Blog entries

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...

Gulf Coast Gives Us Hope Again

SCLO — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:21:11 +0100

Following the success of our first project on Gulf Coast Gives, we have initiated another project, intended as enrichment to our life skill class participants. With your help, we aim to take twelve women to a Women’s Empowerment Conference in Orlando at the end of January.

These are women who have never been to a hotel, a conference, or anywhere independently. The effect this weekend will have on their confidence, their growth, their fut...

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.

...