December 1, 2024

Merry and Bright

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item,

This holiday season, gifts are taking on a different shape for me: not objects to be unwrapped, but moments of joy and generosity I wish I could crystallize and keep forever perfectly intact i…

November 1, 2024

In Darkness, Light

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item,

There is something hauntingly beautiful about the way the sun has shone so brightly in the days and weeks after Hurricane Milton made landfall right here on Siesta Key on October 9. Hearing bi…

October 1, 2024

The Ten Days That Changed Everything

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, Homepage - Blog,

Reports of what was then potential Tropical Cyclone Nine were first announced on September 17, and in the ten days that followed, that cyclone formed into Hurricane Helene and cut a path of de…

September 1, 2024

Lessons from a Slalom Ski: Falling and Getting Back Up

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, Homepage - Blog,

When I was a little girl, my father bought a used speedboat, and our family spent many summer days water skiing at the Lake of the Ozarks in central Missouri. If you’ve ever water skied…

July 1, 2024

Help for a Rainy Day

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, Homepage - Blog,

With the official start of summer, headlines abound with warnings of an especially active hurricane season, leaving many in our community bracing for uncertainty in the coming months. We ent…

June 1, 2024

Insights About Our Local Nonprofit Sector

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, Homepage - Blog, Community Indicators Dashboard,

While the 2024 Giving Challenge is behind us, the outpouring of support for nonprofits during that 24-hour online giving event still feels so compelling. Clearly, our community believes in the…

May 1, 2024

Numbers

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item,

One of the great joys and excitements of the Giving Challenge is the numbers. The ticker rapidly rolls for 24 hours, a mesmerizing sight. Many people find themselves fixated by the leaderboard…

April 1, 2024

The Power of One

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, The Patterson Foundation,

Many of us can look back and recall a person that had an enormous impact on our life. These special people may have been ordinary in many ways, but their kindness and generosity at a time when…

March 1, 2024

Moving Forward by Looking Back

By Blog, Roxie Jerde, Homepage Spotlight Item, Homepage - Blog,

I had the honor of attending the Historical Marker Dedication hosted by Manasota Remembers recently. Set on Fruitville Road at the Unitarian Universalist Church, the memorial commemorates the…