About the Bloggers
Hi, I’m April. Originally from Melbourne, Florida, I’ve been with SCOPE for 3 years and lived in Sarasota for 9. New College brought me here–what keeps me is the city’s unique character, its abundance of good people, and my love for the work I get to do with SCOPE. I care deeply about communities becoming places wehre every member can contribute their unique gift toward making things better. Here at SCOPE, I work to strengthen communities in Sarasota County at the neighborhood level. Other things I care about include art, nature, travel, learning, and preparing and serving complicated meals.
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I’m Kate and I’ve been with SCOPE since late 2006. I came to Sarasota to go to college (at New College) and I found the scale of this area appealing, so after a brief time in Tampa (working for an electrical manufacturing firm), I returned to Sarasota. I grew up in Temple Terrace, so I’m another of the few born and raised Floridians. I like Sarasota because depending on the day, it can feel like a big city or a small town. I really appreciate the feeling of growing roots in a community, and I like that I now expect to see faces I recognize in the grocery store.
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I am Maureen and I have worked at SCOPE for 7 years since its beginning. I have lived in Sarasota for 15 years although have been visiting here for 28. I have been fortunate to have lived in a lot of places which, I think, gives me a different perspective than if I had been born and raised in the same place. I was born in Canada and moved to Massachusetts while in high school and then lived in Pennsylvania, Oklahoma, Indiana and Tennessee. I guess that is why I like to travel. Since coming to work for SCOPE, I find I pay more attention to my community.
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I’m Suzanne and I have been with SCOPE since the beginning. Prior to SCOPE I worked for a big state agency. It’s really been exciting to experience SCOPE’s evolution. I’ve had a hand in running some of our community initiatives and try to keep my nose in the varied approaches we use to engage the community. In the last year I have moved to communications and development which is a good place to be. It’s all about listening, talking and relationships. Sort of like being a cheerleader too. Those who know me know that I like people and like to talk! And I think I’m getting better at listening.
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Tim has been helping SCOPE begin and evolve since its beginning in 2001. He believes that lasting community change emerges from within the community or neighborhood. When people take up their citizenship – ownership of community, transformation occurs. In previous lives Tim was a hospital president in Ohio and an administrator of a rural hospital and development organization in Haiti.