25th annual Thunder By The Bay Music & Motorcycle Festival sets record for Suncoast Charities

Special to the Herald-Tribune
·2 min read
The 25th Thunder By The Bay Festival raised $315,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children. Front row, from left: Lisa Baer (Suncoast Charities), Kristen Theisen (Florida Center), Deborah Jackson (Special Olympics), Brad Jones (Haven), Bob Flanders (Suncoast Foundation), Mary Apostolu (Venice Challenger Baseball), VJ Anderson (Loveland Center), Philip Tavill (Children First), and Lucy Nicandri (Suncoast Charities). Back row: Bob Morrison, Maureen McAuley, Greg Linehan, and David Oriente (Suncoast Charities).

The 25th annual Thunder By The Bay Music & Motorcycle Festival in February raised an event record $315,000 for Suncoast Charities for Children, surpassing last year’s net revenue of $267,000.

“We are extremely grateful for the generous support received from festival sponsors, individual donors, vendors, dedicated volunteers, and everyone who attended the festival," Suncoast Charities for Children executive director Lucy Nicandri said. "Their combined support allows us to continue with funding allocations to help local children, teens, and adults with special needs and their families.”

In addition to the traditional three-day festival, held in February at the Sarasota Fairgrounds, events included a sporting clay tournament, a “Taste of Thunder” tequila tasting event, and a Thunder By The Bay “Rocks The Runway” Fashion Show.

Nonprofits receiving support included:

· Children First – New adjustable tables and chairs for preschool classrooms and assistance packages for at-risk children.

· Loveland Center – Construction of a new outdoor therapeutic activity area and support for their recreational program in Bradenton.

· Special Olympics Florida/Sarasota County – Equipment and activity materials for the “first-ever” Summer Camp Shriver.

· Florida Center For Early Childhood – Testing materials for occupational therapists and speech/language pathologists.

· The Haven – Therapy scholarships for children requiring speech, occupational, physical, feeding, and/or aquatic therapies.

· Venice Challenger Baseball – New dry-fit uniform shirts and funding support for individuals who are blind attending summer camp.

· Suncoast Foundation – Maintenance and repairs for the agencies listed above.

Special recognition awards included the Big Heart Award, Steve White, S&S Motorsports; Volunteers of the Year, Paul and Barbara Duval; Unsung Hero Award, Linda Carson, ABC7; Community Partnership Award, Rory Martin, Sarasota Fairgrounds; Behind The Scenes Award, Nico Dinca; Helping Hand Award, Chuck Downs; Motorcycle Media Award, Ron and Deb Galletti, Born To Ride TV & Magazine; Overall Volunteer Commitment & Dedication Award, Jim and Helen Reed; Business Development Award, Darrell Turner; Behind The Lens Award, Tim Britt.

Also, Caldwell Trust Company, FCCI Insurance Group, Gold Coast Eagle Distributing/Budweiser, Infinium Spirits, Republic National Distributing, Sarasota Ford, Mullet’s Aluminum, ABC7, iHeart Media Sarasota, Observer Media Group, Sarasota Herald-Tribune Local IQ, SNN, and SRQ Media received Loyalty & Commitment Business Awards.

The 26th Thunder By The Bay is scheduled for Feb. 16-18 at the Fairgrounds. For updates and additional information, thunderbythebay.org

Submitted by Lucy Nicandri

This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: 25th Thunder By The Bay sets record for Suncoast Charities for Children