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.

Who would have thought that after two years I would still be as enamored of my Xtreme Lashes® eyelash extensions  as I am?

As a community leader with several organizations: BarCamp Sarasota, Gulf Coast Venture Forum and the Suncoast Technology Forum as well as the mother of two active teens; life is busy. Stopping every three weeks for an hour for a fill for my eyelash extensions might seem like a big time commitment to some.

However at the Sarasota Women’s Council of Realtors recent fashion show event, the reason I do this was obvious. Another busy day: getting ready for my conference where I am expecting 300 people, taking care of details for my upcoming move, putting out fires for a client and off to the fashion show. Great dress, great shoes and ready to go? No! Didn’t stop to put the makeup on before I left.

Barefaced and off to one of Sarasota’s fashion events of the year. I have a few items in my bag; I’ll just duck into the restroom at the Polo Grill and freshen up. Forget that. I never make it past the foyer and vendor area. However, I got more comments on how great I look than I can remember.

Sarasota Women's Council of Realtors 2011 Fashion Show photo Cliff Roles

One thing, in addition to extreme colors as one of the fall fashion statements – natural is in. The other is a full new set of eyelash extensions from the day before. AND for conservative me, I am going with not only my black lashes but with one of the hottest trends in fashion – colored lashes. Do blue and black lashes make my eyes stand out? Do I look like I am sporting this natural look in makeup and doing it well? I decided not to worry about touching up. I enjoyed the luncheon, met some great new people, saw some friends and did it barefaced with lip gloss.

If you are in the Sarasota area and wondering if eyelash extensions are the latest weapon in your fashion arsenal, check out A Lash Above  and chat with Beverly Katzenberger, Certified Xtreme Lashes® stylist and RN.

A thank you to Beverly who was a sponsor and also treated two of the models to eyelash extensions.

For more beautiful pictures from the event and photographer Cliff Roles check out the Sarasota Herald Tribune album – Spotted.

BarCamp Sarasota Event Detail Flyer 

BarCamp Sarasota Sponsor/Partner Details Flyer

BarCamp Sarasota, where the hottest conversations in technology and business happen, is a grass-roots business, technology and education movement that supports entrepreneurs and small business people in Southwest Florida – from Tampa Bay to Naples. BarCamp Sarasota is one of the largest and fastest growing entrepreneurial support groups in the state, and we provide access to over 2500 members of our social networks.

BarCamp Sarasota Lunch and Learn: More than one way to page one

Community interest is high for our events, and we would like to provide you with a special opportunity to support business growth within our community by sponsoring our events for the last half of 2011. Coming up this fall, BarCamp Sarasota is holding its fourth “un-conference” event on Saturday and Sunday, October 15 & 16, 2011 at the G.WIZ Science Museum in Sarasota. We have monthly Lunch & Learn events at the Mad Crow Brewpub in Sarasota on the 3rd Friday of the month, and social events at Shakespeare’s Pub every 1st Thursday. All our FREE community events provide an opportunity for sponsors to connect with our membership to share conversations on a variety of interesting topics.

How is it possible that membership and all BarCamp Sarasota events are free to attendees? Unlike other community groups that charge attendees, BarCamp Sarasota depends on our sponsors to provide money and resources to run events. Sponsors support services such as the venue costs, attendee lunches and snacks, t-shirts, marketing materials and banners, event signs, website management, and other operating costs.

Benefits of sponsorship, depending on the level chosen, include displaying your logo on our event

Joy Randels Spring 2011 Conference

 banners and conference t-shirts, your company logo and business listing on our website with multiple links back to your site to help increase your SEO results, business name included in press releases, and we name the rooms for our sponsors during our conference events. Details of sponsorship are included in the attached flyer, where you’ll find a variety of ways you can sponsor our events.

Visit the conference event website  and see a sampling of speaker bios and topics. At our conference events, you’re welcome to speak on any topic you’re passionate about (these are topical, and not sales presentations), and we provide a variety of ways in which you can sponsor the event.

Now is the time to act to ensure your logo is included in our marketing material, and website links are up well before the conference event so you get maximum link traction. Check out and/or print this flyer for event details, and please contact BarCamp Sarasota (sponsor@bcsrq.com) if you’re interested in speaking or sponsoring.

Thank you,

Stan Schultes  and Sara Hand

Co-founders BarCamp Sarasota

941-228-2006 Stan

941-228-4033 Sara

October 15^th and 16^th BarCamp Sarasota Fall 2011 Conference at G.Wiz

Register here-  http://bcsrqfall2011.eventbrite.com/  More details -  http://bcsrq.com/

Have you thought about speaking at a BarCamp Sarasota Conference?

Submit your topic title, a brief bio (NO more than 250 words) and a photo.