Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation

Dear Fellow Club Members:

2023 exceeded all of our expectations! Our Club’s Charitable Foundation received more than 200 donations from yacht club members, their friends and families, and we thank you all for your generosity! Your kind gifts allowed us to provide support and needed services to 26 different organizations in the Sarasota area.

The 2024 grant cycle has begun, and we have already started to receive grant requests from many area nonprofits.

We look forward to a successful 2024, starting with the special wine auction in January, followed by the February 18 Ride and Walk for a better community! What a great beginning to the year!

This month we are highlighting NAMI, another wonderful organization VYCCF supports—with YOUR help!

NAMI (The National Alliance for Mental Illness) of Sarasota and Manatee counties offers support to families and those individuals affected with mental illnesses. Millions of people are affected by mental illness and this number grows exponentially when one factors in families, friends and caregivers of those suffering.

It is estimated that 1 in 5 adults experience problems with mental illness each year, with 1 in 20 having a serious mental health crisis. In the young population, it is hardly any better with 1 in 6 experiencing a mental health disorder yearly. By the age of 14, 50% of all lifetime mental illness begins and by age 24, 75% are manifesting symptoms. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for those 10-14. And the numbers within the veteran populations are staggering.

NAMI was established in the late 1970s around a kitchen table in Madison, WI, and is now one of the nation’s leading voices advocating on mental health. Today, NAMI boasts 600 local Affiliates and 48 State Organizations who work in communities to raise awareness and provide support and education that was not previously available to those in need.

Here in Sarasota and Manatee Counties, NAMI helps more than 10,000 residents annually suffering from mental illness and their families. This help might take the form of support groups, finding specific resources, helping with legal and medical resources and any aspect of life which is being negatively impacted by the individual’s mental health.

“Mental illness is like a cancer of the mind,” says Barbara Isaacson, VYCCF’s Ambassador to NAMI, “and I am honored to be a part of this wonderful organization.”
~ Barbara Isaacson, Venice Yacht Club’s Ambassador to NAMI

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updated: December 2023 Currents