A Selby gentleman, lady, and scholar

Last week, I had the pleasure and the honor of participating in the William G. (the gentleman) and Marie (the lady) Selby Foundation annual Selby Scholar Symposium, held at Michael’s on East.

The Symposium is an annual event that connects “mentors” from the community with “scholar” students from the local school systems who are attending college in Florida and beyond. The Foundation helps these students with scholarships — which is tremendously important, but also connects them with people from their own community who work or volunteer in fields that relate to what the student is studying.

My Selby Scholar was a lovely — beautiful, in fact — very bright, poised young woman named Alexis who graduated from Riverview High School, and is studying Journalism and Political Science at UCF.

This is the second year I’ve been asked to participate in the program and I love it — it’s so rewarding to sit with a young student and listen to his or her hopes and dreams and then give them ideas, advice, pointers, and my special “don’t make the same mistakes I did” mini-lecture. Alexis was very gracious when I chattered on and on — I told her as a freelance writer I don’t get away from my ball and chain at-home computer too often so when I do — I talk … a lot!

There was a tremendous crowd at the event — I was seated with BIZ941 Editor Susan Burns, Mayor Kelly Kirschner and City Manager Richard Bartolotta (luckily, this was a few days before Kirschner gave Bartolotta a poor grade in the City Commissioners’ annual review session).

Organized by Selby Foundation President Dr. Sarah H. Pappas (along with an incredible support team who helped her pull the large event off without a hitch — and amazingly, given the big crowd, mid-day schedule, and people coming from all over the area — started and ended on time!) the event also raised several thousand dollars and collected a sizable donation of food goods for All Faiths Food Bank.

Other familiar faces included Williams Parker Attorney Dan Bailey, Chef Derek Barnes, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Prez Diane McFarlin, Architect Guy Peterson, CAP “Brandtrepreneur” Sam Stern, Janice Zarro, Exec Director of The Women’s Resource Center, and Ringling Pres Larry Thompson. And that’s just a smattering of the many, many talented folks from the community who signed on to mentor the young people who — who knows? — might wind up in their mentors’ shoes some day. Literally there was everyone from medical examiners to school principals to pharmacy owners, to artists, professors, bankers, construction industry bigwigs, and nurses.

Keynote speaker was Beverly Alter who gave us fascinating insights into the differences between generations of workers in the current workforce — a 22 year-old working with a 63-year old is going to have dramatically different expectations, desires, and context for interaction and vice versa. Was especially helpful for me because one of my biggest clients has a workforce of over 350 people — some who think email is an archaic communication tool, some who think Twitter is for nitwits. Since I help that company communicate internally — it was a lot of food for thought.

Overall, the Symposium was an incredibly productive event that wasn’t just “feel-good” — it was “do-good” on so many levels — for the scholar students themselves, the hungry in our community, and for the mentors who got to spend a little part of their year helping others begin their young, ambitious climb up the ladder of whatever kind of success matters to them most.

And none of it would have been possible without the original gentleman and lady (the Selbys) whose generosity way back when is still fueling dreams and realities in the millennium.

Morning — and a New Year — has broken

New Year’s Day was beautiful … and day two of 2011 isn’t too shabby either.

She’s baaaack! Reality Chick is back — in the Sarasota Herald Tribune

What a way to end a year … and start a new one!!

When the announcement came earlier this month that the Creative Loafing newspaper publication was closing up shop and the Sarasota Herald Tribune was taking over its branding rights, I smelled opportunity … opportunity to return to my roots and get back to writing in a style more akin to my old “Reality Chick” days at the Pelican Press.

Reality Chick is back!!

I’ve enjoyed the last month or so of writing the After Hours column for the TICKET section of the H-T — heck, I finally forced myself to get out and have some fun –but my interest, and I think my strength, lies in writing observational essays — columns — about what’s going on around my town. People, places, events, the zeitgeist of our little corner of the world. Luckily for me, when I pitched the idea to the editors — they agreed!

That new column starts today — it’s called Sense and the City and it will be my weekly “reality” take on whatever’s topical or at the top of my admittedly sometimes “Sideways in Sarasota” perspective.

In this week’s column I touch on Sarasota Mayor Kelly Kirschner, the Second Line street gang, and Sarasota’s semi-obsession with dirty dancers. I hope you’ll check it out at Sense and the City.

This is all actually a huge deal for me personally. I haven’t had a regular, weekly opinion column in a newspaper since May 2008 and I’m thrilled to be back writing the beat I know best.

If you like what you see in Sense and the City, don’t hesitate to let the editors know — it’s always helpful for them to know whether writers have a healthy readership or not — you can send an electronic LTE by clicking here.

Thanks for sticking with me as readers — whether I was in print or online — and I hope you enjoy this new column!!
HAPPY NEW YEAR, INDEED!

Homeless in Paradise — Kim Hackett’s continued reporting on that slender thread that separates the housed from the homeless

Sarasota Herald Tribune reporter Kim Hackett continues her reporting on the homeless living on our greater Sarasota County backlots — with her excellent second article in her series — Fire Threatens Homeless Surviving in Paradise.

Here’s a quick excerpt — but you’ve really got to read both articles (see my post from Sunday, December 19 for the first of this two-part series).

“Pirates Cove stands apart from most homeless camps in the region for its longevity and its amenities. The improvements came along with diminishing hope that the residents would be able to get out of the woods anytime soon. Discarded plywood turned into an all-day project to build an outhouse. Tents have been added and reinforced with tarps. A defunct Kenmore refrigerator, donated by a preacher, doesn’t keep boxed potatoes and rice cold, but does keep away the raccoons.”

Homeless in Paradise — Sarasota H-T Reporter Digs Deep for Story on Regular Folks Living on the Edge

If you missed Sarasota H-T Reporter Kim Hackett’s front-page story in today’s paper — Homeless in Paradise — just click on the hyperlink in the article title name and read this compelling and superbly written investigative piece on people living on the fringe of our society.

Brava, Hackett.

New Year — new yoga-inspired beginnings & benefits!

My yoga instructor Gary Halperin is offering a 4-WEEK BEGINNERS YOGA SERIES. I wrote about Gary a week or so back because I can’t believe the difference incorporating yoga into my weekly schedule is making in my overall life — so I’m on a bandstand lately about the benefits of yoga.

Anyway, the beginners classes are Mondays January 10, 17, 24, and 31 9:30 to 10:30 am at The Radiance Center, 2868 Ringling Blvd., — the corner of Ringling and Tuttle, in Gold Tree Plaza. And it’s only $40 for all those classes — you do have to register and pay in advance (see below). (more…)

Stan Zimmerman’s report: $148 million spent on economic development

If you missed Stan Zimmerman’s report in today’s Pelican Press newspaper — about the $148 million, 148 MILLION DOLLARS, FOLKS, that Sarasota County has spent in the past two years on economic development give-aways, incentives, tax breaks (I just call them BRIBES, and always have, though those are strictly my words, not Stan’s) — anyway if you haven’t read his report, I think it’s required reading.

You can find it in the current issue of the Pelican Press or read it here online: $148 million spent on economic development. (more…)

Girls gone wild — Sarasota Style

In my After Hours column in today’s TICKET section in the Sarasota Herald Tribune — I offer my opinion on what one thing you must do tonight — if you want to have fun — check out the girls (and boys) gone wild members of the Lazy Fairy Improv group —

Girls Gone Wild -- a few members of the Lazy Fairy Improv

I also dish the dirt about the mousy martinis at Hyde Park; and I take a swipe at Sarah Palin.

You can read my column on page 7E in print; or click here: MC’s Must-Scene

So, long Creative Loafing … updated

Looks like the Sarasota Herald Tribune had a hankering for Creative Loafing’s ginormous (relatively speaking) database of online users.

Sarasota Herald Tribune Licenses Creative Loafing Sarasota Brand

I just read the paper — newspaper, Sarasota H-T and it says the licensing deal is for one year, and that CL ceases publication tomorrow. — That’s sad, it’s been around a long time.

I quit writing for Creative Loafing earlier this year — in May I think it was. Just never could get the editors to work with me on frequency of appearing in the paper. They only wanted a contribution once a month, and for a columnist, it just doesn’t work well in terms of building and connecting with an audience or for having any kind of groove going.

MC Coolidge in today’s St. Pete Times opinion pages!

Yippee!

Back in ’92, I remember working briefly as an intern at the Concord Monitor newspaper in New Hampshire and hearing about the St. Pete Times and the Poynter Institute back in my home state of Florida. The St. Pete Times was talked about almost as the holy grail for newspaper hounds like myself. And, now, a gazillion years later, I’m super happy to be appearing today in that paper’s opinion pages in the Pinellas edition of the paper.

You can read my guest column online at The Pen is Mightier than the Email, Tweet, and Text or in print if you live in the Pinellas County area.

It’s a big thrill, and an honor, to appear in my home state’s largest newspaper, which also happens to be one of the most respected print publications in the country.

If you read the column and are so inspired, you can post a comment and/or write a letter to the editor at http://www.sptimes.com/letters/ letting them know that you like (or dislike — though I hope not!) seeing a local writer from Sarasota in their pages. Who knows? — maybe someday they’ll be inspired to have a regular “weigh-in” in their pages from a Sarasota writer!

This column also appeared in yesterday’s Sarasota Herald Tribune op-ed pages — I’m always grateful to appear in my hometown paper — and of course, it would be a long-held dream come true to have a weekly print opinion column in those local pages — but until that happens, I’ve got to keep trying to land work in any and all print pubs!

Oh, well, got to run — headed downtown to find the St. Pete Times!