A Gift of Appreciation to Create New Connections

In May of 2019, the School Board of Sarasota County recognized, honored, and celebrated the contributions of The Patterson Foundation during a school board meeting.

Chris Renouf, executive director of elementary schools for Sarasota County, lauded the commitment of The Patterson Foundation to strengthen individuals, organizations, and the community.  Mr. Renouf pointed out the learning and sharing opportunities made possible by EdExploreSRQ, a platform that has brought experiential learning to more than 300,000 Sarasota County students since its inception in 2012. He praised The Patterson Foundation’s involvement in creating the EdExploreSRQ endowment at the Community Foundation of Sarasota County ensuring continued access and equity for student explorations.

Dr. Denise Cantalupo thanked The Patterson Foundation for its vision in supporting a full-time data technician position to strengthen data collection and analysis so continuous progress can be tracked in areas that are supported by SCGLR. The funding of this position allowed for the creation of District Data Interactive Dashboards, which are accessible to the general public. Dr. Cantalupo stated that these dashboards have become valuable tools for administrators, educators, parents, and community members, reducing what once was weeks of work to a few simple keystrokes.

Mr. Renouf continued the presentation by saying, “These are just two of the many valued projects that The Patterson Foundation has engaged with the school board over the years….words alone cannot begin to express the heartfelt thanks and the true feelings of gratitude we have in our hearts today. The value, the connections, the impact that The Patterson Foundation’s contributions have made are truly priceless.” Mr. Renouf and a team from Sarasota County Technical College, including student designer Stone Satterlee, then unveiled a gift to honor the work of The Patterson Foundation, a prototype of an information rack that will be displayed in every Sarasota County public elementary school media center.

This uniquely designed information rack will serve as a permanent reminder of The Patterson Foundation’s continuing commitment to learning, sharing, and building connections while providing valuable information to administrators, educators, and parents about the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.