William G. Selby and Marie Selby Foundation
Celebrating a Tapestry of Giving
1955-2005
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felt Thanks
[Click above to read a retrospective recap of events]
At first glance, Bill and Marie Selby seemed an unlikely pair. He a down-to-earth, cigar smoking, cowboy boot wearing oil man, she a refined, well educated, accomplished pianist, but together they shared an adventurous life and a love of hunting, fishing, and nature’s beauty. Having no children of their own, they established a foundation in 1955 to benefit future generations.
William G. and Marie Selby Foundation enhances the quality of life in the local community in arts, education, human services, natural sciences, history, and environment. By investing in local capital projects and working with both public and private entities, the Selby Foundation is able to reach out and look beyond what is and enable change for what could be. Students with leadership potential and financial need are awarded Selby Scholarships to achieve their educational aspirations.
As the Selby Foundation celebrates its 50th Anniversary, the Selbys’ vision reverberates through countless lives, programs, and organizations demonstrating the significant impact one couple’s generosity can make to elevate and inspire a community to make a difference.
Renowned investor Warren Buffett said
As we looked to the ways to commemorate the Selby legacy, it was clear that the impact of the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Selby, combined with the thoughtfulness of the grant making decisions, have greatly advanced the uniqueness of our community. Part of the intention of this celebration was to encourage the community to give back: to generate the qualities of generosity and thoughtfulness in ourselves. That is why, among the festivities and events were a number of ways to offer our own special gifts to the community, especially through the Season of Sharing Challenge and the Community Essay Contest.
Selby Scholar Excellence Awards: Over the past 50 years, more than 3,500 individuals have received Selby Foundation scholarships totaling over $11 million. We sought previous recipients of Selby scholarships to submit an update on their current situation and community involvement. A panel composed of former board members/leaders evaluated the submissions, choosing five scholars to be honored for the impact they have made on their community since graduation. The five honorees designated a local nonprofit to receive a grant of $10,000 in recognition of their service and presented the check at the Kick-off Breakfast.
Public Sector Acknowledgement: Proclamations honoring the Foundation's work were garnered from City of Sarasota, Sarasota County Government, and Sarasota County School Board. A commendation letter was requested from the Governor's Office. Arrangements were made to have five United States flags flown over the U.S. Capitol. This is a ceremonial "flying of the flag" and lasts only moments. These flown flags were presented at the Kick-off Breakfast to the five chosen from the Selby Scholar Search.
Documentary: A 60-minute documentary was created by Education Channel 20 highlighting the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Selby and the work of the Foundation. The video was aired on Channel 20 throughout the celebration. There was a premiere screening of the video on Monday, May 16, 2005, at the Harold E. and Esther M. Mertz Theatre in the Florida State University Center for the Performing Arts. A subsequent video documenting the actual activities of the 50th Anniversary celebration was created and aired on Channel 20 during the autumn. Copies of both videos were distributed to public libraries and school media centers.
Kick--off Breakfast: To commence the month-long celebration a Kick-off Breakfast was held on Tuesday, May 17, 2005 with invitees including the media, public officials, local nonprofit organizations, former and current Selby Foundation board and scholarship panels. At the breakfast, clips from the video were shown, the proclamations read, the five Selby Scholar honorees recognized with the grant presentations made to the organizations of their choice and each of the five scholars received one of the U.S. flags flown over the US Capitol.
Season of Sharing Challenge: Any donations that were made to the Season of Sharing Fund, which helps those in the community with emergency needs, will be matched dollar for dollar up to a total of $50,000. These donations must be made between June 1 and August 30 to qualify for the match. This enables everyone to be a philanthropist. The response from the community was so great, the goal was reached early so the dollar amount was increased. The total donation was $72,807 and this amount was matched by the Foundation.
Community Essay Contest: The public was invited to submit a one-page essay on "How I am sharing my talents to make our community a better place". Entries were dropped off during Selby Saturdays at the seven venues or mailed to the Selby Foundation office. Of these essays, 100 were selected by panels comprised of Selby board members, community leaders and youth from Community Youth Development (CYD).
A tree, honoring each of the 100 essay winners, was planted at Phillippi Estates Park. On Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at Phillippi Estates Park, Selby Legacy Path was dedicated and the top ten essay winners each presented a check for $1,000 to the local nonprofit of their choice and the other 90 essay winners each presented a check for $ 100 to the local nonprofit of their choice.
Selby Saturdays: Free admission to seven venues that have received Selby Foundation grants, was offered to the community on the four Saturdays in June 2005. Each of these venues will receive an appropriate grant showing our appreciation for their participation in this community connecting opportunity. At their sites they highlighted the support provided by the Foundation over the years. The hosts of Selby Saturdays will be: Crowley Museum and Nature Center, G.WIZ, Historic Spanish Point, John and Mable Ringling Museum, Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, Mote Marine Laboratory and South Florida Museum.
Mr. and Mrs. Selby Actor: The Players of Sarasota has developed local community actors who portrayed Mr. and Mrs. Selby at each of the Selby Saturday venues. Each was costumed in attire similar to that worn by Mr. and Mrs. Selby and they interacted with the visitors at the various Selby Saturday venues. The actors also attended the Documentary Premiere, the Kick-off Breakfast, the Van Wezel Celebration of the Arts, and the tree dedication.
Claire Gaudiani: Claire Gaudiani, the author of the book, The Greater Good, was the speaker for a series of events on June 5 and 6. On Sunday, June 5, she was the guest speaker at a dinner sponsored by Ringling School of Art and Design, in appreciation of their contributing the creation of the Celebrating a Tapestry of Giving logo. On Monday, June 6, she was present to a forum for nonprofit executives, development directors and board members in the morning, the keynote speaker for The Greater Good Luncheon to benefit the Junior League of Sarasota and present at a forum of the local estate planners and members of the Legacy Society of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County.
Celebration of the Arts: The community was invited to attend one of two performances entitled, The Arts Celebrate a Tapestry of Giving, held on Sunday, June 12, 2005. This was produced and directed by Kate Alexander of Florida Studio Theatre and included various local arts organizations at the Van Performing Arts Center. Tickets were distributed on Saturday, June 4, 2005, (limit two per person) and donations of food products were given in exchange for each ticket. The food was donated to All Faiths Food Bank. Girl Scouts of Gulfcoast Florida assisted with ticket distribution, food collection and ushering for the events.
Sarasota Public Libraries: A historic display, highlighting the Selbys and the Foundation, wais on display at our eight public libraries. In addition, the "One Book, One Community" program emphasizing the responsibility of the individual to make a positive difference was a community-wide focus on reading Mountains Beyond Mountains by author Tracy Kidder, including presentations on May 25 and 26, 2005.
To print the Tapestry logo in PDF format click here
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To print on the black and white version of the Tapestry graphic click here
