Blog entries

'Better Git It In Your Soul' Dance Party

SCLO — Sun, 05 May 2013 04:28:10 +0100

Happy 18th Birthday, SCLO!

What do you get when you plan a party hosted by Paul Mattison at Mattison's Forty One, add the music of high energy dance band NexxLevel, a signature drink, birthday cake, and raffle prizes? The answer: an informal celebration of great music and great friends supporting a great cause.

Dust off your dancing shoes and join us for our 4th annual 'Git Soul' benefit on Saturday, May 18th from 7pm-10pm.&n...

Community Partnerships Make Us Stronger

SCLO — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:07:58 +0100

The holidays bring out the best in people and we love working with so many wonderful organizations with the goal of helping others less fortunate have something to celebrate.

Examples of this sort of partnership are groups who have organized toy drives to benefit Second Chance families, such as the team at Spa Hollywood, Women’s Resource Center Peer Counselors, First Step staff, the Sarasota Farmers’ Market, and the Laurel Oaks ...

Caring For A New Baby Is Tough

SCLO — Sat, 13 Oct 2012 05:44:03 +0100

The birth of a baby brings indescribable joy, but that happiness can be overshadowed by the reality of not having enough money to pay for baby essentials.

Second Chance-Last Opportunity’s clients learn to become self-sufficient through free SCLO parenting, goal-setting, budgeting, and communication skills classes.

We have a new project up at Gulf Coast Gives which will enable us to keep a sma...

Shirley Moves On Up!

SCLO — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:22:27 +0100

I have been going to Second Chance for life skill classes for years now, dipping in and out when my life wasn’t going so well and when I needed a booster I would go back. The classes are always different and I learn something new (or get a reminder of something old) every time I come.

The SISTA meetings were the best. The talks we had in the class stick with me and I feel I can now deal with all that I go through. I can now stand up for myself ...

Drop Off Locations

SCLO — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 19:14:11 +0100

We are so lucky to have partners in the community who make it easy for people to donate items to Second Chance. The following locations will kindly accept donations on behalf of SCLO; none of these donations will be sold but will be given out to those individuals participating in our life skills programs.

GULF GATE

Nontando, 6578 Gateway Avenue, Sarasota, FL 34231 (Tues.-S, 10am-5pm)

DOWNTOWN SARASOTA

DWY Landscape Architects, 1543 S...

My Collard Greens Are Better Than Yours!

SCLO — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 23:14:02 +0100

If you're looking for the happiest, funniest New Year's Eve party, you'll want to know about the SCLO first annual Collard Greens Cook-Off.

It is a true community event, developed with the help of local residents from a wonderfully creative idea SCLO CEO April Glasco came up with one day. We have 17 contestants and City Commissioner Willie Shaw, County Commissioner Carolyn Mason, Mayors' Feed The Hungry Chairperson Joel Swallow, and David Thomas from Sam's Club as judges. C...

Teens' Shopping Trip Is A Success

SCLO — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 21:57:41 +0100

Our first project on Gulf Coast Gives, the giving portal of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, was a huge success thanks to 7 generous donors. The ‘Calculate The Difference’ Holiday Shopping Project enables teens to go shopping with a gift card and calculator to choose their ...

A Chance To Honor Unsung Heroines In Our Community

SCLO — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 01:29:33 +0100

The second SCLO Women of Wisdom Awards Evening will be held on November 3rd at 6pm in the Community Room of the Sarasota Herald Tribune Building, honoring Pam Carter (JH Floyd Sunshine Manor), Shirley Walker (Goodwill), and Pastor Robinson (Living Hope) for their huge contribution to our community.

These special Women of Wisdom have shown they are strong, safe, survivors – matching the goals of the SISTA Project and therefore it seemed fitting that our SISTAs host the ...

A SISTA Speaks Out

SCLO — Wed, 12 Oct 2011 22:44:30 +0100

I joined the SISTA program last year, not knowing that it would become the foundation of me learning to be the strong woman I always wanted to be. I found myself being over excited to see what we would be doing in class each week. And as time progressed I became able to say that some of my most memorable, life changing...

New Volunteer, New Youtube Movie

SCLO — Fri, 06 May 2011 21:04:18 +0100

Thanks to new volunteer, Daniel Miller, who responded to our Facebook cry for technical help, a new video is up on our Youtube channel. We'd love to know what you think!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6YdLv7VlWg

Sound was provided by another great volunteer, Ed Ericsson.

A New Donor's Perspective

SCLO — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 22:11:06 +0100

Dear SCLO,

I wanted to tell you how emotional it was for me when I dropped toys and kids’ clothes off at your office today. A woman there asked to hug me and I was just so touched and overwhelmed by the true thanks she felt toward me, I found myself driving back up to Ellenton in tears..but happy tears.

I'd had a terrible week and a book I read recently said if you are feeling sad, go do something for someone else and that will lift you up. And I'm here to sa...

'Women of Wisdom' Awards

SCLO — Fri, 01 Apr 2011 00:14:52 +0100

The SCLO Women of Wisdom Awards Evening will be held on April 7th at 6pm in the Community Room of the Sarasota Herald Tribune, honoring Valerie Buchand, Carolyn Mason, and Jone Williams for their huge contribution to our community.

A group of clients who graduated from the SISTA Project, an empowerment and health education program, have formed an upper level group called Big SiSTAs. Our Women of Wisdom, Valerie, Carolyn, and Jone have shown they are strong, safe, survivors &ndas...

Testimonial Written By A Client

SCLO — Thu, 10 Mar 2011 00:46:53 +0100

I am a 34 year old, single mother living with HIV for 9 years. I contracted HIV three months after my son was born. Second Chance has been helping me and my family for years but just recent in the last 2 years, SCLO has been having classes to help young women to be strong and safe. Ms. April has taught me to have self-esteem and to stand on my own two feet without a man. I love the Second Chance Life Skills Classes too where we learn so much and no one is judged.&nb...

Read This Before You Do Any Holiday Shopping!

SCLO — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 23:19:59 +0100

Please make every gift count this holiday season. You can find coupons at more than 1,600 top stores (including Amazon, Macy's, J.Crew, Toys R Us, Best Buy, Gap and more) AND a percentage of virtually every sale will be donated to Second Chance-Last Opportunity.

Just go to GoodShop at http://www.goodshop.com, select our cause and then click over to your favorite store and shop away!

Or, add our toolbar to your browser at http://www.goods...

Help During The Holidays

Fri, 19 Nov 2010 02:31:44 +0100

We are blessed to have a number of people and businesses supporting SCLO by organizing toy drives or other collections or donating proceeds. By supporting these businesses and their initiatives you'll be directly helping struggling families and individuals in our community.

James Griffith Salon, 4011 Clark Road, Sarasota is collecting diapers and feminine hygiene products. During December they will also be a collection point for toys.

People's Pottery is holding an o...

Honoring Remarkable Women in Remarkable Ways

SCLO — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:55:53 +0100

April Glasco is thrilled to be one of the women who is being honored by the Bradenton Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. at their 2010 'Jewels of Distinction' Luncheon on Saturday, October 23rd. The event takes place at 11:30am at 'Renaissance on 9th', 1816 9th Street West in Bradenton and tickets are still available if you would like to support the sorority, April, and the work of SCLO.

They said that April's "work in our community has not gone unnoticed and...

My World Project

SCLO — Thu, 21 Oct 2010 23:20:32 +0100

We are very excited to be starting a brand new youth program in collaboration with Ringling College of Art and Design and the Newtown Community Health Action Team (CHAT).

The program will incorporate photojournalism, life skills, self-examination and self-expression, computer design work, and a final exhibition and achievement ceremony. We are aiming at 12 to 18 year olds who will initially be provided with cameras to begin looking at their world from a different point of view.

...