- March 14, 2025
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Living at Cascades of Sarasota comes with many perks.
The “active adult community” has a near endless array of amenities to choose from. There is not one, but two kilns on site to fire pottery.
But some amenities are less tangible than an artist’s oven or a resort pool, such as the laughs and camaraderie that come with being a member of the Women’s Club at Cascades of Sarasota.
During the club’s annual installation of its new leaders Feb. 4 at the Peridia Golf & Country Club, members read aloud the “Pledge of Friendship.”
“We come together in fellowship. Our hearts are filled with thanksgiving. We celebrate homes and the community from which we come. May we return to them richer in mind and heart. And may enduring friendships be formed. For we remember — there are no strangers, just friends who we have yet to meet.”
When newly installed president Susan Braunstein moved to Cascades from New Jersey eight years ago, she didn’t know a soul. She met another member of the club playing tennis and has at least 119 friends now.
The community is made up of 453 homes, so about a quarter of the community is represented in the club.
“Most of us are retired women who like to have a good time,” Braunstein said.
However, the club is as charitable as it is social. Usually, the two endeavors are intertwined.
Instead of simply raising $3,500 to donate to the American Cancer Society, the women participated in the nonprofit’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk at Nathan Benderson Park in December.
Members are currently organizing a carnival for April 5 to benefit Girls Inc. In addition to carnival activities set up on some of the athletic courts, there will be corn hole and round robin tennis tournaments for the entire community.
The club’s donation will go toward scholarships for the after-school and summer programs Girls Inc. provides.
The nonprofits that benefit vary from year to year. The common thread is that the majority of nonprofits supported by the club serve women and children.
Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee is an exception in that it serves everyone. Each year, club members get together to pack shoeboxes full of goodies for the Holiday Shoebox Collection before Christmas.
“We put little presents inside the shoeboxes — hand creams, mirrors, all kinds of little things,” Braunstein said. “This might be their only gift for the holidays.”
Last year, the group also donated “barrels of food” before the summer break and made a $500 cash donation.
The Food Bank of Manatee, which is operated by Meals on Wheels, runs a summer program called Food4Families that distributes bags of food in areas where most students rely on free lunches during the school year.
"We are so grateful for the tremendous support we receive from our community," said Maribeth Phillips, president and CEO of Meals on Wheels. "We rely 100% on the support of the community to meet the needs of those turning to us for assistance, and we appreciate each and every donation."
Braunstein said the goal is to introduce different nonprofits to club members. While the club doesn’t continue to support the same charities year after year, sometimes individual members do.
After learning more about the Women’s Resource Center, a couple members signed up to be mentors.
“We’re very proud of what we do as a small group,” Braunstein said. “We really reach out to the community.”
While Cascades is its own tight-knit community, the club is all about exposing members to what lies outside their gates.
Co-first vice presidents, Joanne Byrne and Stefanie Fine, set up speakers for the monthly luncheons. Upcoming speakers range from a representative from Town Square, an adult day center, to Rick Piccolo, the president and CEO of the Sarasota Bradenton International Airport.
They also explore together. Instead of a monthly meeting in June, the club will be headed to the Asolo Repertory Theatre for a private tour.
“We’re part of a community, so we feel we should give back to that community,” Braunstein said. “But we like to do fun things, too.”
