Sarasota Student Pays It Forward
You’ve heard of the butterfly effect — the concept that a butterfly fluttering its wings a half a world away can set into motion a series of events that results weeks later in a hurricane off the coast of Florida. But the butterfly effect can also describe happier circumstances of cause and effect. I heard of one such example recently — about a young Sarasota woman, a 2009 graduate of Sarasota High, named Grier Ferguson. Click here to read the full story in my Dec. 20 Sense and the City column
Merry Holidays? Happy Spending! What do you think we should say?
Last Thursday I was reading, as I do each day, the letters to the editor section of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune and came across a Letter to the Editor about whether or not people should say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays.
Should we be saying Happy Chanukah too? Maybe Season’s Greetings instead? Maybe we should go with Happy Christmas? Or would we be better off saying, “Happy Black Friday Shopping!” ???
You can read the letter to the editor by clicking here (the link should take you directly to the letter I’m talking about but if not, just choose page four!)
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20111215/LETTERS/111219785/2163/OPINION?p=4&tc=pg
After you read it, or even without reading it, share your opinion here with a quick blog post!
All Faiths Food Bank MC Readers Drive Update — $2,565 Raised!
Thanks to everyone who took the time to donate to the MC/Ticket All Faiths Food fundraising drive in November. At the end of the Thanksgiving drive, All Faiths had received $2,565 from “Sense and the City” readers. That’s the equivalent of 4,071 meals provided to hungry men, women and children in our community. I can’t thank you enough for participating.
Total raised over the past several years by readers of this blog, my former “Reality Chick” column, and my current Sense and the City column? — $13,879! That’s something over 22,000 — TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND! — meals for people in need.
Bravo, brava and merci mille fois!!!
MC’s Guide to Make It Merry in December!
Bare-breasted women not required!
You can read it online here: MC’s Guide to Making it Merry in December.
Holiday Etiquette 101 — RSVP ASAP
If you’re planning a party for the holiday — or if you’ve received invites to mistletoe merriment, you may want to read my annual rant about the fact that people just don’t RSVP anymore!
In the TICKET — found in news boxes throughout the city today for free or online at:
Homes … and Toys … for the Holidays
Jim and Janna Konke of Venice have adopted eight children: (front, left to right) Shawn, 8; Mariah, 6; Kayla 5; Lillian 3; and Zegan 4. Back left to right: Luke, 12; Jim and Janna Konke, and newly adopted Hollister, 2, being held by new big sister Natalie, 19.
It’s also about what you can do to help children without “forever families” this holiday season.
If you’re interested, you can click on the link below to read online … or check it out in tomorrow’s TICKET in the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Don’t miss this event! Community Leaders & Gov Officials Take to the Stage to Benefit the Homeless
Officials hamming it up during the 2009 luncheon.
Written by local playwright Kathryn Chesley, “Thanksgiving with Lucy Ricardo & Friends” will be performed during the luncheon on Wednesday, November 23rd, 11:45 am to 1:00 pm, in the First Baptist Church, 1670 Main Street, Fellowship Hall. Everyone is invited to this no charge, free luncheon theater.
The all star cast for the play will include Sarasota County Commissioner Carolyn Mason and Sarasota NAACP President Trevor Harvey as TV’s Mr. and Mrs. Jefferson, Commissioner Joe Barbetta and Selby Foundation President Dr. Sarah Pappas as Honeymooner’s Ralph and Alice Kramden, Sarasota School Board Commissioner Caroline Zucker and Sarasota City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo will be Lucy’s neighbors, Ethel and Fred Mertz. Of course, as in many past performances, the anchor, County Commissioner Jon Thaxton will return as Honest Abe Lincoln along with Wendy Hopkins, recently retired from the Sarasota Community Foundation, as Mrs. Lincoln.
The Reverend Dr. Tom Pfaff, who serves as Chair of the Sarasota Ministerial Association as well as Chaplain-Director of Goodwill Industries Manasota, said “The hope for this benefit is to directly bless our community’s leaders and homeless citizens by celebrating Thanksgiving side-by-side eating and laughing together. We figure everyone ought to be able to cry and cackle with Lucy while enjoying Thanksgiving turkey with all the trimmings.”
A Free-Will offering will be taken, and 100% will be given to the Sarasota Salvation Army to benefit their Thanksgiving Day meals for our community’s homeless. The 40 plus member Sarasota Ministerial Association will be inviting the homeless and others they serve and the public to come and celebrate thanksgiving together.
All Faiths Fundraising Update … 148 Thanksgiving dinners so far!
All Faiths Food Bank MC Coolidge Sense and the City fundraising drive update:
All Faiths told me on Thursday that we’ve already raised $1,780 through donations from readers! That’s 148 Thanksgiving dinners with all the trimmins’ — for families of four or so …Thank you so much! The drive continues through Thanksgiving. Click on this link below if you’d like to know how to participate.
http://www.mccoolidge.com/2011/11/03/mc-reality-ticket-readers-annual-all-faiths-food-drive/
Observer-ations about the erstwhile Pelican Press
Readers still write to me in emails about “what’s happened to the Pelican Press we used to love so much!?” And just recently, a reader of this blog posted his consternation about the ways he perceives the paper has changed.
Click here to read what this longtime reader of the Pelican Press has to say.
Sarasota Audience Gives Blues Fest its Soul
My Sense and the City column in today’s Sarasota Herald-Tribune looks at last weekend’s Blues Fest. My take? It’s the audience that makes this concert rock.
You can read it in today’s TICKET section or click below to read it online.
Sarasota Audience Gives Blues Fest its Soul