EdExplore SRQ Endowment funds critical to sustain student experiences

Locally and nationally, there is no shortage of data or stories demonstrating how students are excited by important concepts, retain complex information, gain new perspectives, and are better prepared for life when curriculum-aligned experiential learning is part of education. Connecting classroom learning to powerful experiences in the arts, culture, and science has endless, far-reaching benefits.

In Sarasota, The Patterson Foundation and Sarasota County Schools have already paved the way for excellence in connecting educators and parents to teaching artists and to eye-opening learning opportunities at local nonprofits through the web-based platform EdExploreSRQ.

The question mark for communities around the country around experiential learning is not one of value, but of sustained funding.

The role of philanthropy in education is ever-expanding, making creative, integrated approaches for our students and teachers possible.

Endowment funds provide our community sustained support in perpetuity for initiatives and for areas of impact that we cannot afford to lose as priorities shift in local and state budgets.

The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is proud to steward three new endowment funds to support EdExploreSRQ programs at Florida Studio Theatre, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, and the Sarasota Ballet.

With an infusion of support from individual donors to each of these organizations and matching dollars of $1.2 million from The Patterson Foundation, these healthy endowments will mean that generations of students at our public schools can access experiences that will make their lives richer, their education more complete.

Years after donors entrusted the Community Foundation with significant endowments, grants awarded from the funds have approached the original gift amounts that created the funds, while the value of the endowments have increased through wise investments.

The cumulative impact of endowing experiential learning experiences will be tremendous. Just imagine the reflections our educators, local nonprofit staff, and generous donors will enjoy twenty, fifty and hundred years from now. It is awesome to consider. Imagine yourself as a young man or woman who had a difficult start in life, now reflecting on how much more complete your education was because of a life-changing experience at Florida Studio Theatre’s Write a Play program, for example--introduced to you through a door opened by philanthropy.

One million dollars in matching support from The Patterson Foundation is still available to maximize donor investments in experiential learning, and gifts can benefit organizations or any concept listed on EdExploreSRQ.com. We invite you to be the one to make a difference.