Inaugural Launch of Democrats Care Campaign – Investing in Newtown
For several years the Democratic Club of Sarasota has held our September meeting in Newtown to raise awareness, to recognize the incredible leadership in the community, and to continue to strengthen relationships.
Last year we cancelled the event due to Hurricane Irma and we came to our membership and asked that you donate the money you would have spent on the luncheon toward the purchase of grocery store gift cards to help Newtown residents replenish their refrigerators after days with no power. Your response was overwhelming, and we raised over $5,000.00 and partnered with organizations in Newtown to distribute the cards to those who needed them most.
Our board was inspired by this. We realized that it is great to come together for a meal and to hear encouraging messages, but we asked ourselves “How much more powerful is it to make an investment in the people of Newtown?” Our answer was to launch our “Democrats Care” campaign and to seek out notable people and organizations in Newtown to invest in.
Please see below for details on the groups (Greg Cruz, Kuttin’ Up, and SOAR) which we have chosen for this inaugural year. If we were inviting you to a luncheon at $28 each, we know many of you would sign up immediately. So please consider making a donation anywhere from $25 to as much as you feel inspired to give, that will be equally distributed among them all.
We recognize that we are providing a lot of material for you to read, but in this age of so much discouraging and downright horrifying news, the stories below will bring a smile to your face and act as a reminder that there is good in the world. Let’s be a part of that! Please donate today! Show that Democrats care about our community! .
Please make your donation by using the form below, or mail a check payable to DCS to: P.O. Box 51076, Sarasota, FL 34232.
100% of your donation will be split equally among our three featured organizations. Donation deadline is September 7th.
Greg Cruz, Social Justice Activist and Community Organizer, Father and Mentor.
Greg Cruz is known in Sarasota and Manatee Counties as a staunch advocate against racism in our institutions. He has organized protests to draw attention to unjust police shootings of people of color and had fought for the removal of confederate statues in Manatee County. When hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico, Greg didn’t just watch the devastation on TV. He took action. Working with the Mutual Aid Disaster Relief Fund in Tampa, he organized the collection of supplies in the Sarasota area, and travelled to Puerto Rico to provide boots on the ground disaster relief and to help distribute over 4 tons of food, tarps, water and baby supplies. For the past several years, he has worked with local organizations to provide back to school backpacks and school supplies to needy kids and kids in foster care.
Recently through Greg’s organizing, over 1500 back to school backpacks and supplies were distributed in Sarasota and last year at Christmas his toy drive shared toys and new bikes to over 1000 children. This summer Greg held his 3rd Annual Stop the Violence Picnic at Payne Park in Sarasota. Because Greg believes that when we build community we can end senseless hate and violence, he solicited donations that fully funded free food, games, activities, entertainment, and music. Greg has also partnered with Allen Mestel on the Streets of Paradise campaign with a two-fold mission of bringing public awareness to the homeless crisis in Sarasota and to provide grassroots support and initiatives to end it.
Kuttin’ Up
Kuttin’ Up owner James “Knockie” McKelly was recognized this year by the Sarasota NAACP with a Men of Valor award for his reading program, Barbershop Book Club, formerly Gifts for Grades. With help from Maureik Robison and working within the school system, James stocks his shop with age appropriate books and students are encouraged to stop by and read. With James’ help, students practice reading skills, then log the reading hours into a computer at the shop. The student’s reading progress is monitored at school and reported back to the Book Club. Children earn Barbershop Book Club incentives of their choosing for improved test scores.
The Barbershop Book Club supports K-8th grade African-American, male students in the Sarasota Manatee community in increasing literacy development and academic achievement.
And for James, it’s not just about reading, James and the other barbers act as mentors, talking to the kids, listening to their concerns, and leading by example to help these children transition from childhood to adulthood. James also works with other local community groups to provide free haircuts at Back to School and other community events, and recently hosted Democratic voter registration drives at the barbershop, including hosting a stop on a barbershop tour in Sarasota for gubernatorial candidate Andrew Gillum.
SOAR Learning Center Has a Proven Track Record in North Sarasota and Newtown
SOAR Learning Center was officially established in 2004 as an after-school community-based education program through which these at-risk students K-3 could achieve grade-level reading and math skills— in partnership with parents, schools and the community itself. Prior to that, the founder of the program, Ms. Jacquelyn Paulk, a Sarasota schools’ public teacher for 38 years, had been organizing and implementing after-school programs at Head Start Programs, Boys and Girls Clubs, the Sarasota Housing Authority and churches. Her record of success with these students lead community leaders to formally launch SOAR.
SOAR is a highly specialized education program through which student deficiencies in core skills are uncovered, analyzed, and then remedied through customized learning plans in cooperation with parents, teachers and in alignment with the District Schools. Because of this focused approach and collaboration SOAR has been positively impacting our children’s educational outcomes for more than a decade. At SOAR Learning Center, over 95% of program participants successfully enter and graduate from High School. One of our earliest graduates, Ms. Aliya Cunningham, will be entering Yale University this fall.
Most exciting of all, SOAR Learning Center will be a true model program. The vision of its founder and Board is to share the program, its philosophy, curriculum and approach with teachers and educators from all over, and hopefully spawn many such programs throughout the community.
On May 1 of this year, SOAR Learning Center, located in the heart of Sarasota’s Newtown community, began a new chapter in its mission to help our community’s precious students make that crucial jump to reading readiness. On that day, the program celebrated a formal groundbreaking ceremony for its newly expanded classroom facility and campus. This was a significant milestone for SOAR, its students, and the entire Sarasota community.
With the support of the Greater Hurst Chapel AME church, a variety of community leaders, and a group of local donors, the program will expand from a 930 sq. ft. building to a 3000 sq. ft. facility and campus. The expansion enables the program to build on its history of success while establishing a strong footing for the future. The campus—which will bear the name of its founder, Mrs. Jacquelyn P. Paulk—will contain four classrooms, a library, kitchen, multi-purpose homework/ media room, an enclosed courtyard and open activity areas. The target date for opening the center’s doors is December 2018. The center will provide an ideal environment for dynamic student learning, teacher/ tutor training, and parent and community programs. Please visit their website at www.soarlearningcenterinc.org.