SEASON OF SHARING: Heidi Smith

Each week, the Sarasota Observer will feature a different donor who is involved with Season of Sharing, an 11-year, community-wide fundraising partnership created by the Community Foundation of Sarasota County. Donations to the Season of Sharing fund may be made by check or credit card, payable to the Community Foundation of Sarasota, or online at www.cfsarasota.org. For information, call 955-3000.

Growing up in an Army family, Heidi Smith’s constant moving might have helped her gain a broader picture of the world, but it didn’t give her the opportunity to put roots down in one community.

Since settling locally in 1989 and opening a public-relations business in 1999, Smith has focused her work in the Sarasota-Bradenton area, where she advises clients on the value of being intentional when choosing how to give back to the community.

“I advise clients to identify what they personally care about and to seek out organizations that are financially responsible and efficient and that have measurable impact on the cause the client has identified,” says Smith, president of Heidi Smith Communications Inc.

Last year, after 20 years in the public-relations industry, Smith realized she had failed to take her own advice.

“My giving was all over the place, and although it made me feel good, I couldn’t tell you what impact it had on the causes I care about,” Smith said. “Then I learned about Season of Sharing.”

Her primary attraction to Season of Sharing was its focus of helping those most in need locally, with 100% of the proceeds going to actual services. Because both the Manatee and Sarasota Community Foundations are involved in managing the fund, coupled with a match from the Patterson Foundation, Smith felt confident that her contributions would be properly managed and have a meaningful impact.

“It’s important to reinvest in Bradenton and Sarasota,” Smith said. “Although I have also selected a global disaster relief organization, ShelterBox USA, as a primary cause, my local commitment is to the Season of Sharing.”