It’s no secret that COVID-19 has changed everything. From the way we greet each other, to the way we organize our lives around new realities, to the way we gather...
When COVID-19 closed schools in the spring, it also shut down a primary food distribution channel for Brighter Bites, a nonprofit organization that stocks elementary school pantries with nutritious food...
As I am confronted with the social upheaval in the wake of the inhumane killing of George Floyd, the most recent in an abhorrent series of unjust deaths and devastated...
Like so many Southwest Floridians, I’ve been remotely working from home, as the Southwest Florida Community Foundation stands with all those striving to balance health and safety while remaining efficient...
There is a great deal of talk these days around adaptability. Personal, professional, business, government and healthcare adaptability are top of mind as we navigate the pandemic in all aspects...
Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) Lutgert College of Business has organized the following two Virtual Panel Presentations happening this week. The detail information about these panels are included in the link...
These are anxious times. COVID-19 has impacted global and local communities and disrupted our everyday lives in ways large and small. As we work together to adjust to quickly changing...
Our world has changed, collectively and individually. Last week I was walking around Collaboratory and missing the energy of people meeting and connecting in the building. If I am honest,...
This column is difficult for me to write as it hits close to home. My birth year of 1963 places me on the cusp of the baby boomer generation, and...
When we envisioned the design of Collaboratory as a regional resource to champion the social, economic and environmental sustainability of Southwest Florida, we were very intentional that it be much...
Recently I attended a round table formed to discuss and explore aging in place in Southwest Florida. As our nation and community approach what has been coined the Silver Tsunami,...
Last month there were a plethora of announcements that ushered in 2020 trends. Fashion, music, food and technology gurus all kick off the year with predictions and proclamations of what...
Over the last few weeks, hundreds of volunteers have walked through the doors of Collaboratory. The space doesn’t provide direct services to individuals so volunteering here takes on a different...
Today Southwest Floridans gathered around tables in their homes, office break rooms, restaurants, parks and coffee shops to share a meal and time together. People love to eat and connect,...
In honor of Southwest Florida’s celebrating the genius of renowned winter resident Thomas Edison, join me in a fun brain-teaser. What do the numbers 223,898, 1,093 and 82 have in...
Last week I conducted an impromptu, unscientific survey. I asked most everyone I came into contact with how they were feeling. I got a few quizzical looks as I think...
Fresh starts, clean slates, new beginnings, and turning the page are all sentiments attached to New Year resolutions. The beginning of a new year provides a calendar driven opportunity to...
I’ve always been intrigued by television programs and news articles that look back at past decades and propose overarching themes that seem to characterize them. The 1920s were “roaring,” the...
I am a data geek and believe that a commitment to measuring and evaluating progress is key to a strong strategic business plan. I am always filled with hope and...
Recently I heard the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Bill Peduto, speak on the culture of collaboration in his City. Pittsburgh is a big-time sports town, so he used a striking sports...
by the team of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation Nearly 8 years ago, Sarah Owen initiated her own personal listening tour when she took the helm of the Southwest Florida Community...
Each summer I turn over this column to the Southwest Florida Community Foundation’s nonprofit grantee partners. These are organizations who have received funding, made possible by donors, to support change-making...
by Sarah Owen, president & CEO, Southwest Florida Community Foundation I have a 3-hour limit. I don’t turn into a pumpkin, but anything longer than 3 hours in a car and...
These six words have become a theme in my life. This summer I have tried to be more intentional about taking the time to get together with friends and colleagues...
In a lineup of nearly identical sea life drawings, one of the pictures seemed a bit out of place. I always looked forward to picking up my youngest child from...
The low hum of homework grumbling has been a backdrop of my life for a least 20 years. On the journey of raising three kids, there are bound to be...
by Caroline Ridgway, Special to Florida Weekly You know it’s a worthy celebration if both cake and social good are on the agenda, and the Southwest Florida Community Foundation knows how...
Recently I had the honor and privilege to say a few words of love and remembrance at the Celebration of Life for Kappy King, a beloved wife, mother, friend, philanthropist...
Floridians learn to be creative in marking the seasons. Since nature does not provide the obvious clues in the form of fall foliage, snow days and cherry blossom blooms, we...
I have always been perplexed by people who become upset with inanimate objects. Someone who stubs their toe and is mad at the table, or unattended burned cookies become the...
The Southwest Florida Community Foundation hosted friends from the Battle Creek Community Foundation for the Inaugural C3 Luncheon, Calhoun County Connections. Community Foundation CEOs Sarah Owen, of Southwest Florida, and...
The wheel starts shaking, the car slows down, rubber is flying, and it takes just a few seconds to realize that an extended stop on the side of the road...
It wasn’t easy to jump into the fray of all the fundraising pledges happening under the tent on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, but leave it to a strong,...
As a rule, I like to look at the things I have rather than the things I don’t. Focusing on gratitude can be a life-changing experience. I am fortunate in...
The first cup of my vacation coffee was bitter and full of grounds. As my family planned a week of high adventure, going as fast as they could down mountains,...
During this month of “love,” I am pleased to share a love poem to the community written by residents who joined the trustees and team of the Southwest Florida Community...
For the past year I have been wearing a simple gold ring in the shape of a circle. It isn’t an infinity sign, but the continuous circle serves as a...
For nearly 30 years a woman I never met has been whispering in my ear every time I sit down to write. Sometimes she shows up in everyday conversations as...
Talking and writing about generosity and philanthropy in the month associated with love should come easy. By definition philanthropy is the love of humanity, and maybe that is all that...
The woman sat awkwardly on the folding chair outside the dark office of a small business, continually checking the posted hours of operation and the calendar housed on her phone. Without...
I have long resisted the urge to use the phrase “huddle up everyone” in a team or staff meeting. As a lover of all things sports and team building, I...
In middle school I joined the band and learned how to play the flute (sort of). Most students gave the band a go as we grew up in an era...
If the weather in Southwest Florida dips below 60 degrees I pull out my winter wear. Coats, sweaters, scarves, tights and boots all emerge from my closet and I am...
It has been four years since I sent a family holiday card. Around October my expectations and intentions reach a pinnacle and I believe that a festive greeting and a...
On one of our many corporate transfers, my family found themselves in Daytona Beach for a few years. Anyone who has lived the life of moving every couple of calendar...
I just returned from a series of meetings and a conference in New York City. I was traveling solo most of the week which provided me plenty of alone time...
I knew it wouldn’t be long before someone asked me about ghosts. When the Southwest Florida Community Foundation recently moved into our new home, Collaboratory, we were following in the...
When I was a kid there was a corny saying that worked its way into conversations whenever someone said something that rhymed. I am guessing most of you have uttered it at...
There are certain times it is not wise to search for information on the internet. I am reminded of this every time I google an unknown medical symptom, or the...
I work alongside a team member who likes to ask “there are no bad ideas, right?” before she launches into an idea generating session at the office. I find myself...
