BOARD CHAIR CORNER | Jeff Toale Happy New Year! I hope your 2025 holiday season was most enjoyable and filled with joy, hope, family, friends, and colleagues! Now we welcome the new year and all that it offers. Before we get into the new year, I would like to share the good news of the grand finale event of our 25th anniversary celebration, the Soirée at the Ranch! We made over $100,000 which put us in the position to grant $250,000 this coming year! Thank you again to everyone who made this event and fundraiser possible! In 2026, we have a number of exciting events and activities that will take place. We begin with Polo with the Pros on February 8 at the Sarasota Polo Club. In addition to everything polo, we will also announce and recognize the Junior Humanitarian of the Year. If you know of a high school student who embodies the spirit of philanthropy in their daily lives, please click here for more details. Also read about the prior year’s recipients in this newsletter – you will be quite impressed. Then explore the calendar section where all the upcoming exciting events and activities are listed and detailed. We hope to see you there! The Board Walk features our board of directors and in this edition, we will begin the new year with me. I am humbled to have this opportunity to share with you. The Builders Give Back program features Neal Signature Homes this month. Please read about this community pillar and view and enjoy the photos of their models. The Community Business Partners features Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center. They have been a great supporter of the foundation and served as a sponsor for the Soirée at the Ranch. You might also recognize the last name is the same as mine. Please read about this long-standing partner. We salute the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd quarter grant recipients this month and we wish them a prosperous new year. We will announce the 4th quarter 2025 grant recipients in the new year. We will hold the Recognition and Refreshments event March 5, 2026 at Gold Coast Eagle Distributing to recognize all the 2025 recipients! And now to the Dash Digest for a conversation with Dash, the turtle. Dash served as the mascot for the 25th anniversary celebration and made a huge impact where ever he appeared. Dash was present in his bow tie for the Soirée at the Ranch and he had a great time! Dash is going to retire now and is headed down south to enjoy the warmth and hang out on the beach! We wish Dash the very best and thank him for a great year and being our mascot! Now, let’s Open the Door… on a new year of opportunities, enjoy! 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. Events are posted on our website as details become available. 2026 JUNIOR HUMANITARIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD In 2023, the Junior Humanitarian of the Year Award was established. As with the tradition of the prestigious Humanitarian of the Year named after C. John A. Clarke, the Junior Humanitarian was created to honor a youth that embodies the spirit of philanthropy in their daily lives. If you know of a high school student who demonstrates this spirit, please nominate them. Nominations are open till January 19, 2026. In 2024, we honored Amy Kwakye-Amoah, an outstanding senior at the Out-of-Door Academy in Lakewood Ranch, along with two finalists, Brayan Hernandez-Valez and Marcela Hymes. The 2025 recipient was Cecile Visa. Cecile commented on humanitarianism, “It is important in a world that is so integrated now. A lot of people have stopped seeing the value of [humanitarianism]. Even the smallest actions can have an impact.” Among the ways Visa gives backs is her role as president of the Thunder Grant Committee, which awards funds raised during the school year to important student organizations. The 2026 Junior Humanitarian will be announced and then recognized and honored at the February 8th Polo with the Pros event. THE BOARD WALK – JEFF TOALE Born in Sarasota, Florda, I have seen Lakewood Ranch grow from a small neighborhood to the sprawling, active, and lively community we all enjoy today. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of South Florida, I completed my mortuary science degree at St. Petersburg College and now serve as vice president of business development at Robert Toale and Sons Celebration of Life Center in Lakewood Ranch. My greatest passion is helping families through difficult times by providing unique personalized experiences including celebrations. As I reflect on the success of the foundation over the last year, I could not be prouder of the hard work our team has put in and what we have been able to accomplish. Our events have been fun, entertaining, and successful as we have raised over $155,504 throughout the year. Our board has focused on guiding the foundation and through our dedicated committee work, we find ourselves in a great position to grow next year. Our executive director, Kate Mulligan, has been working tirelessly to put the Lakewood Ranch Community Foundation in the forefront of our beautiful community. Not to mention, we have been able to grant over $125,000 throughout the year to local nonprofits, thus improving our way of life in the Ranch. As we look forward to 2026, I can’t wait to start impacting our community. We will boldly increase our annual granting to $250,000 to local nonprofits. These funds are granted after nonprofits submit an application and then are vetted by our wonderful grants committee, who analyze the needs and assess priorities in the area. We already have a few events planned for early for 2026, so be sure to check out our events section on LWRCF.org. Please consider joining, supporting, or volunteering with us. I hope to see you throughout the year. Become engaged! –Jeff Toale BUILDERS GIVE BACK The Builders