Newtown Business Council

10/23/2026

WHAT A CELEBRATION! 🎉

On Monday, October 19, 2026, the Newtown Business Council (NBC), in partnership with the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, gathered at the historic Leonard Reid House to celebrate the successful completion of our Newtown Recovery & Resilience Participatory Grantmaking Initiative!

The room was filled with smiles, gratitude, fellowship, and inspiring stories from the organizations receiving funding to strengthen our Newtown community.

This was more than a celebration of grant awards. It was a celebration of COMMUNITY VOICE, TRUST, PARTNERSHIP, and IMPACT! 🤎

Through this initiative, 25 organizations applied for funding, and nine were selected to receive a combined $100,000 investment in Newtown.

🌟 CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR NINE GRANT RECIPIENTS!

👏🏾 Multicultural Health Institute
👏🏾 Sarasota African American Cultural Coalition
👏🏾 Children First
👏🏾 Making An Impact
👏🏾 J5 Experience
👏🏾 Business and Professional Women of North Sarasota
👏🏾 SRQ Strong
👏🏾 Sarasota Prostate Initiative
👏🏾 Sarasota Housing Funding Corporation

These organizations will advance important community priorities, including disaster recovery and resilience, health and wellness, youth enrichment, senior support, family stability, and food security.

A HEARTFELT THANK YOU! 🤎

To the Community Foundation of Sarasota County, thank you for your partnership, trust, and commitment to community-led investment.

To our dedicated community grant reviewers, thank you for bringing your knowledge, experience, and commitment to Newtown into the decision-making process.

To our NBC Board of Directors, community partners, and everyone who helped make this initiative possible, thank you for believing in the power of working together.

And to our nine grant recipients, CONGRATULATIONS! We look forward to seeing your programs make a meaningful difference in the lives of Newtown residents.

🌉 COMMUNITY VOICES WERE HEARD.

🌉 COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP WAS TRUSTED.

🌉 COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FOLLOWED.

As we celebrate this milestone, we are reminded that meaningful change happens when communities are empowered to help shape their own futures.

NEWTOWN IS RISING AND THRIVING!

📸 Enjoy these wonderful moments from our celebration!

10/11/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1GXtfnJYbU/

Send a message to learn more

10/10/2026

Come support local businesses and entrepreneurs for the 10th Annual Big Mama’s Collard Green Fest.

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!
Next Saturday, Newtown comes together for the 10th Annual Big Mama’s Collard Green Festival.

Come for the collard greens. Stay for the music. Shop local vendors. Cheer on the Cook-Off contestants. Catch up with neighbors. Bring the family.

This festival is about food, culture, small businesses, community pride, and ten years of bringing people together.

📅 Saturday, October 17
📍 Robert L. Taylor Community Complex

Who are you bringing with you?
https://www.newtownnation.com/big-mamas-collard-greens-fest-about/

09/28/2026

September 28, 2026 is National Good Neighbor Day!

09/18/2026

https://suncoastsearchlight.org/newtown-revitalization-sarasota/

Without the planned economic revitalization of Newtown, Jetson Grimes, owner of Jetson’s Creative Trends hair salon since 1982, isn’t sure neighborhood businesses like his will survive. “It would probably just go away,” Grimes said. “Once your community starts deteriorating, that's when ge...

09/11/2026

On the morning of September 11, 2001, President George W. Bush was at Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota for what was supposed to be an education and reading event. His official presidential diary records that at 9:05 a.m., Chief of Staff Andrew Card approached him during the classroom reading demonstration and informed him that the second plane had struck the World Trade Center.

09/10/2026

Thank you, William G. and Marie Selby Foundation for believing in the work of the Newtown Business Council and investing in the infrastructure that will help us strengthen connections, communication, and engagement throughout Newtown.

This work is bigger than any one person or organization. It is about listening to our businesses and residents, honoring community voice, and building together with intentionality. We are grateful for your partnership and excited about what comes

Mary Butler has been a change agent for many years. At the helm of the Newtown Business Council, she is helping to shape a vibrant business sector together with her board and lots of community input. The Selby Foundation is delighted to award a grant for the organization's technology and website to enhance connections, information, and engagement. We can't wait to see how Newtown Business Council continues to develop and grow with intentionality and strength.