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Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation
Charting a course to a better community…
Message from the Chairperson:
Updated May 2025
Dear Venice Yacht Club Members:
We are forever grateful for your ongoing generosity. Without the help of Venice Yacht Club members, family and friends, we would not be able to help so many local organizations.
In 2025 we have been able to increase our budget to $170,000, including the VYBA pass through donation from VYC. Already in the first grant cycle, we are donating $76,000 to 15 local organizations. The second grant cycle is now under way, and we have received grant requests from 25 nonprofits. After the voting is complete, these grants will be presented during the summer, up through the end of our fiscal year, October 31, 2025. Each year we receive first time grants applications from organizations we have not donated to before, this year two of those groups are: The Neuro Challenge Foundation, dedicated to providing support and guidance for those who are afflicted with Parkinsons disease. And Sarasota Bay Watch, providing educational and marine science opportunities to young volunteers, helping to keep the Gulf healthy! The 8th Annual Bike/Walk Ride for a better Community was a tremendous success! The weather was just perfect, and the club welcomed close to 300 volunteers, riders, sponsors and club members back for a great breakfast following the ride and walk! We raised $110,000! We also presented three grant cheques in the amount of $5,000 to: All Faiths Food Bank, Our Mothers House, and Children First. A big thank you to everyone who participated, we could not hold this event without the help of the VHS JRMROTA cadets, as well as support from the Venice Police Department. And without our fearless event chairs, Dave Slaman, Steve Bieglecki, and Steve Selbo, who have worked on the bike ride for almost a year ahead, to ensure a very successful event!
On April 17, we had our ever-popular Jazz Under the stars event, and as usual it was sold out! It was a perfect Venice Yacht Club evening, with a clear night sky! We had a wine grab, in addition to a wine basket auction. Thank you, Kyle Brooks, for donating some extraordinary bottles of wine and champagne! We presented two cheques that evening, one to Special Operations Warrior Foundation, and the second to Good Samaritan Pharmacy & Health Services. Thanks to our VYCCF Event Chair Karla Olsen, and co-chair Joi Nemke, and the event committee, the evening was perfect. The decorations, food and the music by The Savannah Brady Trio were awesome!
In the fall, we look forward to the first ever, Jimmy Buffet “Parrot-Head” party on Saturday October 11. This event was originally planned for October 2024, but we had two back-to-back hurricanes that closed the club. Therefore, postponed for a year, this party will be a knock-out evening most certainly! And we are grateful to have the same event chairs and team in place. So please put this VYCCF event on your calendar, because it will be a sell-out evening, which fantastic food, music and fun!
Sincerely,
Sylvia Hollister – 2025 VYCCF Board Chair
Together we are Charting a Course for a Better Community
More information to come...Our mission is to “mobilize the collective goodwill of our community, to improve the lives of our neighbors, including those who are most vulnerable”.
Your 2025 Volunteer VYCCF “Committee of Leaders”
Sylvia Hollister, Dave Slaman, Haydn Fusia, Sandy Welch, Fran Jeffrey, John O’Donnell, Joi Nemke, Kevin Collins, Pamela Phildius, Barbara Isaacson, Noni Lavelle, Barbi Richardson, Beth Piel, Anne Van Cott, Cherie Major, Karla Olson, Kimberly Spearman, Joyce Mierzejwski, Steve Selbo, Linda Kwasny.
Please feel free to reach out to any of these committee and board members with questions regarding projects and programs of the VYCCF.
Dear Fellow Club Members:
Thank you to all who helped make our April 17 Jazz Under the Stars such a success! As one of our Charitable Foundation’s main fundraisers of the year, we are pleased to announce that the event, as well as the Wine Grab brought in more than $7,000.00. These funds directly help us support so many wonderful organizations here in our community. Special thanks to Karla Olson, this year’s event Chair and her Co-Chair, Joi Nemke, for the endless work they did to ensure such a successful and worthwhile evening!
Speaking of these worthy organizations, we are now reviewing the second cycle of grant applicants and will be making decisions on these in the coming weeks.
One new recipient in the first cycle was the Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s. Founded in 2008, this non-profit aims to enhance life for Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers. More than 3,000 people across SW Florida, in Sarasota, Manatee, Pinellas, Highlands, Marion and Charlotte Counties benefit from the group’s personalized approach to care advising, referrals, and the many support groups as well as educational events and therapeutic programs they offer. The annual symposium held in partnership with Sarasota Memorial Health Care System features presentations from renowned experts and reaches a capacity crowd of 500 each year. Steve Selbo, a fellow Club member and member of the VYCCF, serves as the ambassador to this organization and was recently on hand to award the $5,000 grant.
“In my first year with VYCCF, it has been my pleasure to serve as ambassador to Neuro Challenge. Jennifer Bitner and the team do a wonderful job in the Parkinson’s community, and I look forward to working with them over the coming years,” says Selbo.
Looking ahead: On October 11, our Foundation will host its first-ever Parrothead Party (a Jimmy Buffet tribute event)—it’s bound to be an early sell-out, so be on the lookout for more details!
From left to right: Haydn Fusia, VYCCF Chair & Board Director; Jennifer Bitner of the Neuro Challenge, Steve Selbo VYCCF Committee Member
Appreciatively,
Barbi Richardson, VYCCF Currents Editor
Please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VeniceYachctClubCharitableFoundation/
updated: May 2025 Currents
Dear Fellow Club Members:
We were a sea of pink and green on Feb. 16 as more than 230 riders and walkers headed out into the Florida sunshine for the Club’s 8th Annual Ride or Walk for a Better Community! News Flash: This highly anticipated event has been renamed to the Annual Ride or Stride for a Better Community, starting next year when our 9th annual event will take place on Sunday, February 15. Many thanks to all the VYC members and their family and friends as well as our many neighbors from the community that we all call home who participated. Let’s not forget our Club staff, the Venice High School ROTC cadets and Venice PD who all help make this such a resounding success year after year!
Final funds raised (thanks to our participants, participant sponsors and our event sponsors) was $110,000.00 … an “Event Best Ever!”
Top Team awards went to Beleza Bikers $12,500.00, Hoosier State of Mind $11,300.00 and Best of Boat Worlds $9,535.00.
Top Individuals awards went to Maria Pelliccia $6,725.00, Marty Zachrich $4,000.00, and Michael Nemser $3,700.00.
Our second grant cycle has started and the VYCCF will soon have many applications from deserving local charities to evaluate and award. We will keep you informed in upcoming Currents columns.
Reserve now! Our next fundraising event is our “Jazz Under the Stars” on Thursday, April 17. This is always a sell-out! This year we will have a local Florida jazz ensemble, The Savannah Brady Trio, performing.
Exciting opportunity: The VYCCF is in search of a new committee member or two - hopefully one with some writing/PR skills! Please contact Dave Slaman at (248) 318-0167. It’s a great way to contribute to our community as well as to get to know other Club members better!
In Appreciation,
Barbi Richardson, VYCCF Currents Editor
Please follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/VeniceYachctClubCharitableFoundation/
updated: April 2025 Currents
$1,352,325
| Venice Yacht Club ~ 1330 Tarpon Center Drive ~ Venice, FL 34285 ~ Phone: (941) 488-7708 Copyright ©2025 ~ All Rights Reserved |
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