10th annual Giving Challenge for nonprofits set April 15-16
The Community Foundation of Sarasota County will host its 10th annual Giving Challenge beginning at noon on April 15 and ending at noon on April 16.
The Giving Challenge, a 24-hour online giving event, connects about 750 nonprofits in Sarasota, Manatee, Charlotte and DeSoto counties with donors to create enduring community impact. Gifts made during the challenge are strengthened by The Patterson Foundation, which will contribute a 1:1 match for donations between $25 and $100, per donor, per nonprofit.
Over nine previous challenges since 2012, more than $92 million in unrestricted funding has been raised for local nonprofits. Of that total, The Patterson Foundation has contributed more than $37 million.
For more information, including a list of “Pop-up Giving Stations,” visit givingchallenge.org. For a history of the Giving Challenge, visit givingchallenge.org/info/history More information is also available at cfsarasota.org and thepattersonfoundation.org/giving-challenge.html.
City of Sarasota celebrating Earth Day with tree giveaway
City of Sarasota residents are invited to a tree giveaway and sustainability event on April 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at The Bay, 1055 Blvd. of the Arts.
The event – in celebration of Earth Day as part of The Bay Park’s Good to Be Green Months at The Bay – will provide an opportunity to select one of 200 free trees provided by the city while supplies last. Proof of city residency will be required. A valid Florida driver’s license, ID card, or city utility bill will be accepted.
Residents can choose from 10 species of juvenile trees: live oak, orange geiger, southern magnolia, royal palm, crape myrtle, green buttonwood, winged elm, sycamore, Hass avocado, and mango. Trees will be available on a first-come, first-served basi. City arborists will be on-site to provide guidance, including caring for a tree.
A representative from the Sarasota’s Sustainability and Resilience program also will be available. In addition, attendees can stop by at noon for Earth Day remarks by City Commissioner Jen Ahearn-Koch, who will talk about past, present and future sustainability initiatives.
Trees were paid for by the city’s Tree Mitigation Fund, which collects a portion of tree removal permit dollars to be used for urban canopy programs.
Manatee Clerk’s Office to host free document shredding event
The Manatee Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller will host its spring Clerk’s Community Shred Day on April 18 from 9-11 a.m. at the Manatee County Fairgrounds, 1402 14th Ave. W., in Palmetto.
The free drive-thru event allows people to safely dispose of personal documents containing sensitive information and destroy hard drives removed from computers or laptops. Documents can be brought in any container.
Accepted items include personal documents with sensitive information; old tax returns, W-2s, and 1099 forms; bank statements, cancelled checks, and credit card statements; social Security cards, birth and death certificates; medical records; insurance policies; plastic credit cards and expired IDs; and hard drives (must be removed from devices).
“Our fall Community Shred Day showed that there’s a great need in our community for this type of event,” said Angel Colonneso, Clerk of the Circuit Court & Comptroller. “This spring, we’re ready with even more capacity so more people can safely dispose of their personal documents.”
Community Shred Days is held twice annually – once in spring and once in fall. For more information, visit ManateeClerk.com or call 941-749-1800.
Around and about
· The Sarasota Police Department is hosting a Spring Fest on April 14 from 5:30-8 p.m. at SPD Headquarters, 2099 Adams Lane, with free food, live music, a junior SWAT obstacle course, face painting and more. SarasotaPD.org.
· The Sarasota County Tax Collector’s Office is adjusting service hours at select locations in April to accommodate installation and training for new equipment. North Port: April 15, opening at 9:30 a.m. Venice: April 10, closing at 2 p.m.; April 15, opening at 9:30 a.m. Downtown and Midtown Sarasota: April 15, opening at 9:30 a.m. Info: SarasotaTaxCollector.gov.
· Wellen Park in North Port will host a Family Fun Day on April 11 from 4-9 p.m. featuring carnival games, music, a mobile gaming lounge and fireworks over Grand Lake. Info: 941-960-7805, wellenpark.com or visit the Welcome Center (12275 Mercado Drive).
· The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe will present a free performance of “Alligators & Flamingos” for school-age children at The Bay (1055 Blvd. of the Arts, Sarasota) on April 11 at 11 a.m. Registration: thebaysarasota.org/event/westcoast-black-theatre-troupe-alligators-flamingos.
· The Walk to Defeat ALS Sarasota is April 11 at 10 a.m. at Payne Park. Registered participants who raise $100 or more will receive a commemorative T-shirt. Registration/info: als.org/WalkSarasota.
· “The Healing Mirror,” a documentary from Second Heart Homes, will premiere at the Sarasota Film Festival on April 17 at 2 p.m. at Ringling College Morganroth Auditorium. The film follows residents of Second Heart Homes in immersive poetry workshops led by Sarasota-based poet Cedric Hameed. Visit SarasotaFilmFestival.com for tickets.
· The eighth annual JoshProvides Interactive Dinner and Auction fundraiser is April 15 at Michael’s On East in Sarasota. Tickets, sponsorships: joshprovides.org/upcoming-events or Monica Caldwell at info@JoshProvides.org or 800-706-2740.
· The Sarasota-based Climate Adaptation Center will host its 2026 Hurricane Season Forecast Day on April 23 at USF Selby Auditorium (8350 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota) with the outlook focused specifically on the Suncoast. Tickets, info: tinyurl.com/4f3fmcw3.
Submissions by Kristen Theisen, Cooper Levey-Baker, City of Sarasota, Jennifer Linzy, Rabbi Elaine Rose Glickman, Genevieve Judge, Erin Murphy, Emily Ford, Sharon Kunkel, Helen Ng, Monica Caldwell, and Bob Bunting.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Community Foundation hosts 10th annual Giving Challenge April 15-16
Reporting by Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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