Community Corner
Lee Wetherington Foundation of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County Surpasses $1 Million Mark for Local Grants
The Lee Wetherington Foundation – a supporting organization of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County – has recently surpassed the $1 million mark for grants to local nonprofits. Established on December 30, 2002, the Lee Wetherington Foundation has supported causes ranging from helping at-risk children, education and the arts to community planning, the environment and social services.
Since 2002, the Lee Wetherington Foundation of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County has invested a total of $1,044,100.51 in our community.
“The Lee Wetherington Foundation truly exemplifies our community’s giving spirit and heart,” says Community Foundation of Sarasota County’s President and CEO, Roxie Jerde. “The Lee Wetherington Foundation’s passion for and commitment to this community are clearly evidenced by his generosity toward innumerable local causes, with a focus on kids in need. The Community Foundation of Sarasota County is privileged to partner with Lee to be stewards of these significant philanthropic funds.”
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Nearly half of the funds granted by the Wetherington Foundation have been to benefit the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Manatee counties: the Boys & Girls Club on Fruitville Road in Sarasota bears Lee Wetherington’s name. Numerous other organizations in Sarasota and Manatee have also received significant financial support through the Lee Wetherington Foundation.
"I am proud to work with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County as a partner in providing support to several organizations that serve the people in our great community,” says Lee Wetherington. “This region has always supported my business endeavors and it gives me great joy to, in turn, support the community that I love. Seeing the results from our Foundation take shape in the smile of a child, or in a new clubhouse or program is what drives me to continue to work to grow the Foundation, as I plan to do for years and years to come."
