Sara Hand Suggests

Raise your glass for education and ORT America.

The Gulf Coast Region of ORT America is hosting a Celebrity Bartending Fundraiser Jan. 12 at the Polo Grill and Bar, 10670 Boardwalk Loop in Lakewood Ranch, from 6-9 p.m.

Sara Hand, co-founder of BarCamp Sarasota, managing partner of SP Hand and Associates and president of the Gulf Coast Venture Forum Sarasota chapter will be an ORT America’s celebrity bartender. Others celebrities include former Sarasota Mayor Lou Ann R. Palmer, Josh Stone, meteorologist for SNN Local News 6, Carol Clark of Signature Sotheby’s International Realty and Manatee County Commissioner Robin DiSabatino.

Currently, ORT, which was founded in 1880 tsarist Russia, helps educate 300,000 individuals in 55 countries annually and has participated in providing humanitarian efforts since 1960. ORT programs include:

·         Kadima Mada — Science Journey – which has transformed how math and science is being taught in the poorer, disadvantaged schools in Israel’s northern and southern regions. ORT brings in the computers, the science equipment and — most importantly — the training for the teachers to make a difference. And what a difference? Matriculation rates are up in just a few years.

·         ORT’s three colleges in the United States have helped students and immigrants from more than 40 countries learn job skills and careers to become productive citizens.

·         Project Kesher, which has helped 11,000 women of all faiths, many of them single moms, learn skills to help them get better paying jobs. When you help a single mom, you are helping their children.

ORT’s humanitarian efforts include several projects in Africa, many of which are operated by ORT International Cooperation in collaboration with the United Nations, the US Agency for International Development, Swiss Aid, the World Bank and other entities. ORT programs include:

·         A multi-year program in Chad to provide technical assistance and training to improve agricultural techniques and animal breeding for a group of Chadian farmers.

·         An extensive range of training courses in South Africa to improve employability in disadvantaged sectors of society. It also works with the Jewish communities to provide teacher training in technology.

·         An HIV/AIDS ORPHANS project in Namibia that focuses on vocational training for orphaned children and is linked with on-the-job skills training via partnership with small- and medium-sized enterprises in a number of cities and towns.

There is no cover charge for the Jan. 12 event. You buy your own food and drinks in the lounge and all the tip money goes to ORT America. It will be a big party for people to have fun and help others. There will be a DJ, raffle and a silent auction, which so far includes jewelry, massage, bio-feedback session, etc. You can support ORT and your favorite celebrity  by coming out to the Polo Grill on Jan. 12 and tipping generously or you can go online to  Ort America.org  -  and scrolling down to click on the red headline that reads, “Click Here to Support Your Celebrity Bartender.”

For more information about the event, you can email Andrew Polin  at apolin@ortamerica.org or call him at 541-501-2090.