Our programs are aimed at two segments of the ‘invisible’ population - young people from disadvantaged backgrounds and people who have multiple social and economic problems who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.

We don't believe in hand outs. That's why participants in our formal assistance programs must attend classes, create a household budget, and submit an application to receive food baskets, gifts, and other items.  The great news is that most of our clients participate in the holiday assistance program only twice. By the third year, most have acquired the skills needed to appropriately budget for the holidays.

With your generosity, we can continue to help change the lives of our fellow community members, which ultimately benefits us all.  And, remember, your donations directly benefit the people we work with, so please be generous and help us continue the work we do in the community.

Financial Donations are tax-deductible and used wisely to support our ongoing programs, services, and overheads. 

Regular, personal donations help us tremendously in planning and budgeting so we urge you to consider setting up with your bank a direct pay donation to be sent monthly to SCLO. It’s also worth investigating if your employer has a gift matching program which would double the effect of your contribution.  Thousands of companies do. Just check with the Human Resources office of your employer for eligibility requirements and to obtain a Matching Gift Form.

Surf the net and help SCLO! Use GoodSearch & Yahoo search engine to raise money for SCLO

Become a Corporate/Community Sponsor. Contact us for more details.

Gifts of Appreciated Securities: ask us for details on how this benefits both donor and SCLO.

Honor a loved one’s birthday or memory by making a contribution in the name of a relative or friend.

Consider underwriting (or sponsoring) one of our client events such as the Birth, Baby, and Beyond Community Baby Shower or Client Graduation.

Sponsor a youth to attend our Life Management Skills Seminar ($120).  The time spent in a structured, creative, and educational environment can truly make the difference in a vulnerable young person’s life.

Give non-perishable food for our food pantry. We have a weekly food distribution and donations of food such as canned tuna/chicken, soups, canned fruit/vegetables, rice, cans of beans/pork and beans/Vienna sausages, canned hams, peanut butter, Hormel-type prepared meals, spaghetti, etc. would help augment what we can give.

Source items to be used for our Silent Auction.  We are in need of silent auction items to boost the fundraising at our Annual Luncheon in September.  If you own a local business or restaurant, please consider donating an item, gift certificate, or service.  It’s a great way to promote your business while helping us to help others to help themselves.

Pass on your gently used clothing for us to have available for our clients.  Those who complete the Job Readiness classes would benefit especially from donated clothing suitable for work.

Donate your time! There are many different volunteer opportunities available to suit your availability and interests.

Several times a year, SCLO holds fundraising events.  Consider becoming an event sponsor or an underwriter.  Your generous contributions help defer our costs so all money raised will go straight to help those who need it most.  For businesses, this is a great way to promote your business while giving back to the community.  Please contact the Second Chance office for more information about event sponsorship and how it can benefit your business.

It seems impossible, but going online to find out what happened last week on ‘Lost’ can help make Sarasota a better place to live.

The idea behind GoodSearch.com, this excellent search engine (powered by Yahoo), is simple and brilliant — 50% of all ad revenue generated from the site is donated to the charity of the user's choice, and the money GoodSearch donates comes from its advertisers, so it doesn't cost the users or the organizations a penny.  So, with each online search you launch, about 1 cent can go to SCLO.  If 1,000 SCLO supporters search twice a day for a year, an extra $7,300 would be generated and could go towards our financing our new building! 

It’s such an effortless way to support the work of SCLO every day of the year!!  GoodSearch even makes it easy for you to add its toolbar to your browser – their website explains it all!   We appreciate your checking this out and identifying SCLO as the non-profit you would like to benefit from your surfing.

SCLO is always looking for individuals and groups to help us improve the lives of at-risk teens, families, and individuals.  Your time is valuable and there are many ways you can help; whether on an ad hoc basis at one of our special community events or in an ongoing capacity on a committee or in the office, we have volunteer programs to fit your schedule.

We are particularly looking for people to help with:

Assistance at Clients’ Events, Fundraising Events Committee, Farmers’ Market Booth, Mentoring, Leading Workshops, Marketing, Donor Liaison, Building Campaign, Newsletter etc. 

If none of these roles match your special skills, experience or interest, give us a call to let us know how you would like to get involved.  We’d love to have you on board!

You’ll find representatives of SCLO at the Sarasota Farmers’ Market on the 2nd Saturday of every month between September and May raising awareness and funds.  Come see us on Lemon Avenue at the corner of State Street between 7am and 12 noon where you can receive a Purple Bag of Wishes.  Just fill it with items from our wishlist (such as used clothing, baby items for teen moms, personal hygiene items for the homeless) and return it to us at the market the following month or at our office.  You can also just stop by to say hi, meet our volunteers and find out what our current project is.

Second Chance-Last Opportunity
1933 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Way
Sarasota, FL  34234