- January 14, 2025
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As Lakewood Ranch continues to grow, so do the needs of the people who live in it.
Children need access to food, school supplies, tutoring, structure, scholarships, support and special care.
New parents need educational classes and diapers.
And those with disabilities or medical challenges might need financial aid and access to programs that help them deal with their challenges.
That’s where the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation lends a hand.
The LWRCF awarded 20 grants Dec. 4 to local nonprofits that help in-need residents in all walks of life.
The foundation celebrated a year’s worth of giving back at a Refreshments and Recognition event at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing during which it announced this year’s grants and honored its Humanitarian of the Year, Heather Hackett — founder of Local Relief, Inc.
“With the growth of the community, you can forget that there’s a human element and there’s needs that are happening because of the momentum of the influx of people,” said LWRCF President Mark Clark. “It's all of the socio-economic things that everybody assumes nobody needs help with in Lakewood Ranch.”
The LWRCF had a big year in 2024 thanks to generous donations and growing partnerships such as Builders Give Back, Community Business Partners and Friends of the Foundation.
The youth of the community was a focus this year when it came to grants.
The Mark Wandall Foundation will use its funds to send four children to the Comfort Zone Camp – a place for kids aged 7-17 that helps deal with the passing of a parent or guardian.
Sisters Sowing Seeds received its grant to help support 10 high-risk young women at Braden River Middle School who have to navigate life through poverty and traumatic events.
Manatee Children Services received financial aid to help transport 40 foster children in Lakewood Ranch to continue attending their school of origin.
And the list goes on.
“It’s very important for collaboration, teamwork and serving kids early,” said Tom Waters, CEO and president of Easterseals Southwest FL, which received funds that cover the gap of $1,000 per autism diagnostic evaluation for 25 children whose families reside in Lakewood Ranch. “These grants are critical. I was just talking with the board members about the diagnostics and the technology that can diagnose autism at 18 months. There’s very few in the country that have that. It’s going to help a lot of children and families here in Lakewood Ranch.”
The process for determining which organizations receive grants is thorough and calculated.
Board members and volunteers of the community meet quarterly to review grant applications and each one is rated on a numeric scale to narrow down the options.
Then, the foundation pores over all aspects of the organization, including budgets, social media profiles and the feasibility of stated goals.
“We go in order with the grant that received the highest score and make sure they’re meeting the criteria,” LWRCF Executive Director Kate Mulligan said. “That they’re local to Lakewood Ranch, that we feel like they’re serving either a large number of people or having a great impact on a small number of people, and that we feel that the organization can fulfill that program.”
Mulligan was recently appointed to her position in September, and she didn’t have much time to settle in before Hurricanes Helene and Milton impacted the area.
Seeing the challenges that many locals were facing, the LWRCF decided to use its Quarter 4 grant money for a hurricane relief fund.
Three organizations — Feeding Empty Little Tummies, Sarasota Manatee Association of Riding Therapy and Habitat for Humanity Sarasota — each received $10,000 to aid in crucial repairs needed after the busy storm season.
“I reached out to nonprofits in the community and said, ‘What are your needs?’ Two days later, we had a board meeting and voted on getting those funds,” Mulligan said. “The next day, I hand delivered checks, so there was money in hands as it was needed to people who had an urgent and critical need related to the hurricane.”
The theme of hurricane relief continued with one of the final announcements of the night, the 2024 C. John A. Clarke Humanitarian of the Year award.
Hackett developed a social media app called Local Relief that helps people find information and resources before, during and after disaster strikes.
“I did sporting event management, and I learned that anxiety for people really comes from a lack of information,” Hackett said during her acceptance speech. “My whole goal was to over-inform and put all of that information together, and the idea for Local Relief was born.
“I didn’t want to just fix disaster for one disaster at one point in time for one area. I wanted to fix disaster for every type of disaster in every area and make sure no one is left behind and everyone has a place to go for that type of information.”
Anyone who wants to donate to the LWRCF, volunteer to help its efforts, or apply for a grant can do so at lwrcf.org.
