota County Historic Preservation 

Specialists. 

Info: scgovlibrary.librarymarket. 

com/event. 

▼ 

Musica Sacra 

of Sarasota 

Their next performance is on May 

17 at 7 p.m. The theme is “American 

Spirit” and celebrates American creativity, 

resilience, and vision with 

works by Howard Hanson, Aaron Copland, 

African American spirituals, and 

settings of poetry by Walt Whitman, 

Langston Hughes and others. Features 

pianist Glenn Priest and orchestra in 

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. More 

info at www.musicasacrasarasota.org. 

▼ 

Choral Artists 

Next up is their Memorial Day 

Concert: United We Stand on May 26 

at 4 p.m. at the Sarasota Opera House, 

61 N. Pineapple Avenue, Sarasota. 

In the concert, they will commemorate 

the legacy of those who participated 

in the Normandy Invasion of 

World War II in this musical memorial 

honoring our nation’s heroes, those 

who made the ultimate sacrifice in 

securing liberty and justice for all. 

A date that lives in memory, June 6 

is observed every year in Normandy, 

France as the military action by the 

Allies that started the end of the brutal 

second world war. Joining Choral 

Artists is the Lakewood Ranch Wind 

Ensemble in this concert, highlighting 

music of poignant compassion 

and reflection that Choral Artists will 

be presenting in Normandy, France 

as invited musical guests for the 80th 

anniversary of D-Day in June, 2024. 

Tickets: choralartistssarasota.org/ 

▼ 

At the Van Wezel 

Coming up (partial list): 

• May 4: The Concert: A Tribute to 

ABBA 

• May 5: Kenny G. 

• May 10: One Night of Queen 

• May 11: Jimmy Failla: Everybody 

▼ 

Calm Down Tour 

• May 24: Friday Fest - Hot Tonic 

Orchestra. Friday Fest, the free, 

outdoor summertime concert series 

returns this year with an exciting 

lineup of bands. The events run from 

5-9 p.m. and are located on the lawn 

of the Van Wezel. Bring blankets or 

lawn chairs, take in the music and 

the sunset, and enjoy food and beverage 

from local vendors. 

• June 2: Celtic Throne 

Pre-show dining for both shows is 

available through Mattison’s at the 

Van Wezel which is located inside the 

theatre. Reservations can be made 

on VanWezel.org or through the box 

office. Tickets: www.VanWezel.org 

The Hermitage 

▼ 

They have two exhibits: 

• Impact: Contemporary Artists at 

the Hermitage Artist Retreat will be 

on display through July 7, 2024. This 

exhibition features work from ten 

nationally and internationally celebrated 

Hermitage alumni artists, 

including two Hermitage Greenfield 

Prize winners, and the exhibit is curated 

by former Hermitage Curatorial 

Council Member Dan Cameron 

Over the past two decades, each artist 

has been a Fellow at the Hermitage 

Artist Retreat on Manasota Key — a 

unique experience that contributed 

to their creative processes. The exhibit 

will feature work across a range of 

media, including sculpture, painting, 

installation, video, photography, printmaking, 

ceramics, and textiles. Artists 

include: Diana Al-Hadid, Sanford 

Biggers, Chitra Ganesh, Todd Gray, 

Trenton Doyle Hancock, Michelle 

Lopez, Ted Riederer, John Sims, Kukuli 

Velarde and William Villalongo 

• The Truth of the Night Sky: A Hermitage 

Collaboration featuring the 

work of Hermitage Fellows Anne Patterson 

and Patrick Harlin is on display 

through September 29. 

Multidisciplinary visual artist Anne 

Patterson and composer / soundscape 

artist Patrick Harlin have joined forces 

to develop this one-of-a-kind immersive 

experience. 

The exhibition will feature several 

works by Patterson, expanding upon 

Harlin’s original composition Earthrise, 

an orchestral piece inspired by 

the eponymous 1968 photograph 

taken by Apollo 8 astronaut William 

Anders on humanity’s first-trip 

around the moon. With each step, visitors 

will travel imaginatively through 

space and time. 

Free and open to the public with a 

$5 fee. Registration required: HermitageArtistRetreat.org. 

At The Ringling 

▼ 

The Truth of the Night Sky 

runs to Sept. 29. 

Multimedia artist Anne Patterson 

and composer Patrick Harlin 

collaborated to create 

an immersive installation 

at Sarasota Art Museum. 

The John and Mable Ringling 

Museum of Art has Mountains of the 

Mind: Scholars’ Rocks from China 

and Beyond which runs through 

June 23 in The Ringling’s Ting Tsung 

and Wei Fong Chao Center for Asian 

Art. The exhibit features a selection of 

scholars’ rocks and related paintings 

and prints. 

Scholars’ rocks are collected from 

remote geographic locations, where 

they have been formed by natural 

elements over millions of years. The 

stones may then be carved, polished 

and inscribed before being displayed 

in a custom-made stand to enhance 

their visual appeal. Scholars’ rocks are 

both natural objects and products of 

human creativity. 

• Michele Oka Doner: The True Story 

Of Eve runs through June 2. Explore 

Miami, Florida-born, Michele Oka 

Doner’s first solo exhibition at The 

Ringling. This exhibition includes 

examples of works on paper, wood, 

ceramics, bronzes, and glass ranging 

from the 1960s to the present, paying 

homage to the local environment, 

while poignantly reminding us of our 

increasingly precarious ecosystem. 

• Also on view for a limited time is 

the painting “Watermelon Regatta” 

which is on view until May 19 in 

Gallery 12. Over seven years ago, 

conservators at The Ringling began 

a comprehensive examination of the 

Watermelon Regatta, a fascinating 

early 18th-century Italian painting 

that had suffered significant damage. 

This extended study led to a painstaking 

conservation treatment that commenced 

in 2017 and has been carried 

out intermittently since that time. 

• The Ringling’s Art of Performance 

continues with Parisian Refraction 

(Sarasota) is led by Samantha Bennet 

and George Nickson, ensembleNEWSRQ 

• New Classical Music and runs May 

9-11. and explores works and composers 

that either embody the City of 

Light, have been commissioned by 

groups in Paris, or are deeply inspired 

or affected by the French capital. Performances 

showcase and highlight 

both the similarities and global differences 

of musicians 

who 

have been 

changed by 

Paris. 

Tickets: 

ringling.org 

or 

call 941- 

360-7399. 

The John 

and Mable 

Ringling 

Museum of 

Art, 5401 

Bay Shore 

Rd., Sarasota. 

Info: 

www.ringling.org. 

Gallery 

Talks at The 

Ringling 

run to May 

▼ 

21. Coming up: 

• May 7, 11 a.m. and May 9 at 6 p.m. 

Exploring the Elements of Art. They’ll 

explore 7 visual components which 

comprise the elements of art: line, 

shape, form, value, space, color, and 

texture. With these elements, artists 

create compositions and play with 

perspective. They will look at familiar 

works of art in The Ringling’s collection 

through a visual analysis of the 

7 elements of art and discover new 

details in old favorites. 

• May 21, 11 a.m. - The Art of Play. 

Unleash your inner child as you play 

through the galleries on this interactive 

tour of the Museum of Art. 

Museum educators will invite you to 

participate in fun ways to look at and 

appreciate works of art. Commonly 

used with school groups, entertaining 

engagement with art inspires viewers 

of all ages to find serious meaning in 

art through playful experiences. 

Meet in Visitors Pavilion. Tickets: 

www.ringling.org/event. 

WONDER: Human Experience 

and the Arts runs June 6-9 at The 

Ringling. Keynote speaker is Kaywin 

Feldman who will speak on June 6 at 6 

p.m. in the Historic Asolo Theater. 

Feldman is the director of the National 

Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. She 

was appointed in 2019, the first woman 

to lead the nation’s art museum. 

WONDER Keynote: Shinique 

Smith speaks on June 7, 6 p.m. in 

the Historic Asolo Theater. Smith is 

known for her monumental fabric 

sculptures and abstract paintings of 

calligraphy and collage. 

Over the last twenty years, Smith 

has gleaned visual poetry from clothing 

and explored concepts of ritual 

using breath, bunding and calligraphy 

as tools toward abstraction. 

WONDER Keynote: Erin Clabough 

is on June 8, 6 p.m. in the Mildred 

Sainer Pavilion at New College 

Erin Clabough, PhD, is a neuroscientist 

and certified Reiki master 

teacher. She currently teaches courses 

on the neural basis of behavior, as well 

as the nature of consciousness and 

empathy, using experiential learning 

as the primary mode of teaching. 

▼ 

Theatre 

▼ 

Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe 

closes its season with a world premiere 

musical, “Syncopated Avenue.” 

WBTT produces its first-ever tap revue 

- starring electrifying tap dancer Lamont 

Brown - in this musical journey 

through the captivating and entertaining 

world of tap dance. The show 

takes us to an avenue where all things 

flourish with rhythm, style and class. 

This musical offers new songs 

and features a repertoire of unique 

arrangements of popular jazz tunes by 

composers such as Duke Ellington’s 

“Don’t Mean A Thing,” Eubie Blake’s 

“I’m Just Full Of Jazz,” and Irving Berlin’s 

“Cheek To Cheek!” as well as new 

songs arranged and created by Nate 

Jacobs, Lamont Brown and Louis 

Danows. Runs to May 25. 

Location: WBTT’s Donelly Theatre, 

1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota. Tickets: 

westcoastblacktheatre.org. 

Manatee Performing Arts Center 

has Kiss Me Kate running to May 

12. The battle of the sexes takes center 

stage as former spouses feud onstage 

and off during a musical presentation 

of The Taming of the Shrew. Kiss Me, 

Kate has a sparkling Cole Porter score 

and book from Sam and Bella Spewack. 

Box Office: 941-748-5878. Manatee 

Performing Arts Center, 502 Third 

Avenue W., Bradenton. www.manatee 

performingartscenter.com/ 

▼ 

At Venice Theatre: 

• May 3-19: Bank Job. Two brothers 

pull off a bank heist. But their escape 

plan through an executive washroom 

hits an unexpected snag when 

a young woman, a cop, and a hostage 

show up. What else could go wrong? 

The steal gets stopped in this comic 

romp that explodes in hilarious, 

high-energy shenanigans with a little 

romance thrown in. 

• May 12: The Brothers Doobie Concert. 

Inspired by the Brothers superior 

song writing, The Brothers Doobie 

delivers powerful harmonies and a 

fun-filled high-energy performance 

covering a catalog of Doobies hits 

spanning both the Johnston and 

McDonald eras. 

• May 13: Long Time Gone. The music 

of Crosby, Stills & Nash. The alchemy 

created by Long Time Gone is in the 

commitment to the special tunings, 

keys, and sounds of Crosby Stills & 

Nash’s iconic songs; perfectly complementing 

the bewitching vocals. 

It’s all the songs of peace and love 

that you remember, in a way you’ve 

never heard. 

• May 19: Herman’s Hermits Starring 

Peter Noone. Noone is a multi-talented 

entertainer who has been 

delighting audiences nearly all his 

life. At the age of 15, he achieved 

international fame as “Herman,” 

lead singer of the legendary ‘60s pop 

band Herman’s Hermits. Join us for a 

concert of his classic hits which ultimately 

sold over 60 million recordings 

including 14 gold singles. 

Info: venicetheatre.org/ 

▼ 

At Asolo Rep: 

• Twelve Angry Men: A New Musical 

runs May 11-June 9. Propelled by 

a jazz-infused score, one of America’s 

greatest dramas reaches new 

heights in this searing story of a lone 

juror who demands that our legal 

system lives up to our ideals. Feel 

the power and hope of America in 

this groundbreaking musical about 

our potential to work together to create 

a better world. 

Visit asolorep.org to learn more info. 

▼ 

Florida Studio Theatre has: 

• Troubadour which runs to May 19. 

▼ 

8 WEST COAST WOMAN MAY 2024 

continued on page 10

health news 

About Dr. Deborah Scandin 

AP, DOM, RRT 

Traditional Chinese Medicine 

Acupuncture Physician and Respiratory Therapist 

My mission is to help each 

person to achieve optimal 

health and reach their 

personal wellness goals. 

In my practice I uphold the highest 

standard of Traditional Chinese Medicine 

that has been handed down from 

thousands of years. 

It’s this Traditional Medicine that works! 

I have over 25 years combined 

medical experience in Acupuncture, 

Respiratory Therapy and Neuromuscular 

Massage. Join the thousands of others 

who have had amazing results using Traditional 

Chinese Medicine and regained 

their personal optimal health. 

I am proud to announce Dr. Luo invited 

me into her practice September, 2023 

at Dr. Lou’s Oriental Medicine, 3293 

Fruitville Road, Suite 104, Sarasota. 

My journey started in CT at Sacred 

Heart University, School of Respiratory 

Therapy. Upon graduation, I worked at 

Yale New Haven Hospital’s trauma center 

focusing on respiratory therapy, trauma 

and emergencies throughout the hospital. 

In 1994, my career took me to Sarasota 

where I studied massage therapy 

and completed advanced certifications 

in Neruomuscular therapy (NMT). This 

includes a certification in Gross Anatomy 

dissection, at University of South Florida. 

In 2004, I graduated with a Masters 

Degree from East West College of Natural 

Medicine with a residency with Dr. 

Luo. I then opened a private practice 

focusing on respiratory disorders, acute 

and chronic pain, gastrointestinal and 

general wellness. 

I am one of the few Acupuncturists in 

town who is also an expert in treating 

myofascial trigger points, muscular 

dysfunctions and injuries. The unique 

combination of acupuncture, NMT and 

injection has proven to decrease acute 

and chronic pain and inflammation 

anywhere in the body. 

One of my greatest passions is in 

helping others to live an optimal life, 

without pain and suffering. 

“It brings me true joy seeing my 

patients with more energy, mobility and 

overall wellbeing.” 

I have dedicated my life to helping 

others, naturally. I believes a person’s 

“recipe” for optimal health starts with 

knowing one’s own body. 

Testimonial: “I was first introduced to the 

concept of acupuncture by Dr. Deb years ago 

and was amazed at how great I felt after 

treatments. Dr. Deb is very knowledgeable 

in the human anatomy and specializes in 

targeting areas of pain or injury to bring 

about healing the natural way. She does 

an excellent job explaining the connections 

between your body’s energy and healing 

properties.” — Wendy 

Some of the common problems 

where acupuncture has been proven 

an effective treatment include: 

• Addictions 

• Allergies 

• Anxiety 

• Asthma 

• Carpal tunnel 

syndrome 

• Chronic fatigue 

• Colitis 

• Common cold 

• Constipation 

• Dental pain 

• Depression 

• Diarrhea 

• Digestive trouble 

• Dizziness 

• Dysentery 

• Emotional 

problems 

• Eye problems 

• Facial palsy/tics 

• Fatigue 

• Fertility 

• Fibromyalgia 

• Gingivitis 

• Headache 

• Hiccups 

• Incontinence 

• Indigestion 

Irritable bowel 

syndrome 

• Low back pain 

• Menopause 

• Menstrual 

irregularities 

• Migraine 

• Morning sickness 

• Nausea 

• Osteoarthritis 

• Pain 

• PMS 

• Pneumonia 

• Reproductive 

problems 

• Rhinitis 

• Sciatica 

• Seasonal affective 

disorder 

• Shoulder pain 

• Smoking cessation 

• Sore throat 

• Stress 

• Tennis elbow 

• Tonsillitis 

• Trigeminal 

neuralgia 

• Urinary tract 

infections 

• Vomiting 

Dr. Deborah Scandin 

AP, DOM, RRT, NMT 

Dr. Deborah Scandin 

AP, DOM, RRT, NMT 

Dr. Scandin is a Doctor of Oriental 

Medicine and a Florida-licensed 

Acupuncturist providing Acupuncture and 

Integrative Medicine in Sarasota 

Now Located at Dr Luo’s Oriental 

Medicine, 3293 Fruitville Road, 

Suites 103 & 104, Sarasota, FL 34237 

Phone: (941) 955-8882 

www.drluoacupuncture.com 

www.acuscandin.com 

PAID ADVERTORIAL 


out and about continued 

It’s 1951 in Nashville. Country music 

legend Billy Mason is on the eve of his 

retirement. Can his soft-spoken son, 

Joe, step into the spotlight and carry on 

his legacy? When Joe joins forces with 

an unlikely pair—a budding songwriter 

and a rodeo tailor on a mission—a 

revolution is born, and country music 

is changed forever. Featuring music by 

Sugarland’s Kristian Bush. 

• Cabaret has The Flip Side through 

June 16. Sardonic, ironic, and even 

histrionic, these tunes are full of 

moronic characters and sophisticated 

lyrics that reveal the present state of 

our world—the good, the bad, and the 

funny. With songs like “I’m My Own 

Grandpa,” “The Ballad of Sigmund 

Freud,” “Still Gonna Die,” “Killed by a 

Coconut,” and others, this offbeat Cabaret 

pays tribute to some of the best 

comic songwriters of the 20th Century. 

Runs to June 16. 

Location: 1241 North Palm Ave., 

Sarasota. Tickets: www.floridastudiotheatre.org. 

At Urbanite Theatre: 

• OAK runs May 31-June 30. At The 

Wake Of A Dead Drag Queen playwright 

Terry Guest returns to Urbanite 

with the new Southern Gothic horror, 

OAK. This gripping tale transports 

audiences to Odella Creek, a town 

whose citizens are isolated by fear 

and riddled with temptation. Step 

into the darkness and experience the 

terror firsthand in the world premiere 

of OAK. For information, visit www. 

urbanitetheatre.com 

▼ 

The Sarasota Jewish Theatre has: 

• Mark Harelik’s “The Immigrant” 

running May 1-12. Directed by Gus 

Kaikkonen, it’s the true story of a life 

fulfilled in the “Golden Land.” In rural 

central Texas, 1909, a young Russian-Jewish 

immigrant has sought refuge 

in the land of the free. He arrives in 

America through the port of Galveston 

and discovers a world of unknowns. 

The first miracle he encounters is a 

banana. He goes door to door selling 

this fruit, and eventually manages to 

buy a cart. Life changes when he pulls 

his banana cart into the village of 

Hamilton. Able to speak only Yiddish, 

alone amid a staunchly Christian 

community, he begs for shelter. Miracles 

continue to unfold over the next 

30 year as religion meets religion, 

culture meets culture, and humanity 

triumphs over fear. 

The plays are presented at The 

Players Centre Studio 1130 at the 

Crossings at Siesta Key mall, 3501 

S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. To purchase 

tickets, visit ThePlayers.org. 

For information, visit SarasotaJewishTheatre.org. 

▼ 

Musica Sacra 

On May 17 at 7 pm they have 

American Spirit which celebrates 

American creativity, resilience, 

and vision with works by Howard 

Hanson, Aaron Copland, African 

American spirituals, and settings of 

poetry by Walt Whitman, Langston 

Hughes and others. Features pianist 

Glenn Priest and orchestra in 

Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. 

Location: First Presbyterian 

Church, 2050 Oak Street. Tickets: 

MusicaSacraSarasota.org. 

▼ 

At The Galleries 

▼ 

Creative Liberties’ “True Colors: 

Celebrating Pride” has works 

in a color scheme that represents 

one of colors on the LGBTQ+ progressive 

flag. The artworks will be 

displayed throughout the exhibition 

space grouped together by color May 

30-June 29; opening reception is 

May 30. 

Creative Liberties Artist Studios 

and Gallery continues its season’s 

offerings with Featured Artists: 

Works on Display at 901B Apricot 

Avenue will be on view through 

June 29; the exhibit at 927 N. Lime 

Avenue will be on view through 

May 24. 

For information about Creative 

Liberties, visit www.creativeliberties.net. 

The Limelight studios are 

open to the public, Thursday-Saturday, 

10 a.m.-3 p.m. The Rosemary 

artists residency at Gaze Gallery is 

open Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.; 

Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. 

All Angels Church has an exhibition 

of Byzantine Style Icons by 

Christine Simoneau Hales from 

through June 28. 

Since the beginning of Christianity, 

icons have been revered as aids to 

prayer and contemplation. They are 

visual reminders of the Saints and 

Gospel stories that have inspired all 

Christians throughout the ages. 

Hales has studied for many years 

and now teaches and produces 

icons for churches and private collectors. 

Hales is sought after for her 

modern, yet traditional icons for 

churches all over the world. She has 

won several grants and awards for 

her painting and is now a local Sarasota 

iconographer. 

She will share her own collection 

of icons she has crafted in the 

ancient Byzantine Tradition using 

egg tempera paints and gold leaf 

gilding on wood panels. Gallery 

hours: Mon-Thurs. 9-1, and Sundays 

11:30-12:30 (June- no Sunday 

hours). Info: 518-965-4833. 

▼ 

Art CenterManatee has Dreamscapes, 

an All Media Open Juried 

Show, runs through May 31 in all 

galleries.Artists will present artwork 

that reflects their deepest desires, 

aspirations, fears, and emotions, 

allowing artists to push their boundaries 

and explore new dimensions 

of their creativity. 

They’re at 209 9th St W, Bradenton. 

Info: ArtCenterManatee.org 

▼ 

Island Gallery and Studios’ has 

photographer David Tejada, running 

May 1-31. Tejada is a commercial 

photographer, having spent 40 

years specializing in corporate and 

advertising photography in Colorado. 

In Bradenton he continues to 

shoot local assignments and pursue 

his fine art work as well. 

Meet the Artist in the Gallery on 

May 22, between 10 am and 5 pm 

and discuss his take on the power of 

observation and the celebration of 

the fleeting moments captured on 

camera. 

Saturday Demos are back and held 

each week in our Gallery, from 10:30 

am to 12:30 pm. Stop by the Gallery 

to enjoy one of their various demonstrations 

by member artists. 

For information, visit www.islandgalleryandstudios.org. 

Island Gallery 

and Studios, 456 Old Main Street, 

Bradenton. 

▼ 

Art Center 

Sarasota 

Cycle 5: To May 11 

• North County Sarasota Public 

Schools, Spring Art Show. The North 

County Sarasota Schools Spring Art 

Show highlights over 1500 pieces of 

artwork from the county’s youngest 

artists in grades K-12, representing the 

best of their creations from the past 

school year. 

▼ 

• Cycle 6: May 23-July 27 

• Annual Juried Regional Show: 

“Beyond Comfort.” This is Art Center 

Sarasota’s largest juried show of 

the year and encompasses all four 

gallery spaces. The juror is Virginia 

Shearer, executive director, Sarasota 

Art Museum of Ringling College of Art 

and Design. This year’s show, “Beyond 

Comfort,” invites artists to express their 

perception of beauty and/or the grotesque 

in contemporary art and society. 

Art Center Sarasota, 707 N. Tamiami Tr., 

Sarasota. Info: www.artsarasota.org 

Selby Gardens has Clyde Butcher: 

Nature Through the Lens at the 

Historic Spanish Point campus on 

view to August 31, 2024. Featuring 

extraordinary, large-format wildlife 

prints by this well-known landscape 

photographer and conservationist, 

Clyde Butcher: Nature Through 

the Lens gives viewers the chance to 

engage with Clyde Butcher’s artwork 

against the backdrop of our Historic 

Spanish Point campus. selby.org 

▼ 

At Ringling College galleries: 

• Ringling College Galleries has Jack 

Dowd: Last Call. Immerse yourself 

in an installation featuring a 22-foot 

mahogany bar adorned with 13 lifesize 

characters. Delve into the evocative 

world of Dowd’s “27 Club” series 

through 13 large pastel drawings, 

alongside a collection of sculptures 

and paintings that illuminate the 

▼ 

Upcoming performances include 

The Ringling’s Art of 

Performance 

Series’ 

Parisian 

Refraction 

on May 9-10, 

led by 

Samantha 

Bennet 

and George 

Nickson. 

career of 

Jack Dowd. 

The 

installation 

emerged 

over two 

years 

and was 

finalized 

in early 

2001. The 

sculpture 

debuted at 

the John 

and Mable 

Ringling 

Museum 

of Art in a 

two-month 

exhibition 

later that 

year. 

The 

mahogany 

bar, meticulously 

designed 

and built 

by Jack 

Dowd and 

his assistant, 

his 

son Jon 

Dowd, 

comprises 

26 pieces 

and 

incorporates 

cutting-edge 

lighting and sound systems. 

The creation of 13 life-size characters 

and the construction of the 22x10x14- 

foot bar stand as a labor of love and a 

pinnacle achievement in Dowd’s illustrious 

fifty-plus-year career as an artist. 

On view from June 6-August 16. 

In-person viewings are free and open 

to the public. 

Opening reception is on June 7, 

5-7pm, free and open to the public. 

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 12-6pm. For 

more information, 941-359-7563. 

Arts Advocates 

Arts Advocates programs and events: 

• Arts Advocates member artists 

exhibit monthly in the Arts Advocates 

Gallery, located in the Crossings 

at Siesta Key mall, 3501 S. Tamiami 

Trail in Sarasota. Up next is Michael 

Cohen’s “What Light Does When 

Nobody’s Looking” on exhibit from 

May 4-25, Saturdays only from 2:00 

to 4:00 p.m. 

Cohen’s work attempts to capture 

fleeting scenes; he sees himself as a 

collector as much as a creator of these 

images. The subjects are not typically 

a person or object, but rather the light 

itself, its reflection or, in the case of 

deep shadows, the absence of light. 

Admission is free. 

• On May 7, from 4-6 p.m. in the Arts 

Advocates Gallery, Arts Advocates 

member Nanette Crist presents the art 

talk, “Reimagining Famous Works 

of Art.” This presentation focuses on 

artists who have created alternative 

versions of iconic paintings depicting 

American history, including “Washington 

Crossing the Delaware” by 

Emanuel Leutze. These artists’ revised 

narratives reflect the different lenses 

through which they view our past and 

their hopes for our future. 

• Arts Advocates has its annual 

scholarship awards luncheon on 

May 16. Scholarship winners will be 

introduced, and some will perform. 

▼ 

Since 1969, the scholarship program 

has awarded over $1.1 million to local 

students whose studies include visual 

and related arts, dance, writing, 

music, theater, and architecture. The 

luncheon’s guest speaker is Sara Curtis 

Robinson, vice president for advancement 

of Ringling College. Held at the 

Sarasota Yacht Club, 1100 John Ringling 

Blvd., Sarasota. Begins at 11 a.m. 

• The “Behind the Curtain: Exploring 

the Van Wezel from the Art to the 

Stage” tour is on May 20, 1:30-3 p.m. 

The art in the Van Wezel, 777 N. Tamiami 

Trail in Sarasota, was created by 

noted Florida artists and is on loan 

from Arts Advocates. 

A docent leads a tour of the paintings 

and sculptures including those 

by Robert Chase, William Hartman, 

Eugene White, Ben Stahl, Thornton 

Utz, Frank Colson, Dean Mitchell, and 

others. Participants then step onto the 

stage where a Van Wezel guide shares 

stories and anecdotes about the colorful 

world of show business. Tickets 

can be purchased at the Van Wezel box 

office or by calling (941) 263-6799. 

• The Arts Advocates’ collection of 

Sarasota Art Colony and Florida 

Highwaymen works is on permanent 

display in the Arts Advocates Gallery. 

The gallery is open every Saturday 

from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m.; admission is 

free and written information is available 

for self-guided tours.. 

To learn more about or become a 

member of Arts Advocates, or to register, 

visit ArtsAdvocates.org. 

Sarasota Art 

Museum 

The Truth of the Night Sky runs 

to September 29. Multimedia artist 

Anne Patterson and composer Patrick 

Harlin collaborated to create an 

immersive installation. Patterson, a 

synesthete who sees color and shape 

when hearing music, and Harlin 

expand on his composition, Earthrise. 

The orchestral piece was inspired by 

the eponymous photograph taken 

from Apollo 8 in 1968—an iconic 

image that sparked a movement to 

care for the environment. 

• Molly Hatch: Amalgam runs to 

April 26, 2026. Hatch’s newly commissioned 

“plate painting,” Amalgam 

(2023), was created specifically 

for Sarasota Art Museum. Consisting 

of more than 450 earthenware plates 

hand-painted in white, blue, and gold 

luster, the abstract lines and shapes 

in Amalgam are drawn from a variety 

of historical ceramics from around 

the globe. Visit www.sarasotaartmuseum.org 

• Art at Noon meets in the Wendy G. 

Surkis & Peppi Elona on third Tuesdays 

at noon. Come enjoy discussions 

with specialists and artists covering a 

variety topics related to Sarasota Art 

Museum’s exhibitions, architecture, 

and areas of interest. On May 21 the 

speaker will be Jeff Schwartz, Dean of 

Undergraduate Studies/Associate Vice 

President of Academic Affairs at Ringling 

College of Art and Design. 

• Their Conversation series: What in 

the (art) World? meets in the Wendy 

G. Surkis & Peppi Elona Lobby 

Be part of an engaging series held 

every first Tuesday of the month, 

delving into both the surface ripples 

and the profound depths of the contemporary 

art world with art appraiser 

and advisor, Elana Rubenfeld on 

May 7 at 11 a.m. 

▼ 


focus on the arts 

Venice Symphony 

wants you to 

‘Find Your Seat. 

Find Yourself’ 

in latest campaign promoting 

the 2024-25 concert season 

The Venice 

Symphony is 

encouraging 

patrons to 

‘Find Your 

Seat. Find Yourself’ with 

their latest creative 

campaign to promote 

the 2024-25 concert season. 

Coming off the heels 

of a successful 50th Anniversary 

season, The Symphony 

is issuing a new era 

of music by adding more 

non-traditional concerts, special guest 

performances, and an ongoing commitment 

to the community. 

TheVeniceSymphony.org now offers 

patrons an easier user experience to 

learn about upcoming shows, purchase 

tickets, and attend free pre-concert talks. 

There will also be a media hub to access 

concert videos of past performances by 

Music Director Troy Quinn and symphony 

musicians. In addition, there will be opportunities 

to get involved with TVS Friends, 

Chair Society, and the Host program. 

About The 2024-25 Season: 

For the first time, The Venice Symphony 

will begin its season in October, with Music 

Director Troy Quinn and the orchestra 

performing A Symphonic Spooktacular, 

growing the season to eight concert 

weekends. Joining the packed concert line 

up, The Symphony will be adding a fourth 

Home for the Holidays concert, giving audiences 

more opportunity to experience the 

typically sold-out December performances. 

The Venice Symphony is also adding 

more non-traditional concerts. The Rat 

Pack is Back will feature The Venice 

Symphony Jazz Orchestra with Michael 

Andrew, former headliner and bandleader 

of the legendary Rainbow Room in New 

York City. The concert will transport you to 

a time and place when crooners like Frank 

Sinatra and Dean Martin dominated the 

world of music and pop culture. 

Season subscriptions are currently onsale 

through the box office, and individual 

tickets go on sale August 2024. 

Here are events that are 

coming up: 

• Patriotic Pops Concert May 5 

Music director Troy Quinn will lead The 

Venice Symphony in a concert of great 

American music, including a salute to the 

Armed Forces, The Liberty Voices, a world 

famous eight-part cappella group will perform 

Americana, folk and patriotic songs 

with the Venice Symphony. 

For tickets to The Venice Symphony Patriotic 

Pops Concert and Fireworks Display 

at CoolToday Park visit Ticketmaster. 

Location: CoolToday Park, 18800 South 

West Villages Parkway, Venice. 

• A Symphonic Spooktacular 

October 11-12 

Gather witches, wizards, and ghosts for the 

newest addition to the concert season, a 

‘not-so-scary’ Spooktacular featuring a harmonious 

collaboration of symphonic sounds 

and storytelling. Become entranced by Bernard 

Herrmann’s Psycho: A Short Suite for 

String Orchestra and travel to otherworldly 

dimensions with music from The Sorcerer’s 

Apprentice and other mystical medleys. Individual 


Location: Venice Performing Arts Center, 1 

Indian Ave building 5, Venice. 

• Instrumental Influencers 

November 15-16 

Meet the original classical #influencers. 

From Beethoven to Vivaldi, Hadyn, and 

Brahms, at this concert you’ll discover 

their common connection! Celebrate the 

legacy of classical music and composition 

with timeless works from the masters. Individual 


About The Venice Symphony: 

Founded in 1974, The Venice Symphony is 

professional orchestra that offers a variety 

of concerts from November through May 

as well as special events and music education 

programs for all ages throughout the 

year. The orchestra is led by Music Director/Conductor 

Troy Quinn. Learn more at 

TheVeniceSymphony.org. 

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healthier you 

National Walking Month is in May 

Bayfront Park 

where indigenous people dwelt and 

fished from 3,000 years ago until 

about 650 years ago. It’s got a few 

short trails, a small beach and a 

boat lunch – but the main draw 

is the historical significance. 

210 Winson Ave., Englewood. 

Jelks Preserve 

A true must-see park in Sarasota 

County for outdoor lovers and one 

of the biggest state parks in Florida, 

Myakka River State Park has trails 

through pristine wilderness, river and 

lake paddling, an elevated walkway 

through towering canopies, camping 

and much more. The 57 square miles 

it covers teem with wildlife and other 

natural wonders. 

13208 State Road 72, Sarasota 

N 

ational Walking Month is 

in May. Did you know that 

walking a minimum of 20 

minutes every day can reduce 

the number of diseases, 

including heart diseases and high 

blood pressure? 

The American Health Association 

was the first to introduce National 

Walking Day in 2007 to promote a 

healthy lifestyle. The Association encourages 

people to walk for at least 

half an hour. You don’t have to go far 

to find a trail or simply a nice place to 

walk. Here are a few. 

The Bay Sarasota 

On the north end of downtown Sarasota, 

The Bay is quickly becoming a 

signature Sarasota experience. Gaze 

out over Sarasota Bay as you stroll or 

bike along the trails – especially the 

tranquil Mangrove Bayou Walkway 

and the Fountain Garden. Here, you’re 

just steps from Sarasota Garden Club, 

Art Center Sarasota, Municipal Auditorium 

and Van Wezel. In addition to 

a beautiful trail and views of the water, 

you can launch your kayak here or 

take a fitness class. 

Located along Tamiami Trail between 

Boulevard of the Arts and 10th Street. 

Located on the Sarasota downtown 

waterfront, this green space boasts of 

sweeping water and downtown vistas, 

along with fountains and public 

art like murals and sculptures. Find 

paved trails that wind among Bayfront 

Park’s palm trees with plenty of 

benches where you can sit and watch 

the sailboats sway – and plenty to see, 

do and eat just steps away. Not to be 

confused with the Bay Sarasota, this 

area is south of The Bay and includes 

the marina, tour boats, etc. but still a 

beautiful view of the water and tress 

to escape from the sun if it’s a hot day. 

5 Bayfront Dr., Sarasota 

Celery Fields 

With seven miles of trails, over 300 

acres of green space and plenty 

of bird-watching to be done, 

Celery Fields is an off-the-beaten-path 

park that offers visitors 

something rare for Florida: a 

hill. Sure, it’s only 75 feet tall, but 

from atop it, you can sit on one 

of the benches and observe the 

more than 200 bird species that 

frequent the park. 

6800 Palmer Blvd., Sarasota 

Indian Mound Park 

Delve into Florida’s distant past at this 

park, also known as Paulsen Point, 

If you really want to hit the trails, Jelks 

Preserve in Venice offers eight miles’ 

worth – some with close-up views of 

the Myakka River as well as osprey 

and other wildlife – amid hammocks, 

pine flatwoods and other native habitats. 

There aren’t a ton of amenities 

here, so be sure to bring enough water. 

Trails are marked for easy navigation 

and there are picnic tables if you 

brought a lunch. 

2300 State Rte. 777, Venice 

Legacy Trail 

Runners and cyclists love this paved 

trail extending from Sarasota to Venice. 

Occupying part of what was formerly 

the Seminole Gulf Railway 

corridor, Legacy Trail runs from the 

Historic Venice Train Depot north to 

Sawyer Loop Road in Palmer Ranch. 

Along the way, it passes through Oscar 

Scherer State Park and bypasses 

major roadways like U.S. 41. 

Central Sarasota Parkway 

Myakka River State Park 

Oscar Scherer State Park 

Full of rare habitat for species 

like the imperiled Florida scrubjay, 

Oscar Scherer State Park is 

an urban oasis. Some 15 miles of 

trails offer hours of natural bliss. 

Within the park’s bounds, Lake 

Osprey invites fishermen and 

swimmers alike. 

1843 S. Tamiami Trail, Osprey 

Red Bug Slough Preserve 

This Sarasota County Park is a patch of 

green nestled in suburban Sarasota. 

It’s got plenty of trails, picnic spots, a 

fishing pier and hours’ worth of wildlife-spotting. 

Most of the hiking and 

biking trails in Red Bug Slough are 

unpaved but well-maintained. 

5200 Beneva Rd., Sarasota 

Rothenbach Park 

Walk, run or jog along the five miles of 

paved trails that wind throughout 

Rothenbach Park. Parts of 

the trails here are shaded by 

beautiful overhanging trees. 

There’s also playground equipment, 

a pavilion with picnic tables 

and more. 

8650 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota 

School Avenue Multi-Use 

Recreation Trail 

Part of a citywide mixed-use 

recreational trail, this linear park 

winds from Siesta Drive to Webber 

Street. 

2193 Siesta Drv., Sarasota 

More info on parks in Sarasota County 

at: scgov.net/parks 

SOURCE: Visit Sarasota 

5 Facts About Walking 

• It’s the most popular exercise in the U.S. 

• It helps in losing weight. Walking just 

10,000 steps a day helps in losing 

weight and a minimum of 6,000 

steps a day helps to improve 

health. 

• Walking makes you feel better. 

Walking increases blood flow 

to the brain, which in turn improves 

mood. 

• An average person walks 65,000 

miles in their lifetime, which is 

equivalent to walking three times 

around Earth. 

• It requires about 200 muscles to 

walk. 


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healthier you 

FATIGUE 

It’s Rampant - Everywhere 

Sight and Eye Problems 

Asthma, Bronchitis, COPD, Shallow Breathing 

Digestive and Constipation Issues 

Leaky gut and Autoimmune problems 

Chronic Fatigue, Fibromyalgia and Depression 

Concussions, Brain and Spinal Cord Health 

Mobility and Energy Issues for Seniors 

T. Grywinski specializes in difficult issues with great success 

How Craniosacral Therapy Can Be Life Changing 

“Doctors, physical therapists, massage therapists and chiros 

gave me little relief. Terry relieved my pain, after all these years! 

He has also helped four of my other friends. The man is an angel, 

with a gift from God....thank you Terry!!” 

“After 3 sessions, I had more range of motion and mobility in my 

neck, shoulders and hips. I was getting to the point where walking 

and moving was difficult. It feels like a weight has been lifted off my 

shoulders, my voice is stronger and my energy is greatly increased. 

I feel much calmer and more grounded!!” 

“I no longer feel physically sick each morning. No gastroenterologist 

or physician has ever properly diagnosed my mucus build up until 

now. As well as bringing about healing in my gut, he released an 

incredible amount of tension in my upper body.” 

“The question is where has he been all my life? Terry is a true healer 

and if you are serious about being well, you are in luck. 

He is effective and lovely.” 

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Downtown Sarasota • 941-321-8757 

Google “Advanced Craniosacral Therapy Sarasota” for more info 

Fatigue as a presenting symptom 

with my patients is on 

the rise. We have seen more and 

more adults and adolescents with 

complaints of exhaustion and fatigue 

not relieved by sleep. This can lead to 

further issues such as: the inability to 

perform otherwise routine tasks, exercise 

intolerance, and a lowered immune system, 

causing an increase in flus, colds, 

and viral episodes such as herpes and 

EBV. Fatigue has always been a regular 

complaint since beginning my practice, 

over 52 years ago, but why on the rise? 

To better understand it, let’s look 

at the usual causes of fatigue: 

1. Hormones: Deficiencies in hormones 

such as Thyroid, Progesterone, 

Testosterone (in women as well 

as men), Cortisol, etc. contribute 

to fatigue in a large manner as we 

grow older. Progesterone deficiency 

can interfere with a good night’s 

sleep. Undue or continuous stress 

can cause ‘’ cortisol levels to plummet 

leaving a person feeling “burnt 

out” with no reserve. Testosterone 

in both males and females produces 

‘energy in your tank’, as well as 

increased libido. Thyroid is the ‘battery’ 

of the body. Without it, your 

body can grow cold and weak. 

2. Mitochondria: Mitochondria are the 

powerhouses of the cell that produce 

ATP, which is a form of chemical 

energy (the ‘ever-ready’ batteries 

of life). When these little ‘batteries’ 

get sick, the body runs out of energy 

and cannot efficiently perform their 

metabolic functions. Recent decades 

have seen a rapid increase in 

reported toxic effects of drugs and 

pollutants on mitochondria. 

3. Sleep: Without adequate, restful 

sleep, your body will ‘run out of 

steam’, you will not be able to think 

straight. Coping with life then becomes 

a difficult task and your immune 

system can easily falter. Lack 

of restful sleep even contributes to 

heart disease and to neurological 

diseases, like Alzheimer’s. 

4. Exercise: Research shows that lack 

of proper exercise sends the message 

to your body that you are no longer 

useful. On the other hand, adequate 

exercise sends a message to your 

muscles, bones, brain, immune system, 

and heart that you are healthy 

and willing and able to contribute. 

Although it can be tiring to start a 

new exercise routine, after about 2-3 

weeks most people start to see a shift 

in their fatigue symptoms. Start 

with a routine that’s manageable 

and attainable and then build up 

from there. 

5. Toxins: Toxins take on many forms 

and are ubiquitous in our modern 

environment. There are increasing 

amounts of household chemicals, 

heavy metals, plastics, VOCs, agricultural 

chemicals in our food and 

in our water, as well as biological 

toxicants, such as mold and bacteria. 

Now, for the good news! 

At The Renewal Point, we’ve been 

studying fatigue and helping patients get 

to the root cause of their symptoms for 

decades. By listening to our patients and 

carefully reviewing test results, we can 

get an accurate picture of what’s going 

on and move forward with a personalized 

plan of care. If you are dealing with 

symptoms of fatigue and exhaustion, we 

are here to help! To learn more or schedule 

a consultation, you can give us a call 

at 941-926-4905. 

————————————————— 

SOURCE: Dr. Watts, 

MD, ND, MSNM and 

Deb Spinner, ARNP, 

MSN, are experts in 

Integrative Medicine. 

With over 25 years 

experience in Hormone 

Balancing, a 

Post-doctoral Certification 

in Metabolic 

Endocrinology, and a 

Fellowship in Anti-Aging, 

Regenerative, and 

Dr. Dan Watts 

MD, ND, MSMN 

The Renewal Point 

FOUNDER/DIRECTOR 

Functional Medicine, Dr. Watts has put 

together programs that have helped 

thousands of patients renew their love 

and vigor for life. 

4905 Clark Road, Sarasota 

Phone: 941-926-4905 

www.TheRenewalPoint.com 

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Executive Director of Embracing Our Differences 

She’s the Executive 

Director of Embracing 

Our Differences 

(EOD). Now in its 21st 

year, many know EOD for its 

exhibit every on the Sarasota 

Bayfront. Lesser known are 

their year-round educational 

programs that have made an 

impact on more than 587,000 

students since they were 

launched in 2004. 


The colorful artworks with 

their insightful, often 

touching quotes, have come 

down. The Sarasota Bayfront 

was the exhibit’s al fresco 

“gallery” as it has been for 20 

years now, displaying 50 billboard-sized 

works of art and accompanying 

quotes by artists and writers from around 

the world. 

What surprised me about the Embracing 

Our Differences (EOD) exhibit and the work 

that Sarah, EOD’s executive director and her 

team do, is that the annual exhibit was not 

about how 16,604 entries from 125 countries 

and 44 states are whittled down to 50 by a 

team of dedicated volunteers—even though 

that in itself is an amazing feat. 

Nor is it that thousands visit the exhibit 

every year. Nor how the exhibit was recently 

on view in St. Petersburg. What surprised 

me most was how the exhibit itself is just 

a small part of what they do at Embracing 


While EOD is best known for its annual 

exhibition, its educational initiatives 

continue all year long. Their big emphasis 

is working with area schools facilitating 

activities and programs like professional 

development opportunities for educators, 

offering reading days, unity days, and other 

learning programs and events. 

“We’re an educational organization that 

does an exhibit,” Sarah explains. “We work 

year round in schools and that’s where the 

energy and resources are spent.” 

Indeed, EOD has experienced tremendous 

growth in many ways in both submissions 

of the artwork and in the number 

of people viewing them, but also in their 

programming. 

Those educational programs have made 

an impact on more than 587,000 students 

since they were launched in 2004. As well, 

58,122 students and 1,981 teachers participated 

in the 2022-2023 school year alone. 

In addition to exhibit field trips, reading 

days, and service learning clubs, Embracing 

Our Differences initiatives include workshops 

by nationally recognized educators 

and lesson plans connected to art appreciation 

and character building. 

All lesson plans are created under the 

supervision of Sarasota County Schools and 

School District of Manatee County curriculum 

teams and fully incorporate Florida State 

Standards and Florida B.E.S.T. Standards. 

Teachers who participate in their education 

programs overwhelmingly rate them as 

meaningful and relevant educational experiences 

for their students. Of teachers surveyed 

during the 2022-2023 school year, the 

average rating for overall program experience 

was 4.75 / 5 stars (SOURCE: EOD website) 

Their EOD Reading Day impacts over 

9,600 students across 528 classrooms. 9,641 

students from 80 elementary schools and 

early learning centers in Manatee and Sarasota 

counties celebrated reading, kindness, 

and inclusion through books written and illustrated 

by diverse authors and illustrators. 

It’s worth noting how EOD started. In 

2003, the Florida Holocaust Museum in 

St. Petersburg partnered with the Museum 

on the Seam in Jerusalem, Israel, to 

present “Coexistence,” an exhibit of 35 billboard-sized 

works of art and accompanying 

words of inspiration that promoted the concept 

of “coexistence.” 

In 2004, Sarasota arts advocates Dottie 

and Bob Garner, Helen and Roy McBean, and 

Graci and Dennis McGillicuddy co-chaired 

the first “Coexistence” exhibit in Sarasota. 

Embracing Our Differences was formed as its 

own nonprofit organization in 2004. 

It was a smash hit from the beginning. 

The first Embracing EOD exhibit featuring 

art submitted by 124 regional artists with 

100,000 community members and 2,000 

students visited the exhibit. 

Sarah has guided EOD for the past ten 

years, first as associate director before becoming 

executive director in 2018. Prior to 

that she was director of development at The 

Jewish Federation of Sarasota-Manatee and 

development coordinator at Children First. 

She also serves on the board of directors of 

the Association of Fundraising Professionals, 

SW Florida, on the advisory board of the 

Boxser Diversity Initiative, and as Endowment 

Chair for the Junior League of Sarasota. 

Sarah says it was EOD’s mission that drew 

her. She saw the organization as sustainable 

especially with its strong board, she explains. 

Sarah was born and raised in Sarasota 

and attended Sarasota High School 

while her mother graduated Pine View and 

her dad graduated Riverview High School. 

Sarah keeps it all running, from overseeing 

the exhibits and programming to 

fundraising and building public awareness 

and is part of a team of five including 

Christina Fraser, Director of Operations, 

Jewell-Plocher, Learning & Engagement 

Director, Elizabeth Chicoine, Development 

Coordinator and Philip James, Engagement 

Coordinator. Some 500 volunteers help 

throughout the year. 

As a measure of EOD’s continued growth 

and reach, the exhibit was displayed in St. 

Petersburg through March 31 at Poynter 

Park — the same place where the original 

Coexistence exhibit took place 21 years ago. 

“We’re thrilled to come full circle,” says 

Wertheimer. “Exhibiting in St. Pete has 

been on our wish list for the last few years 

and to see it come to fruition is a dream 

come true,” according to the EOD website. 

The job has its stresses, for sure, with 

some people missing the point about inclusion 

and diversity and instead seeing it as, 

well, not what they align with and leave it at 

that. “It’s disheartening, but we have found 

a way to do what we do. That’s what gives us 

hope,” she explains adding, “The teachers 

and students get more upset than we do,” 

when there’s blowback. 

Sarah sees the exhibit in particular as an 

asset to Sarasota and beyond that gives visitors 

a positive impression of our community 

— a place where people would say, “Wow, 

this is clearly a place I want to be,” she feels. 

So the artwork is gone—donated to area 

nonprofits like Girls Inc. and the Boys and 

Girls Club — and submissions are being 

accepted for 2025 (due by July 1, 2024). The 

criteria is flexible: “Artists, professionals, 

amateurs, students – everyone can participate. 

National and international submissions 

are encouraged. There is no submission 

or entry fee and there is no limit on the 

number of submission.” 

For Embracing Our Differences, success 

for this nonprofit is not seen in dollars or 

tickets sales. Instead it means numbers of 

another sort: more than 4.3 million visitors 

since its inception in 2004 while helping to 

create a culture of kindness, respect and 

belonging. 

For more information, visit 

www.embracingourdifferences.org. 

STORYand IMAGES: Louise Bruderle 

For a more in depth look at Embracing Our 

Differences does and a bit of its history, see 

the feature also in this issue. 

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What’s Going on at WBTT? 

Marvin Gaye 

They close their season with their 

most-requested original musical, 

“Marvin Gaye: Prince of Soul.” 

Sheldon Rhoden reprises his role 

as Marvin Gaye in WBTT’s fourth 

presentation of ‘Marvin Gaye: 

Prince of Soul.’ 

Photo by Sorcha Augustine 

Helping Children Diagnosed With Epilepsy 

Jai Shanae 

as Tammi 

Terrell and 

Sheldon 

Rhoden 

as Marvin 

Gaye in 

Westcoast 

Black 

Theatre 

Troupe’s 

production 

of ‘Marvin 

Gaye: 

Prince of 

Soul’ 

Photo by Vutti 

Photography 

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Gaye: Prince of 

Soul’ features WBTT 

fan favorite Sheldon 

Rhoden, who takes 

‘Marvin 

a fourth turn in the 

show’s lead role or its 24th season, 

titled “Simply the Best!” Westcoast 

Black Theatre Troupe couldn’t think of a 

better way to close the season than with its 

most-requested original musical, “Marvin 

Gaye: Prince of Soul.” Sheldon Rhoden will 

reprise the title role for the fourth time; 

previous productions took place in 2011, 

2014 and 2018. 

The show – which was written, adapted 

and is being directed by WBTT Founder/Artistic 

Director Nate Jacobs – runs through 

May 26. Evening performances take place 

Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. 

and Saturdays and Sundays at 2 p.m. in The 

Donelly Theatre of Westcoast Black Theatre 

(1012 N. Orange Ave., Sarasota). 

A gifted, innovative, and enduring talent, 

Gaye blazed the trail for the continued 

evolution of popular Black music, from 

powerful R&B and sophisticated soul to 

an intensely political and personal form of 

artistic self-expression. This show covers 

the singing career of Marvin Gaye from the 

1950s through his shocking death at the 

hands of his father in the mid-1980s. 

The story is set in Detroit, the birthplace 

of Motown music. Audience members will 

appreciate the depth of Gaye’s musical 

talent and learn about his personal backstory. 

Some of the hits audiences can look 

forward to hearing are “Ain’t No Mountain 

High Enough,” “How Sweet It Is,” “Pride 

and Joy,” “What’s Going On,” “I Heard It 

Through the Grapevine,” “Sexual Healing,” 

and “Let’s Get It On,” among many others. 

Jacobs also wrote two songs that are featured 

in the show. 

The earliest version of this production 

was presented as “Marvin Gaye: The Man 

and His Music” in 2011. It was Rhoden’s 

first starring role in a professional production 

and it played to sold-out audiences. 

Patrons clamored for a return and got it 

with the 2014 run, which showcased a 

much more seasoned and confident Rhoden; 

the show was featured again in 2018. 

“Sheldon never fails to do an incredible 

job in this role – the combination of his 

charisma and talent and Marvin Gaye’s 

music have made this show our most-requested, 

with highly successful runs,” said 

Jacobs. “This time around, we will feature 

a couple of new songs, new and exciting 

cast members, new costumes and set design, 

and fresh staging – return patrons will 

enjoy a more vibrant and polished show 

than previous productions. Some nights are 

already sold out – we encourage community 

members to reserve their seats now, 

before it’s too late!” 

While several new artists will join WBTT 

for the show, audiences will see lots of 

favorites – some of whom appeared in 

the 2018 production – including: Ariel 

Blue, Brian L. Boyd, Jada Carson, Jazzmin 

Carson, Michael Kinsey, LaKesha Lorene, 

Delores McKenzie, Jonathan Isaac, Michael 

Mendez, Raleigh Mosely II, Amber Myers, 

Avery Lamar Pope, Jai Shanae, Terry 

Spann, and Emerald Rose Sullivan. 

Music director is Matthew McKinnon, 

who also plays main keys. The rest of the 

band is: Jamar Camp, auxiliary keys; Jordan 

Henry, bass; Dan Haedicke, guitar; and 

Henley Connor III, drums. 

The creative team includes: Production 

stage manager, Juanita Munford; production 

manager, Kevin White; choreography, 

Donald Frison; scenic designer, Roland 

Black; lighting designer, Michael Pasquini; 

costume designer, Darci Collins; sound 

designer, Patrick Russini; sound engineer, 

Alex Judd; projection designer, Austin 

Jacobs; and properties designer, Annette 

Breazeale. 

TICKETS: 

call the Box 

Office at 941- 

366-1505 or visit 

westcoastblacktheatre.org 


happening this month 

Intimate musical experiences. 

Season 28 | Stars Ascending 

A diverse range of concerts featuring emerging and accomplished 

classical, chamber, jazz, and pop artists from around the globe. 

Discover Sarasota Tours 

Announces Return of 

Psychic Sundays 

Trolley Tour 

The tour returns with new tour guide, Deni Dreazen, 

a Sarasota tarot reader, teacher, hypnotist, 

and psychic medium 

Psychic Sunday 

tour goers 

Miró Quartet 

May 5, 4:00 pm • First Presbyterian Church, Sarasota 

First prize winner in the Banff International String Quartet Competition and 

the Naumberg Chamber Music Competition, Miró Quartet’s program includes 

Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, the piece around which the 2012 film 

“A Late Quartet” was based. Violinist Sandy Yamamoto and pianist Julio Elizalde 

join the quartet to perform Chausson’s Concerto for violin, piano and string quartet. 

Trio Gaia 

May 14, 7:30 pm 

Studio for Performing Arts Recital 

Hall at State College of Florida 

New England Conservatory’s graduate 

piano trio in residence won first prize at 

the 2022 WDAV Young Chamber Musicians 

Competition. the program includes music 

inspired by folk tunes, including Charles 

Ives’ daring trio and Antonín Dvořák’s 

iconic “Dumky” Trio. 

ArtistSeriesConcerts.org | 941-306-1202 

This project is supported in part by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County; Department of State, Division of Cultural Affairs, the Florida Council of Arts and Culture and the State of Florida (Section 286.25 Florida Statutes); 

The Exchange; Gulf Coast Community Foundation; National Endowment for the Arts; the Sarasota County Tourist Development Tax Revenues; and the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. 

Discover Sarasota Tours has 

brought back its popular 

tour Psychic Sundays. The 

tour returns with new tour 

guide, Deni Dreazen, after 

death of psychic Michael Newton-Brown 

forced tour to end in October 2022. 

“Deni is a well-known Sarasota tarot 

reader, teacher, hypnotist, and psychic 

medium and we are delighted to have her 

take on this wonderful tour as a guide,” 

said Tammy Hauser, CEO Discover Sarasota 

Tours. “I looked high and low to find a 

guide who could deliver authentic evidentiary 

mediumship during the tour, as well as 

share information about our rich metaphysical 

community in Sarasota. Deni is just this 

right blend of skilled practitioner, teacher, 

and warm inclusive guide,” she added. 

Psychic Sundays begins with orange and 

pineapple mimosas at the Trolley Cottage 

Gift Shop located at 1826 4th Street, and 

then includes an energy exercise where 

guests learn to focus on what they feel 

(energy) but cannot see. Guests then board 

Dolly The Trolley for a two-hour tour to 

learn more about the metaphysical community 

in Sarasota as well as the many different 

divination tools healers use. 

These tools may include bodywork modalities 

such as acupuncture, reiki, sound 

healing, massage, or acupressure or they 

may focus on the spiritual arts of palm 

reading, tarot, crystals, mediumship, tea 

leaf reading, or pendulums. 

During the tour, guests learn about Spirit 

University where they can study and about 

the Metaphysical Chamber of Commerce 

where they can find like-minded colleagues 

and teachers. Next, they visit Pixie Dust a 

metaphysical store on Main Street, walk in 

meditation on one of seven labyrinths in 

Sarasota and participate in an immersive 

sound bath at Crocker Memorial Church. 

New tour guide, 

Deni Dreazen 

During the tour, Deni also provides mini 

tarot readings and a Spirit Gallery session. 

The tour runs every other Sunday from 

1-3 and is $48.99 plus tax/handling fee and 

can be booked at DiscoverSarasota- 

Tours.com. 

––––––––––– A B O U T ––––––––––– 

Discover Sarasota 

Tours: 

Discover Sarasota Tours is a locally 

owned and operated tour company that 

marked five years in business in October 

2023. They offer 17 different entertaining 

and informative daytime sightseeing tours 

and nighttime musical theater shows in an 

air-conditioned trolley named Dolly. 

Their guide-led tours focus on the interesting 

people, places, and stories that have 

shaped Sarasota’s rich cultural past. 

Daytime tour themes include Amish 

Experience, Leading Ladies of Sarasota, 

Architecture, City History, Circus Secrets 

of Sarasota and Venice, Art Crawl Trolley, 

Psychic Sundays, Public Art, and History 

Hop Week of Sarasota County (a fundraiser 

for our local historical societies to help 

them keep history alive). 

At night the trolley turns into a theater 

on wheels offering original musical shows 

including Murder Mystery Trolley: Who 

Killed The Circus Queen, Irish Holley 

On The Trolley, Tiki Trolley Trivia, Love 

Stories of Sarasota, Haunted Sarasota, 

BooMobile, Christmas Carol Trolley: Letters 

to Santa, and Sunset Cabaret, Music 

& Craft Beer Tour. 

Tour tickets and information available at 

DiscoverSarasotaTours.com or by calling 

941-260-9818. 

Whether planning a wedding or a corporate event, The Ora is the place 

to be. With versatile spaces to choose from, including one of the largest 

ballrooms in the region, you will find the perfect space to meet 

your needs and exceed your expectations. 

PLENTIFUL 

PARKING 

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TECHNOLOGY 

DINING & 

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Elevate your event with The Ora’s exclusive caterer, 

578 McIntosh Road | Sarasota FL 34232 

theorasrq.com 

For inquiries, please contact Deanna McGrath 

at dmcgrath@theorasrq.com or 941.343.2107 


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.” 

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MORE THAN A CIRCUS 

THE CIRCUS ARTS CONSERVATORY EMBODIES: 

PERFORMANCE 

TRAINING 

OUTREACH 

LEGACY 

The CAC offers year-round 

professional performances 

featuring international circus 

stars. Our seasonal Sailor Circus 

Academy shows are a Sarasota 

tradition—fun for the whole family! 

Try out our programs for 

team bonding, fitness, or just 

curiosity—You can even try 

the flying trapeze! Sign up for 

as many classes as you like or 

bring your whole corporate 

team for a one-of-a-kind team 

bonding experience. 

In addition to our arts-integrated 

classroom programs, we offer 

recreational classes for children 

and adults, summer camps, and 

events with community partners. 

The CAC makes it easy to find 

circus fun in the Sarasota area. 

The CAC, founded by 

Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs, 

preserves Sarasota’s rich and 

vibrant Circus Arts legacy 

through everything we do, 

including supporting annual 

events like the Circus Ring 

of Fame induction. 

FOLLOW YOUR CIRCUS DREAM and try a recreational class! Let your 

child join the circus for a week of camp or have an unforgettable circus 

team-bonding experience with your colleagues. Be dazzled and delighted 

by a circus show! 

Learn more about how you can Join the Circus at circusarts.org 



Sarasota Music Festival June 2-22 

This year’s Festival is themed 

“Music Unbound” 

The Sarasota Music 

Festival is celebrating 

its 60th 

anniversary this 

year. This year’s 

Festival is themed “Music Unbound.” 

The three-week Festival runs 

from June 2-22 and features a 

schedule of 14 different concerts, 

and events, as well as a wide 

range of masterclasses, coaching 

sessions, and rehearsals. 

Nearly 500 fellows from top 

music programs at colleges and 

conservatories worldwide audition 

to participate in the Festival 

each year, but only 60 are accepted. 

Selected musicians work sideby-side 

with a group of 40 faculty 

artists who represent many of the 

most renowned music schools and 

conservatories. 

“Over the course of three 

weeks, fellows will have the opportunity 

to experience and participate 

in the many ways in which 

composers and performers of the 

past and present have explored 

the interaction between very 

different musical languages and 

modes of performing,” says Music 

Director Jeffrey Kahane. 

Programming will spotlight the 

beauty that results when some of 

the world’s most versatile musicians 

join together to share their 

gifts, highlighting the transformative 

magic that occurs when 

differing musical genres and performance 

styles are brought into 

intentional and dynamic relationship 

with each other. 

Sarasota 

Music Festival 

highlights include: 

• 60th Anniversary Concert: 

New Beginnings – Sunday, June 

2, 4 pm: The 60th Anniversary 

Festival begins with a program 

that unites the past, present and 

future. Music Director Jeffrey Kahane 

will perform on harpsichord 

alongside flutist and Festival 

alumna Marianne Gedigan for a 

work from the archives—Francois 

Couperin’s Le Rossignol en 

amour (The Nightingale in Love). 

Bohuslav Martinů’s mid-20th-century 

Sonata for Flute and Piano, 

composed in Cape Cod, provides 

a contrast with its jazz-infused 

rhythms. Festival alumna and 

talented improviser Sæunn 

Thorsteinsdóttir takes center 

stage with Jane Antonia Cornish’s 

Portrait for solo cello. Arensky’s 

Piano Trio No. 1, a prime example 

of Romanticism, 

anchors the program. 

• Bach and Beyond – Friday, 

June 7, 7:30pm: Sarasota 

Music Festival faculty, fellows 

and the Borromeo String Quartet 

join forces for music separated 

by time yet linked by emotion, 

innovation and creativity. Faculty 

member Jeff Scott’s Passion for 

Bach and Coltrane proceeds from 

the opening of Johann Sebastian 

Bach’s Goldberg Variations and 

ventures boldly down unexpected 

avenues. Music Director Jeffrey 

Kahane plays keyboard in a performance 

of Bach’s thrilling Brandenburg 

Concerto No. 5. The Borromeo 

String Quartet interprets a 

piece from Bach’s Well-Tempered 

Clavier, the “Old Testament” of 

keyboard music, transformed by 

the ensemble’s violist Nicholas 

Kitchen. Returning faculty Paul 

Neubauer joins the Borromeo 

String Quartet for Mozart’s famous 

String Quintet No. 4 in G Minor. 

• Tales and Tributes – Friday, 

June 14, 7:30pm: The teenage 

Richard Strauss pays homage to 

Mozart and Mendelssohn in his 

E-flat Serenade for Winds. Subtitled 

“A Romance,” Ralph Vaughan 

Williams’ The Lark Ascending 

brings innocence to life. Jeff 

Scott’s Trail of Tears tells the story 

of his great-great-grandfather, 

of Cherokee descent, who was 

among the 60,000 Native Americans 

forcibly ejected from their 

homes in the 19th century. Written 

in 1876 and bearing the dedication 

“For My Nation,” Antonín Dvořák’s 

Quintet in G Major adds double 

bass to the traditional string quartet, 

a work that helped launch his 

international career. 

• American Soundscapes – 

Saturday, June 15, 7:30pm: 

This one-night-only musical event 

fully encompasses the spirit of the 

2024 Festival. Hailstork’s Sonata 

da Chiesa— “church sonata”— 

reflects his personal fascination 

with cathedrals. Written for Benny 

Goodman, Copland’s Clarinet 

Music 

Director 

Jeffrey 

Kahane 

Jeff 

Scott 

Concerto is the only conductor-led 

piece on the program. Tessa Lark, 

Mike Block, and Jeffrey Kahane 

improvise on beloved American 

songs, while Lark and Block duet 

with traditional fiddle tunes. The 

perfumed world of 18th-century 

France collides with 21st-century 

jazz in Block’s arrangement of 

Dieupart’s Sarabande, then Block 

leads Festival fellows in an exhilarating, 

spur-of-the-moment jam. 

Lark puts her distinctive stamp 

on bluegrass legend Bill Monroe’s 

“Blue Moon of Kentucky,” and the 

experience culminates with Iniche 

Cosebe, Block’s quasi-improvised 

work inspired by “thank you very 

much” in the language of the 

Mandinka people of Africa. 

• Passion and Pride – Saturday, 

June 22, 7:30pm: Jeffrey 

Kahane’s cross-genre, cross-disciplinary 

talents are on full display 

as he both performs and conducts 

Ravel’s playful, virtuosic Piano 

Concerto in G Major. Tolstoy’s 

comment, “Music is the shorthand 

of emotion,” sparked Anna Clyne’s 

mini-concerto for cello, Shorthand. 

Festival alumna and new 

faculty artist Karen Ouzounian 

Borromeo 

String 

Quartet 

Tessa 

Lark 

presents the Sarasota premiere of 

the elegiac, mercurial work. The 

Festival concludes with Brahms’s 

magnificent Symphony No. 1, a 

blend of passion and structure 

that took decades to create. 

New Faculty for 

2024 

Fifteen new faculty members join 

the roster, representing several 

of the nation’s major performing 

organizations including the New 

York Philharmonic, The Philadelphia 

Orchestra and The St. Paul 

Chamber Orchestra, as well as 

the most highly-regarded teaching 

programs from The Juilliard 

School and New England Conservatory 

to the San Francisco Conservatory 

of Music. 

About Sarasota 

Music Festival: 

For three weeks each June, internationally 

recognized faculty 

artists and pre-professional musicians 

come together in Florida 

to study and perform chamber 

music. Led by Music Director Jeffrey 

Kahane, the Sarasota Music 

Festival is a combination of youthful 

promise and acclaimed talent. 

Exceptional fellows from top 

music programs work side-by-side 

with internationally recognized 

faculty artists, including flutist 

Jasmine Choi, violinist Tessa Lark, 

and the Borromeo String Quartet. 

This year’s theme, “Music Unbound,” 

celebrates the once popular 

classical training technique of 

improvisation and reintroduces it 

in a dynamic and transformative 

way. Fittingly, as SMF celebrates 

its 60th anniversary, the theme of 

“Music Unbound” is a nod to the 

practices of the past, while simultaneously 

innovating on previous 

techniques to fuel the future. 

Additional information 

about the Sarasota Music 

Festival is available at www. 

sarasotaorchestra.org/festival. 

Patrons may reach the Box Office 

at (941) 953-3434. 


P R E S E N T S 

ORIGINS 

Witness seeds of creativity 

with our young stars 

Scan for tickets! 

941.355.9805 

CircusArts.org 

GET TICKETS NOW - 

4 SHOWS ONLY! $20 - $40 

Sat, May 4 Sun, May 5 

2 & 7 pm 1 & 5 pm 

Diane 

Broda 

Sailor Circus Arena 

2075 Bahia Vista St. 

Ask 

about our 

Caregiver 

Support 

Groups 

Adult Day Services for your Loved One 

& Caregiver Resources for You 

The Caregiving Place of Sarasota 

Monday-Friday, 8:30am - 3:30pm 

1820 Brother Geenen Way, Sarasota 34236 

Call today for a tour! 941-556-3268 

See our website for details and virtual tour www.friendshipcenters.org 


get to know 

Marks 21 Years 

They’re so much more than an annual Art Exhibit 

Embracing 


is a 

nonprofit 

organization 

based 

in Sarasota that uses 

the power of art and 

education to celebrate 

and promote 

our individuality and 

common humanity. 

They do this 

through an annual, 

large-scale, juried 

exhibition and a comprehensive 

series of 

educational initiatives, programs, and resources 

designed for teachers and students. 

While EOD is best known for its annual art exhibition 

— this year’s ran from January to the end 

of April — its educational initiatives continue all 

year long. These include professional development 

opportunities for educators, reading days, unity 

days, and other learning programs and events. 

These programs have made an impact on 

more than 587,000 students since they were 

launched in 2004. Some 58,122 students and 

1,981 teachers participated in the 2022-2023 

school year alone. All exhibit field trips are free, 

with in-person field trip transportation costs 

covered or subsidized by sponsors and donors. 

In addition to exhibit field trips, reading days, 

and service learning clubs, Embracing Our Differences 

initiatives include workshops by nationally 

recognized educators and lesson plans connected 

to art appreciation and character building. All 

lesson plans are created under the supervision 

of Sarasota County Schools and School District 

of Manatee County curriculum teams and fully 

incorporate Florida State Standards and Florida 

B.E.S.T. Standards. 

Teachers who participate in their education 

programs overwhelmingly rate them as meaningful 

and relevant educational experiences for 

their students. Of teachers surveyed during the 

2022-2023 school year, the average rating for 

overall program experience was 4.75 / 5 stars. 

Under the guidance of Coexistence Club & 

Docent Coordinator Dena Sturm, more than 

200 High School Docents serve as guides for 

elementary, middle, and high school students 

who visit the exhibit every year, utilizing Visual 

Thinking Strategies (VTS) for a student-driven, 

collaborative, and inclusive experiences. 

HISTORY 

In 2003, the Florida Holocaust Museum in St. 

Petersburg partnered with the Museum on the 

Seam in Jerusalem, Israel, to present “Coexistence,” 

an exhibit of 35 billboard-sized works of 

art and accompanying words of inspiration that 

promoted the concept of “coexistence.” In 2004, 

Sarasota arts advocates Dottie and Bob Garner, 

Helen and Roy McBean, and Graci and Dennis 

McGillicuddy co-chaired the first “Coexistence” 

exhibit in Sarasota. 

This year’s response to the call for artwork 

and inspirational quotations brought 16,604 entries 

from 125 countries and 44 states. Students 

from 584 schools around the world submitted 

artwork or quotations to the juried exhibit. 

Awards for artwork are given for “Best-in- 

Show Adult,” “Best-in-Show Student,” and 

“People’s Choice” categories, with the last chosen 

by visitors to the exhibit. Adult art winners 

each receive $2,000; students receive $2,000, 

which they split with their school’s art program. 

Awards are also given for original quotations. 

Adult quotation winners each receive $2,000; 

students receive $2,000, which they split with 

their school’s English Language Arts program. 

ABBREVIATED 

HISTORY/HIGHLIGHTS: 

2005: Community leaders Dennis McGillicuddy, 

Carroll Buchanan and Michael Shelton obtained 

nonprofit status for the organization. The 

first Embracing Our Differences (EOD) exhibit 

featuring art submitted by 124 regional artists 

was held in Bayfront Park. 100,000 community 

members and 2,000 students visited the exhibit. 

2007: School-based education initiatives 

became the focus of the organization. National 

submissions were accepted for the first time 

with more than 1,000 entries from 12 states. 

Communities in Ohio and New York presented 

local Embracing Our Differences exhibitions. 

2008: International submissions were accepted 

for the first time with more than 2,000 entries 

from 30 countries. 

Annual student participation exceeded 10,000. 

Total visitor attendance since 2004 grew to more 

than 500,000. 

2009: EOD became the first organization to 

create and distribute multimedia teacher lesson 

plans in local schools. 

EOD became the first organization to utilize 

Sarasota County Schools’ video conferencing 

system, allowing teachers to attend in-service 

training classes remotely. Total student participation 

since 2004 grew to exceed 50,000. 

2011: Total visitor attendance since 2004 

exceeded 1 million. 

2013: EOD received The Patterson Foundation’s 

Collaborative Innovator Award & President Barack 

Obama’s Volunteer Service Award. The exhibit received 

a second viewing at Bradenton’s Riverwalk 

Park. The Coexistence Club program expanded to 

North Port and Southeast high schools. 

2016: An Embracing Our Differences inspired 

sculpture was unveiled in downtown Sarasota at 

the Main St. and Orange Ave. roundabout. More 

than 5,000 students attended live performances 

from an anti-bullying music tour sponsored by 

Embracing Our Differences. EOD received the 

Diversity & Inclusion Award from the Florida 

Division of Cultural Affairs. 

2019: The exhibit received 11,791 submissions 

representing 111 counties and 239 schools. 

2020: The Unity Day program expanded to all 

public Sarasota County high schools. The exhibit 

was extended by two months to provide the only 

outdoor art opportunity for our community at the 

beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Virtual field 

trips and curriculum were created to accommodate 

at-home learning. A four-year renewable 

College Scholarship program was created for 

graduating Coexistence Club members. 

2022: Annual visitor attendance grew to 

371,256. EOD was featured on the national news 

for the first time via PBS NewsHour with Charlayne 

Hunter-Gault. The Oneness of Art initiative 

brought together neurodivergent youth, homeless 

adults, diverse students and local artists for 

community-driven creative expression. 

2023: Grand opening celebration at Bayfront 

Park brought over 3,000 community members 

and 10 community partners together alongside 

exhibit artists and quoters. Exhibit received a 

second viewing at Butler Park in North Port. Total 

visitor attendance since 2004 exceeded 4.3 million. 

Eleven new and recurring Coexistence Club 

Scholarships of $1,000 provided to graduating 

high school and current college students. 

A SAMPLING OF THEIR MANY 

EDUCATIONAL INITIATIVES: 

• Bucket Fillers Reading Day 

Using the concept of an invisible bucket to 

encourage positive behavior, the Bucket Fillers’ 

book series teaches children how to “fill 

buckets’’ through acts of kindness, love, and appreciation 

for others. Embracing Our Differences 

provides books to each participating student and 

classroom. 

The sixth annual Bucket Fillers Reading 

Day event on November 14, 2023 reached 9,265 

students in 510 classrooms from 83 Manatee 

and Sarasota County classrooms and early 

learning centers. 

• Embracing Our Differences Reading Day 

In partnership with Suncoast Campaign for 

Grade-Level Reading, Embracing Our Difference 

Reading Day celebrates literacy through a wide 

variety of books for pre-K through third grade 

students. These age appropriate stories focus 

on themes of inclusion, kindness, and respect, 

stimulating conversations about what we share 

and what makes us unique. 

Educators select either an in-person volunteer 

reader or an on-demand video read along, and all 

students and classes are provided with activity 

videos and their own 

copy of the selected 

book for their grade 

level. 

The eleventh 

annual Embracing 


Reading Day event 

on March 5, 2024 

reached 9,641 students 

in 528 classrooms 

from 80 Manatee 

and Sarasota 

County classrooms 

and early learning 

centers. 

EMBRACING OUR 

DIFFERENCES UNITY DAY 

This initiative promotes empathy and respect 

among students through a multi-part workshop 

of team-building activities that encourage 

cooperation and communication while providing 

opportunities for students to embrace their similarities 

and respect their differences. 

Studies have shown that school communities 

with a culture built on kindness and respect 

report far fewer instances of bullying and social 

isolation. Whether online or in school, according 

to The National Center for Education Statistics, 

approximately 22 percent of students ages 

12-18 reported being bullied during the school 

year. Over the course of the workshop, cohorts 

of approximately 75 students acquire the tools to 

be active leaders and create a welcoming culture 

within their respective school communities. 

Prior to the event, a core group of 10 to 15 

student leaders and 2 to 4 faculty members are 

identified and meet with the Unity Day facilitator 

to receive training to help lead the event. Additional 

student participants are selected through 

teacher nominations with an emphasis on 

identifying “alternative leaders” who are leaders 

in their peer group and not just students who fit 

into a perceived “best or brightest” stereotype. 

COEXISTENCE CLUBS 

Coexistence Clubs are a student-driven middle 

and high school component of Embracing Our 

Differences’ education initiative with more than 

200 students participating during the past school 

year. The first club was formed in 2007 by members 

of the Riverview High School International 

Baccalaureate (IB) Program and immediately became 

the school’s largest student organization. 

There are currently twelve Coexistence Clubs in 

middle and high schools across the Suncoast. 

While working within their respective schools 

and the local community, these dynamic students 

promote Embracing Our Differences’ mission and 

vision by helping to make their schools a safer 

and more inclusive environment for everyone. 

Under the guidance of club & docent coordinator 

Dena Sturm, high school Coexistence Club members 

serve as docents during EOD’s annual exhibit, 

leading groups of younger students through 

the exhibit in-person and virtually while inspiring 

them to recognize and understand the messages 

delivered through the art and quotations. 

This is an abbreviated description of what Embracing 

our Differences does all year. For more 

information or to submit artwork or quotes for 

the next exhibit, visit www.embracingour 

differences.org/. 

24 WEST COAST WOMAN MAY 2024

WRITTEN, ADAPTED & DIRECTED BY NATE JACOBS 

Sponsored in part 

by the State of 

Florida through the 

Division of Arts and 

Culture and the National 

Endowment 

for the Arts 

APR 17–MAY 26, 2024 

westcoastblacktheatre.org 

941-366-1505 

1012 N ORANGE AVE SARASOTA 


you’re news 

Accolades 

■ Judith L. Pearson, a Nokomis 

resident, has been awarded the 2024 

Florida Book Award Bronze Medal 

for her biography Crusade to Heal 

America: The Remarkable Life of 

Mary Lasker. This is the first award 

for this 

never-before-told 

story, 

published 

by Mayo 

Clinic 

Press in 

September, 

2023. 

It was 

selected 

from a 

Judith L. Pearson 

pool of more than 170 entries. 

The Florida Book Awards were 

established in 2006 as an annual 

awards program to recognize, 

honor and celebrate the literature 

of Florida authors and books about 

Florida published in the previous 

year. The awards program is coordinated 

by the Florida State University 

Libraries, with the involvement of 

other library, literary, and cultural 

organizations, including the State 

Library and Archives of Florida, 

Florida Library Association, Florida 

Humanities, Florida Center for the 

Book, Midtown Reader, and the 

Word of South festival. 

Pearson, along with this year’s 

other recipients, were honored in 

Tallahassee at an award dinner on 

April 25. In addition, a copy of Crusade 

to Heal America will be placed 

in Florida State University’s permanent 

collection, as well as in the 

Florida governor’s mansion library. 

Crusade to Heal America is 

Pearson’s fourth biography. In it, 

she shares the story of Mary Lasker, 

a woman who was savvy, steely, and 

deliberate, with the goal of eliminating 

human suffering. Lasker’s crusade 

transformed the National Institutes 

of Health from a single, poorly 

funded entity to the greatest medical 

research facility on the planet. 

Despite dark political intrigue 

between President Richard Nixon 

and Senator Ted Kennedy, Lasker’s 

crusade ultimately resulted in an 

extraordinary $1.3 billion for cancer 

research (over $11 billion today), 

turning the nearly always fatal disease 

into one that was survivable. 

Pearson’s previous books include 

From Shadows to Life: A Biography 

of the Cancer Survivorship 

Movement (which won the 2022 

Nautilus Gold Award), Wolves at the 

Door: The True Story of America’s 

Greatest Female Spy (which has 

been purchased for a movie), and 

Belly of the Beast: A POW’s Story of 

Faith, Courage, and Survival Aboard 

a WWII Hell Ship. 

She was honored in Washington, 

D.C. by the American Association for 

Cancer Research, named one of Chicago’s 

Most Inspirational Women, 

was selected as a finalist for the Arizona 

Healthcare Leadership Awards 

and a Phoenix Healthcare Hero. 

Pearson is a member of various 

writing organizations, including Biographers 

International, South Florida 

Writers Association, and Gulf 

Coast Writers Association. 

Appointments 

■ Visit Sarasota County (VSC) 

has named Suzanne Hackman 

as its new 

Director of 

Sales and 

Industry 

Relations. 

She is 

responsible 

for 

developing 

sales 

strategies 

to attract 

overnight 

Suzanne Hackman 

business to Sarasota County and 

managing relationships with local 

businesses and partners. 

Hackman has extensive experience 

in the meetings, events and 

destination marketing organization 

(DMO) industries. She most recently 

served as the Regional Director 

of Sales for PRA Business Events. 

Prior to that, she was Vice President 

of Sales and Business Development 

for Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater, 

an organization she was with for 

more than 17 years. 

A graduate of University of South 

Florida with a bachelor’s degree in 

business administration and human 

resource management, Hackman 

is a Certified Destination Management 

Executive (CMDE) and 

has multiple professional industry 

affiliations including Professional 

Convention Management Association 

(PCMA), Meeting Professionals 

International (MPI) and Society of 

Incentive Travel Excellence (SITE). 

Vanessa Wassenar 

■ The TREE Foundation has 

named Vanessa Wassenar president 

of its 

board of directors; 

her 

three-year 

term began 

January 1, 

2024. Wassenar 

will 

work closely 

with Executive 

Director 

Meg 

Lowman to 

guide the board in its day-to-day 

operations and long term strategic 

goals. Based in Sarasota, TREE is 

an international nonprofit organization, 

dedicated to tree and forest 

research, exploration, education, 

and conservation across the globe. 

Wassener has served on TREE’s 

board of directors for the past 

three years. 

Wassenar is a strategic consultant 

for schools and nonprofits, 

with particular expertise in helping 

organizations manage change. She 

previously served as Director of 

Resource Management for Proctor 

Academy in New Hampshire, and 

founded and served as Chief Operating 

Officer for Creating Resilient 

Schools (2001-2023), providing 

consulting services and executive 

coaching in matters of finance, governance, 

accreditation, and organizational 

analysis for educational 

and non-profit organizations. 

“There is so much work to be 

done to save our eighth continent, 

as Dr. Lowman calls tree canopies, 

and we need to move quickly and 

intentionally,” said Wassenar. “TREE 

Foundation is very involved in the 

local community and also values 

the opportunity to work globally 

in those countries experiencing 

devastating destruction of forests, 

biodiversity, and genetic libraries.” 

TREE Foundation is in its third 

decade of working to save local 

and global forests, as well as 

continuing to promote environmental 

education for youth. One 

of Wassenar’s top priorities will be 

advancing the foundation’s global 

canopy program which aims to 

build canopy walkways or “bridges” 

in the world’s highest biodiversity 

forests where species of plants and 

animals are most at risk. 

Learn more about TREE Foundation 

at treefoundation.org. 

Board News 

■ Goodwill Manasota has announced 

a new board chair for the 

2024-2025 term: former Manatee 

County Commissioner and longtime 

planner Elizabeth “Betsy” 

Benac. She will lead the volunteer 

board for 

the next two 

years. The 

2024-2025 

directors 

are Xtavia 

Bailey, 

Steve Boone 

(immediate 

past chair), 

Rich Cautero, 

Rod 

Elizabeth “Betsy” Benac Hollingsworth, 

Eric Kaplan, James 

McClure, Rob Morris, Laurie 

O’Loughlin, Laura Ritchey, Allen 

Weinstein, and Brad West (chair 

emeritus). Debbie Douglas completed 

her term in December 2023. 

Benac has extensive experience 

as a planner, working as a regional 

planner in East Central Michigan 

for several years before she and 

her husband, a school teacher, 

moved to Sarasota in 1983. She 

worked for 11 years for Manatee 

County, where she rose to 

assistant planning director before 

working in the private sector as 

planning manager for Wilson 

Miller – which became Stantec, 

a leader in planning, permitting, 

and designing most of the 

communities in the fast-growing 

area of Lakewood Ranch – for 

18 years. After a stint as senior 

planning manager for Benderson 

Development, she ran for office 

and, in 2012, earned a seat on the 

Manatee County Commission. 

On the Commission, she served as 

one of two at-large commissioners 

representing the entirety of Manatee 

County. During her eight-year term 

of office, she was elected by her 

peers three times to serve as chair 

of the commission, most recently in 

2020. She is now retired. 

Some of the volunteer 

positions she served in included: 

a Gubernatorial appointee for 

nine years on the Manasota Basin 

Board; an appointee on the Board 

of Zoning Appeals of Manatee 

County; a director on the Manatee 

Chamber of Commerce; Chair of 

the Government Review Committee 

for the Sarasota Chamber; and an 

officer and director on the Boards of 

the Kiwanis Club of Bradenton, the 

Kiwanis Foundation, and the Girl 

Scouts of Southwest Florida. 

In the coming year, some of the 

top priorities to be addressed with 

the board’s input and guidance 

will include: strengthening 

community collaborative efforts 

to maximize impact; upskilling 

its own workforce and the 

community; and solidifying its 

operations in its recently expanded 

footprint, as the organization 

added parts of Charlotte and Lee 

counties last spring. 

Business News 

■ Architect Sarah Lyons, AIA, has 

opened her own firm, S.Ly architecture 

LLC, in Sarasota. She brings 

more than 14 years of experience 

at renowned architecture firms 

including 

SOM, Pelli 

Clarke & 

Partners, 

and HOK. 

“I’m 

excited to 

work with 

clients who 

share a 

vision for 

innovative 

and quality 

Sarah Lyons 

buildings,” said Lyons, who focuses 

primarily on commercial, civic, 

and educational projects. “I look 

forward to bringing this worldclass 

experience and knowledge to 

ongoing development in Sarasota.” 

Lyons has worked on 

notable projects including the 

$1.1-billion terminal complex at 

Louis Armstrong New Orleans 

International Airport, the 

12,000-employee American Airlines 

headquarters campus in Dallas, and 

the two-million-square-foot Wolf 

Point development in Chicago. 

“I aim to apply the design 

expertise involved in these 

large, complex projects to more 

creatively solve and push forward 

the architectural process here on 

projects large and small,” said the 

registered architect and certified 

LEED AP BD+C. “Clients will have 

a partner in me who’s going to be 

hands-on from start to finish. They 

will get a professional who can 

visualize and realize our Client’s 

goals, and I think that leads to more 

successful projects.” 

S.Ly architecture LLC is based 

in Sarasota, but Lyons works on 

projects across Florida. She’s 

currently working on building 

renovations on the campus of 

New College of Florida, mixed-use 

developments with Belpointe LLC, 

and on a new concept for public 

garden inspired retail project on 

Marco Island. 

Lyons obtained a bachelor’s 

degree in architecture from Rice 

University and a master’s degree 

in advanced architectural design 

from Columbia University. She 

also serves on the Southface 

Advisory Board and Sarasota 

County Development Services 

Advisory Board and is a member of 

Leadership Sarasota’s class of 2024. 

For more information about 

S.Ly architecture LLC, visit 

slyarchitecture.com. 

■ Andrew Greenwell and Nikki 

Taylor have created the Greenwell 

& Taylor Collection, a real estate 

team that will conduct its operations 

out of Premier Sotheby’s 

International Realty’s downtown 

Sarasota office. 

Greenwell is the founder and CEO 

of Venture Sotheby’s International 

Realty in California. He was once 

named to REALTOR Magazine’s 

Top 30 under 30 in America and has 

built a nationwide reputation for 

excellence in real estate over the last 

two decades. He was also a prominent 

cast member on Bravo’s “Million 

Dollar Listing San Francisco. 

Taylor has been a Sarasota resident 

since 2000. Since moving here, 

she has helped raise millions of dollars 

for local charities through leadership 

roles and board positions. 

Bringing community knowledge 

and a large network of connections, 

she remains an active member of 

the greater Sarasota community. 

Greenwell & Taylor Collection 

will focus on helping clientele realize 

their estate goals with a specialization 

in million-dollar listings. 

Send your news to 

westcoastwoman@ 

comcast.net 

and we’ll publish it 

in our You’re News 

column and on our 

WCW Facebook 

page. 

Send a brief writeup 

and mages are 

welcome but most 

be hi-res 

(files must be at least 150k) 


good news department 

Lakewood Ranch Women’s Club’s Raises over $ 21,000 

On March 13, Lakewood 

Ranch Women’s Club (LWR- 

WC) raised over $21,000 to 

benefit their four adopted 

charities at their fashion 

show charity fundraiser, 

“Spring into Fashion on 

the Ranch.” 

Over 200 attendees 

enjoyed a raffle, silent 

auction, live auction and 

lunch in the Lakewood 

Ranch Golf and Country 

Club ballroom. 

100% of net proceeds will 

benefit Hope Family Services 

for victims of domestic 

violence; Solve Maternity 

Homes, helping pregnant 

woman in need, SMART (Sarasota 

Manatee Association 

Local artist donates work to Community Day School 

When Hershorin Schiff Community Day 

School Head of School Dan Ceaser attended 

a recent Members Art Show at 

Art Center Sarasota, he came across 

an award-winning mixed-media piece 

that immediately caught his attention. 

The piece, “For Humanity,” shows two 

ultra-Orthodox Jews and an IDF soldier 

praying at the Western Wall. 

Local painter and illustrator Mayer 

Kersun created the piece, explaining, 

“The attack [on Israel by Hamas] on 

October 7, 2023 inspired me to make a 

statement about humanity. Looking at 

the picture, you will see two ultra-Orthodox 

Jews and an IDF soldier at the 

Western Wall. They probably see the 

world differently. But when it comes to Israel 

and anti-Semitism, they are united.” 

Ceaser requested that Kersun allow 

the school to have the artwork on “indefinite 

loan” but, when the artist came by 

to drop off the painting, his tour of the 

school so impressed him that, the next 

day, he donated the piece outright. 

“As soon as I saw the painting, I felt 

that – in addition to being beautiful – its 

sentiments were well aligned with our 

school philosophy,” said Ceaser. “Mayer 

used the tragic events of October 7th to 

create something that captures feelings 

of hope, unity and our shared humanity – 

despite peoples’ differences. I am grateful 

to him for allowing us to have this 

L-R Monika Templeman, Event 

Chair for Spring into Fashion 

Charity Fundraiser, and Linda 

Stone, 2024 LWRWC President 

for Riding Therapy) improving 

the lives of children and 

adults with physical, mental 

and emotional challenges 

through therapeutic horseback 

riding programs, and 

Children’s Guardian Fund, 

an organization that responds 

to the needs of children 

removed from abusive 

or neglectful homes in Florida’s 

12th Judicial Circuit. 

There were 11 individual 

sponsors and over 70 

donors who contributed. 

LWRWC 2024 President 

is Linda Stone and Event 

Chair was Monika Templeman. 

For more information 

about LWRWC, visit 

www.lwrwc.org. 

Local artist Mayer Kersun (center, holding artwork) 

and CDS Head of School Dan Ceaser (back left) 

with students Willow Dotson, Maia Forman and 

Charlie Armstrong 

piece to display in the years to come.” 

When he was old enough to hold a pencil, 

Kersun was drawing the cartoons from 

the comics page. Since World War II was 

going on, he would draw fighter airplanes 

that he would see in the newspaper. His 

urge to draw was there but the time to 

pursue the artistic world did not come 

until he retired from his business. That 

was when he started taking continuing 

education classes from local schools and 

from the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine 

Arts in Philadelphia. It has been a big part 

of his life for the past 20-plus years. 

“I was so impressed with the school 

– the wonderful things I saw and what 

its mission is,” Kersun said. “Hopefully, 

by having my artwork there and by discussing 

it, it will be meaningful to the 

students and some good will come of it.” 

Goodwill and Easterseals come together on 

World Autism Awareness Day 

A new collaboration between 

Goodwill Manasota 

and Easterseals Southwest 

Florida is providing the opportunity 

for artists to sell 

their artwork at Goodwill’s 

Albee Farm Bookstore in 

Venice. Adults enrolled in 

Easterseals’ Art Initiative 

Program not only get to 

create the art, they are also 

benefiting financially. 

Starting in late 2023, the 

nonprofits have collaborated 

to take artwork created 

through Easterseals’ Art 

Initiative Program to Goodwill’s 

Albee Farm Bookstore in Venice to 

display and sell; 100% of the revenues 

from the sales of the artwork go directly 

back to Easterseals and the artists. This 

is a pilot program; if all goes well, Goodwill 

will explore additional bookstore locations 

in which to sell the art. 

The partners came together on April 2 

– World Autism Awareness Day – at Happiness 

House of Easterseals Southwest 

Florida to discuss the partnership and 

interact with some of the adult artists. 

Susan Millman Supports Sarasota Memorial Healthcare Foundation 

with $ 11 Million Donation 

Sarasota Memorial Healthcare 

Foundation announced 

that Susan Milman is donating 

$16 million to support the 

new state-of-the-art outpatient 

cancer pavilion on Sarasota 

Memorial’s Sarasota 

campus. The facility, which 

will offer comprehensive outpatient 

cancer services, is 

currently under construction 

and slated to open in late 2025. 

Milman’s donation will be used specifically 

to support planning, construction 

and operations of the new pavilion which 

will house an expanded breast health 

center with the latest mammography, ultrasound, 

stereotactic and nuclear medicine 

technology. Additional services will 

Susan Milman 

include outpatient surgery, 

advanced HDR brachytherapy, 

radiation oncology, infusion, 

and diagnostic imaging, 

plus oncology physician 

practices and integrative 

care clinics. 

Milman’s interest in cancer 

services comes from observing 

first-hand the emotional 

and physical toll that leaving 

home for treatment had on her friends, and 

how difficult it is to coordinate care when 

physicians and services are dispersed, or 

not available locally. 

“I can’t emphasize enough how important 

it is to have a state-of-the-art cancer 

center with the support and compassionate 

care of a top-notch cancer team in our 

Goodwill Manasota president and CEO Donn Githens and 

Easterseals Southwest Florida president & CEO Tom Waters (back, 

holding sign together) with Art Initiative Program participants 

(from l-r) Denise, Ana, Patty, Shannon and Julie 

In attendance were Goodwill President 

and CEO Donn Githens and Easterseals 

President and CEO Tom Waters, as well as 

Brittany Swift, VP of Programs for Easterseals, 

and Pavitra Ciavardone, Director 

of Community Engagement and Strategic 

Partnerships for Goodwill. 

Many people with autism have some level 

of difficulty with verbal self-expression; 

some may be non-verbal or nearly non-verbal. 

Art can serve as a powerful outlet for 

self-expression, imagination, and creativity. 

Central West Coast Chapter of the 

Florida Public Relations Association 

community,” Susan says. “It will not only 

bring peace of mind to cancer patients and 

families but will also help advance SMH’s 

ability to develop new treatments and possibly 

cures for cancer. I hope others will join 

me in supporting this important initiative.” 

Together with her previous donation, 

Milman has committed over $21 million in 

total support of the Brian D. Jellison Cancer 

Institute. 

In recognition of this latest gift and to 

honor her family, Alan K. Milman, Natalie 

Kover Milman and Morris Milman, and Arthur 

and Fay Kover, the new facility will be 

named the Milman-Kover Cancer Pavilion. 

Community support will continue to 

make a difference at the Brian D. Jellison 

Cancer Institute. To learn more, visit 

smhf.org. 

The Central West 

Coast chapter of 

the Florida Public 

Relations Association 

(CWC-FPRA) 

has completed 

the first probono 

project as 

part of a new 

community guidance 

program, 

Mission Mavericks: Fly Far with PR. 

Mission Mavericks took flight in August 

2023 by opening up applications to 501(c) 

(3) nonprofits or for-profit companies in 

need of public relations guidance that 

had limited or no PR, communications, 

and/or marketing staff. At the end of the 

application period, CWC-FPRA had received 

interest from more than 30 organizations 

to participate in the program. 

The Mission Mavericks committee selected 

Children’s Guardian Fund as its inaugural 

recipient and began work in November 

2023. Due to the level of interest 

in the program, CWC-FPRA also invited all 

applicants to a networking event in December 

2023 to receive advice on some of 

their PR related issues. 

“The Mission Mavericks program 

helped fulfill our chapter’s aspiration 

and desire to better show up for the communities 

we serve,” said Hunter Carpenter, 

President-Elect of CWC-FPRA. “Our 

inaugural partnership with Children’s 

Guardian Fund was enriching for everyone 

involved, and we’re as energized as 

ever to explore further ways to be a local 

resource of PR expertise and guidance 

for organizations in need.” 

The Mission Mavericks committee 

held meetings with Children’s Guardian 

Fund to understand their PR challenges 

and opportunities and map out deliverables 

for the remainder of the program. 

These deliverables were presented to 

Children’s Guardian Fund in February and 

included: drafting press release templates; 

connecting the client with a CWC- 

FPRA member for a one-on-one virtual 

design and website redesign consultation; 

pulling a media list of relevant local 

outlets and contacts; and developing 

a human-interest story pitch around the 

recipient’s laptop drive initiative. 

CWC-FPRA anticipates conducting its 

second cycle for Mission Mavericks in 

Fall 2024. Visit cwcfpra.com for more information. 


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Fellowship: American College of Surgeons 

Age Management | Men's Health | Gynecology | Bio-identical Hormone Balancing | Strength and Conditioning 

Weight Loss | IV Therapy | Brain Health | Toxin Elimination | Digestive Health | Heart Health 

4905 Clark Road, Sarasota, FL 34233 941.926.4905 www.TheRenewalPoint.com 

Deb Spinner, APRN, MS, NP-C 

Board Certified Advanced 

Registered Nurse Practitioner 

Specialties Include: 

Gynecology 

Bio-identical Hormone Balancing 

Metabolic Weight Loss 

IV Therapy 

Family Medicine 


dining in 

This golden 

lemon cake 

is extra-moist 

and nicely 

tangy due 

to its fresh 

lemon juice 

glaze. Baking 

this cake in 

a Bundt pan 

turns it from 

everyday to 

special-occasion 

- like 

Mother’s Day. 

Cake 

Instructions: 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. 

Bake a Cake for Mom - or for Yourself

INTO REALITY FOR OVER A DECADE 

Women Owned 

& Operated 

WHO WE ARE 

Planet Stone continuously strives to be the area's premier 

Natural Stone countertop provider. Our Stone Squad is made up 

of exceptional individuals who take the extra steps needed to 

deliver top-quality results on schedule. The work we do is truly 

custom every time and every project is personal to us – because 

we know how important it is for you to make your vision a reality. 

Rated 4.9 on Google 

PlanetStone.com • 941-795-2800 

For more than a decade, our Planet Stone team 

has been serving the Bradenton & Sarasota area. 

As a women-owned & operated company, we 

are proud to be your trusted choice for all your 

stone needs. From kitchens to bathrooms and 

even outdoor spaces, we know how to make 

your vision become reality. In 2023, our team 

had the honor of being named the Platinum 

winner of SRQ Magazine’s Best of SRQ for 

the second year in a row, a competition voted 

on by our community and an accolade we 

don’t take lightly. Our stone squad is here to 

help you with your next home renovation project. 

Contact us today and Plan It at Planet. 

VISIT US AT OUR DESIGN CENTER AT 601 6TH AVENUE WEST • BRADENTON, FLORIDA 


Is independence in your own home your goal? 

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Erika Wise Borland, MA, Vice President 

Celebrating 

(941) 927-2292 

www.TakeCareHomeHealth.com 

info@takecarehomehealth.com 

Lic. # HHA 21657096 | 299991405 

Take Care is locally nurse and familyowned 

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28 

Personalized care in your own home has 

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Our Registered Nurse New Services team 

is ready for your call. 

Courtney Wise Snyder, MSG, CMC, President 

Years of Caring 

2022 

Community Voted Best Home Health since 2012

wcw MAY 5/24

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