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SCOPE
Our community focused on our future
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| Greetings! | |
I am currently reading a book about a guy who spends five summer months a year for each of the past eight years in a fire tower in New Mexico. I have struggled with what draws me to this idea. Is it the romance of being so isolated from others or the idea of self-reliance? Those probably are a part of it. But I have come to think that it is also something about the need to replenish, restock, refill. In this case the author sought the refuge that works for him - solitude and nature.
How does one get refilled when five months on a fire tower are either not practical or totally unappealing? How does one find the solace that each of us needs to be effective or competent as a parent, a professional, a care-giver or any of a number of hats/roles we can or must play? When you return to your block at the end of a day, do you feel a sense of connectedness and wellbeing with your neighbors that embraces you? Is there a way to be diverted from the struggles by hangin' with the kids or other people you know? Even better, are there people to whom you can turn to find support and maybe even solutions.
Research tells us that, even though we know that such connections make for a more successful place, they just don't exist as much as we'd like them to. We turn largely to family for such support. That's not bad - it's just not enough.
The restoration of community is both complex and not touchy-feely. It is concrete and community changing. Most jobs are secured through connections with friends or family. Networks - real live connections rather than virtual ones - generate a quality of life that is measureable: higher test scores in schools, less crime and better health.
I am not announcing an event or a nifty study or new data. This stuff matters and we care about the "starting conditions" that enable it. That's where I hope SCOPE can be engaged.
Tim Dutton
Executive Director |
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1226 N Tamiami Trail Sarasota, FL 34236 tel. 941-365-8751 fax 941-365-8592 |
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A Community Celebration |
SCOPE's 10th Anniversary & Boundary Crosser Celebration
You are warmly invited to join in celebrating our community and the volunteer leadership of Diane McFarlin. We hope to see you there.
Thursday, June 23, 2011 5:30pm - 7:30pm Michael's on East 1212 East Ave S, Sarasota
$25 pp
Join "Circle of Friends" with a gift to SCOPE in Diane's honor $125 Thanks to our Presenting Sponsor The Community Foundation of Sarasota County with Lee Wetherington Foundation
Media Sponsors Herald-Tribune Media Group SRQ Media Group - our exclusive magazine media sponsor
Interested in supporting this celebration of community and local leadership? Sponsorships are available, contact Suzanne Gregory. |
| I & R Senior Resources | |
 Just released! The Healthcare Workgroup has published their resource list of local I & R services for seniors including the website links for easy access!
View the resource list or the full report here
The Healthcare Workgroup is a citizen-led group formed from SCOPE's Winter Forum on Aging and its Continuing the Conversation efforts to continue our community's dialogue and action around healthy, vibrant aging. |
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Institute for the Ages in Gulf Coast Business Review | |
Check out an article in the June 3, 2011 edition of Gulf Coast Business Review about the Institute for the Ages.
The Institute for the Ages has a new website. Check it out here. |
| Community Data 2.0 - Rebooting in Process.... | |
On May 19, people of Sarasota County came together for
Community Data 2.0 - A Community-Wide Rebooting.
I65 people from a variety of neighborhoods and sectors met to: review local community data-related efforts of the past decade, consider emerging innovations, and begin a "rebooting" process to identify qualities of well-being that now matter most in our home community.
Click here to read about what emerged and what's next... |
| Internships Available at SCOPE | |
Interested in a summer internship at SCOPE? If so, please contact Dr. Allison Pinto at apinto@scopexcel.org or (941)365-8751. High school and college students as well as other adults are welcome to apply.
Who wants to help with the Institute for the Ages data development? With the 2010 Census and many other resources at our fingertips, we can start to generate valuable syntheses about our community and the state. The Sanford Center for Aging does some of this with its Elders Count newsletter. Take a look here to see what they've done. If this appeals to you, let's talk. Email Tim Dutton at tdutton@scopexcel.org.
As you know, SCOPE is a community engagement organization. There are national foundations and state and federal initiatives that may find what is going on here worth their attention. Who wants to become the resident expert at scanning the web and learning more about the opportunities for partnering with organizations/funders outside our county? Contact Tim Dutton at tdutton@scopexcel.org |
| Data Byte: FundRaise Takes off Here In Sarasota County | |
With Mitt Romney coming to town for a fundraising event on June 16th, it might be interesting to see what the political donor landscape is like here in Sarasota County. The Huffington Post has created an interactive map that makes it possible to see which residents and businesses of our own community are contributing to the presidential race and more. Click here to access this cool tool, and check out our BLOG to find out more. |
| We Still Got it....! | |
Back in 2000, the U.S. Census reported that Sarasota County was the #1 large county in the United States with regard to older adults. Our county had the highest percentage of residents age 65 and older among large counties. Recently, data on the age distribution of the U.S. population was released by the 2010 Census. Is Sarasota County still in the #1 spot? Find out by checking out our Blog. |
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Thanks to SCOPE 's Corporate Partners |
2011 Corporate Partners Their support of SCOPE's mission reflects their belief in the power of active citizens working together to make Sarasota County an even better place to live, work and play.
Platinum - Herald-Tribune Media Group
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| SCOPE Supporters | |
Thank you for your recent gift to SCOPE:
John Annis, Hope & Paul Byrnes, Greater Satasota Chamber of Commerce, Debra Jacobs & Bill Buttaggi, Layton & Company, Inc, Sarah Pappas, Alice Rau, Red Moon Solution LLC, Sarasota Convention & Visitors Bureau, Katherine Silverberg, Jane Smiley, Truitt Consulting Inc.,Marsa Truscott & Martin Hurwitz, Williams Parker Harrison Dietz & Getzen
Thank you for supporting SCOPE's core mission:
City of North Port, City of Sarasota, City of Venice, The Community Foundation of Sarasota County, Roskamp Foundation, Sarasota County Government, Town of Longboat Key, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation. |
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