Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation

Holiday Greetings!

Our very own VYCCF committee member, P/C Merle Graser, is being honored at a Senior Friendship Centers event at the Club on Tuesday, December 17. Merle was instrumental in the founding of the Venice Friendship Center, an impressive facility on the banks of the ICW. The Center provides adult day service, caregiver resources and support, classes and education, resources for aging, a health clinic with medical and dental care, and much more! The VYCCF is a major sponsor of the event. If you are interested in joining the event, please contact Senior Friendship Centers.

A happy addendum to our Blues Bistro story! An anonymous donor came forth that evening after hearing the story of Our Mother’s House and donated $3,000 in a match challenge. Excitement reigned and an additional $3,600 was raised for a whopping donation of $6,600! This was in addition to our VYCCF $5,000 grant. Thank you to all who participated in the giving frenzy!

As we approach the holidays, something to ponder are the homelessness statistics reported by Gulf Coast Community Foundation, which has been working diligently for the past five years on this problem. In Sarasota County, the good news is the numbers of homeless decreased by 8.2 percent from last year.

While there have been improvements for families, other groups continue to fall through the cracks, such as 16-24 year-olds who are homeless. Many come from dysfunctional families or have formerly been in foster care. In many cases, they have no life skills or work experience. Gulf Coast has helped create a Youth Action Board and a drop-in center providing access to services and some subsidies for housing while these youth are completing their education. Additionally, thanks to our Club members’ generosity, the VYCCF has helped improve the homelessness situation with its support of organizations like Family Promise, JFCS, and Family Haven.

Finally, on behalf of myself and the VYCCF, I wish everyone a blessed and peaceful holiday season. May your days be merry and bright and spent with all those near and dear to you. Each of us has much for which to be thankful! I have so enjoyed writing this column and “being up close and personal with all the good” we can accomplish as a group!

With sincere appreciation,
Noni Lavelle

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updated: December 2019 Currents