BOARD CHAIR CORNER | Jeff Toale Happy Valentine’s Day! We want to share a heartfelt thank you to all our supporters for 2025 and hope that you will continue your generous giving of time, talents, and treasures with the foundation in 2026! To share the love we have for our community, we are holding a raffle for a “date night” package that includes a $150 gift card to Ocean Prime Sarasota, two tickets to Florida Studio Theatre, and a bottle of premium champagne. Tickets are $20. Please click on this link to buy your raffle tickets now! There is a limited number of tickets and sales conclude February 8. Good luck! Also in February will be our first event of the year, Polo with the Pros! We are extremely pleased to have Williams Parker Attorneys at Law and Northern Trust as our major sponsors again this year! February 8, 2026 will be an exhilarating and captivating afternoon with a polo match at the Sarasota Polo Club. Starting with a champagne toast, a delicious luncheon will be served all afternoon while you enjoy the speed, skill, and elegance of polo as the professional players take to the field. In addition, we will be recognizing and honoring the Junior Humanitarian of the Year! So come and join us, tickets are limited, click here to order yours! And while buying your event ticket, add a raffle ticket or two! Please explore all the upcoming events the foundation will be hosting and mark your calendars to attend. This month The Board Walk features Keith Pandeloglou. Keith is currently the foundation’s VP and also serves as human resources chair. He will be stepping into the board chair position in June of this year. He brings a great deal of experience to the table and we look forward to having him take the reins. Please read his article and get to know him. The foundation thanks the Builders Give Back builders with heart felt appreciation for their support and encouragement. Please see the article and we look forward to yet another great year with the builders! Our Community Business Partner that is featured this month is CoworkLWR. This main street business is owned by our board member Keith Pandeloglou, please read about the beneficial services they offer to our business community. And our featured third quarter Grant Recipient is Neuro Challenge Foundation for Parkinson’s. Please read about the great work they are doing in our community. Let’s Open the Door… on this upcoming exciting year of events and activities to help achieve our vision and mission! Join us and share of your time, talents, and treasures! Jeff Toale Chair of the Board Donate Now Polo with the Pros Sunday, February 8, 2026 Read more. Recognition and Refreshments Thursday, March 3, 2026 Read more. Casino Night at Gold Coast Thursday, April 2, 2026 Read more. Golf Tournament at Calusa Country Club Friday, May 8, 2026 Read more. The Soirée at the Ranch 2026 TBD Events are posted on our website as details become available. FEBRUARY VALENTINE RAFFLE Valentine’s Day is coming up fast and we have a great raffle to help you win over your loved one! The winning ticket receives $150 at Ocean Prime restaurant in Sarasota, two tickets to any Florida Studio Theatre production in 2026, plus a bottle of premium champagne! You may buy tickets online and you do not have to be present to win. Winner will be notified if not present at the Polo with the Pros event where the winning ticket will be drawn on February 8. JUNIOR HUMANITARIAN AWARD WINNER The Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation established the Junior Humanitarian Award in 2023 in the same light as the Humanitarian of the Year Award started over 20 years ago by C. John A. Clarke and bears his name. The Junior Humanitarian Award honors a youth who embodies the spirit of philanthropy in their daily lives. Tom Bergerat is our winner this year and he definitely portrays this spirit! Tom was born in France and moved to the United States in 2017 from Canada. Despite learning English as a second language, he is a standout student who is taking all honors and AP courses. He is hoping to study at Princeton University. A student at Out-of-Door Academy in Lakewood Ranch, Tom is co-leader of the school’s Advanced Chamber Orchestra, where he performed at the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation’s Soirée in November 2025, and volunteers in many other organizations on and off campus. Tom has received multiple district and state accolades as an actor, musician, and theater director. He has studied piano for over 10 years and plays on the soccer team. Tom said, “Giving back to your community does not have to be something huge like curing cancer, but small things that make someone else happy at the end of their day, can go a very long way. To me, giving back to your community is genuinely being there to help anyone who needs it.” THE BOARD WALK – KEITH PANDELOGLOU This month we feature Keith Pandeloglou, currently the foundation’s vice president and HR committee chair. Keith brings a great deal of experience with Lakewood Ranch as he is the executive director of LWR Community Activities. Please read about Keith and get to know him!  As Lakewood Ranch continues to grow, I’ve been reflecting a lot on the role that community plays in both business and life. That’s why I’m honored that this July I’ll be serving as the incoming chair of the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation. The foundation plays a vital role in supporting programs and initiatives that strengthen our community through philanthropy, volunteerism, and meaningful local partnerships. I’ve had the privilege of working alongside an incredible group of board members who care deeply about the future of Lakewood Ranch, and I’m excited to help guide the foundation’s work in this next chapter. My involvement with the foundation closely mirrors how I spend most of my professional time in LWR – helping to create a community where people feel connected, supported, and empowered to grow. Whether it’s through community events, entrepreneurship, service, or