The e “Take a Look—
Buy a Book
BY RYAN G. VAN CLEAVE
y
—Donate” Campaign
94 SARASOTA SCENE | JANUARY 2018
philanthropy
Game. She sent hundreds of letters asking
people to donate new pajamas and books
when they come together for social gaming,
such as card games, board games, or bingo.
That initiative gave more than 250 children
books, cozy new pajamas, and soft stuffed
animals. These items provide a sense of
comfort and security to at-risk children who
are served by JFCS of the Suncoast.
And three years ago, when she realized that
veterans and the homeless in our community
often don’t have an adequate supply of socks,
she acted. “It’s unacceptable,” says Birnbaum.
“Some of the homeless walk 4,000 miles per
year but don’t have any socks. And when
veterans come back home and start looking for
jobs, many don’t have dress socks. They come
to career counseling but suddenly realize they
don’t have the appropriate brown, black, or
blue socks required to look professional at a
job interview.” So she partnered with JFCS of
the Suncoast to address that need. Soon after,
the community responded by giving 4,000
pairs of socks.
Her latest cause? Fighting illiteracy. “Over 35
million people can’t read beyond a third-grade
level,” she says. “It’s a staggering statistic, but
it’s why I’m making an ongoing commitment to
what her “Take a Look—Buy a Book—Donate”
campaign is all about. Designed to promote
literacy to children from Pre-K to 5th grade—
with an emphasis on low-income and at-risk
children—the program seeks to provide new
books to area youth. She ran the program last
February and March, and thanks to its success,
she plans to do it again in 2018 during those
same months.
WHEN SHEILA BIRNBAUM SEES A NEED, SHE FEELS
AN OBLIGATION TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.
THAT’S SURELY THANKS TO HER LONG CAREER
UP IN THE NORTHEAST AS A PATIENT ADVOCATE,
WHICH MEANS SHE SPENT DECADES HELPING
OTHERS.