BOARD CHAIR CORNER | Jeff Toale The summer continues to heat up and so does the foundation! We are continuing to celebrate our 25th anniversary and working to reach our goal of raising $250,000 this year. Please plan to be a part of this celebration and donate! Over the past two months, we have been busy with the board of directors orientation for the two new board members, and the soirée committee has been working on the development of the theme and program for the grand finale event November 13, 2025. The Soiree at the Ranch will be held at the Lakewood Ranch Country Club. See details in the newsletter and online. You do not want to miss this event! Lisa Lawler is our board member highlighted in The Board Walk. She is board secretary and a member of the executive committee. Lisa works at First Citizens Bank; please read her interesting article and get to know her. The annual meeting of the Builders Give Back program will be held in September at Williams Parker in Waterside and hosted by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. It is a time to recognize the builder members, present the financial results of the program, and share future aspirations for the program. The Lakewood Ranch Medical Center is our featured Community Business Partner this month. As many of you know the hospital is expanding with the new building and CEO Rob Anderson has written a letter. Please take time to read about the exciting growth of the hospital. This month we are featuring two of our first quarter 2025 grant recipients, Avenue 941 Inc. and Take Stock in Children of Manatee County. Please enjoy reading about these nonprofit organizations, the work they do, and the impacts they are making in our community! Make sure you finish the newsletter by reading the Dash Digest! Dash has been quite busy over the summer and wants to speak with you about its adventures, the Soiree at the Ranch grand finale event, and of course, donating to help us achieve our goal of $250,000 to close out our 25th anniversary! Jeff Toale Chair of the Board Calendar Soiree at the Ranch Grand Finale 2025 Headline Sponsor—Lakewood Ranch Country Club When: Thursday, November 13, 2025, 5:30-8:30 pm Where: Lakewood Ranch Country Club, 7650 Legacy Boulevard, Lakewood Ranch, FL 34202 This is the grand finale event of our 25th anniversary celebration and you do not want to miss it! It’s a formal attire event beginning with a reception and silent auction of unique and high-end items followed by a program and dinner. We will Open the Door… and welcome all our guests to this exciting event and recognize and honor the 2025 Humanitarian of the Year. You will enjoy a delicious sit-down dinner with all the trimmings along with wine at the tables and participate in a live auction. Sponsorship opportunities are now open; secure yours today by calling 941-208-6799. Mark your calendars now and more details are coming shortly. Events will be posted on our website as details become available. Read more THE BOARD WALK Featuring Lisa Lawler This month we feature board member Lisa Lawler. Lisa, who works for First Citizens Bank, is the secretary of the board and serves on the executive committee. I am a financial services manager for First Citizens Bank, where I get to meet with business clients and help them with all their business banking needs. What I love about what I do, is I get to meet all kinds of businesses from startups to those who have been in business for years. I get to do what is right for my customers as I have no incentive bonus structure, so everything I talk to my customers about is what is right for them, not because I get anything on the back end. I have an amazing team that works for me and I love going to work every day. I grew up in a really small town where everyone helped each other. Lakewood Ranch gives me that same feeling, which is why I wanted to get involved with as many nonprofit organizations as I could, but with so many, it was hard to choose. With the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation I get to help many. My husband and I love living here in paradise, we love to spend time on the water and support local businesses. Our son and his soon-to-be wife also live in Florida and our daughter and her husband live in Minnesota. If you are looking to get involved, this is a great place to start – that is what I did when I moved to Florida five years ago, and I have loved every minute of being a part of the LWRCF, starting on the Soiree at the Ranch event and grants committee to becoming a board member and now serving as board secretary. I look forward to this upcoming year and the years to come to see how we can continue to grow our foundation and our community. I know once you take a moment to learn about LWRCF, you too will not only open your heart but Open the Door… to donating and/or volunteering. BUILDERS GIVE BACK The Builders Give Back program is an initiative launched by the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation (LWRCF) along with Lakewood Ranch Communities and a selection of community’s premier builders. For every new home closing, participating builders make a donation to LWRCF in the new homeowner’s name. Lakewood Ranch Communities, the developer of Lakewood Ranch, matches each contribution. Each year we hold an annual meeting of the Builders Give Back program and this year it will be held in September at Williams Parker-Waterside and hosted by Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. With a “live here, give here” approach, the work of LWRCF is to support the nonprofits making a positive impact in Lakewood Ranch, as well as in Manatee and Sarasota counties. The Builders Give Back program allows new residents to