Sarasota Birdland Community Heroes

Throughout Spring Training at Ed Smith Stadium in Sarasota, we honor members of our extended Orioles community who have distinguished themselves by selflessly working or volunteering in fields that care for, serve, teach, protect, and improve the lives of others around the corner or around the globe. Selected honorees each receive four game tickets, parking, an award medal, and the opportunity to be featured on the video board during an in-game ceremony.

Check back in 2025 to nominate a Sarasota Birdland Community Hero for next season.

2024 Honorees

Tom Gurrentz, All Faiths Food Bank Volunteer

A longtime volunteer fighting hunger in Sarasota County, Tom’s efforts with All-Faiths Food Bank have provided assistance for thousands of households in need. Tom has become a pillar of support at food distributions as one of the organization’s longest standing contributors, dedicating countless hours to ensure no family goes hungry.

Ronnique Major, Sarasota County 2024 Teacher of the Year

A fifth-grade teacher at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, Ronnique has been a staple in the Sarasota education system for more than 25 years. Her commitment to all students, matched with her overall enthusiasm for teaching, service, and leadership, has impacted thousands in her professional career.

Donnie Castracani, Ambassador, Miracle League of Manasota

A key member of the Miracle League’s efforts, Donnie helps coordinate athletic opportunity for people of all ability levels. A staple at the Miracle League’s Sarasota facility for years, Donnie has helped cultivate a safe, welcoming environment to create big league ambition for all.

Martha Brookley, Volunteer, Mothers Helping Mothers

A paramount figure for the Sarasota-based nonprofit, Martha’s efforts have helped propel the 30-year legacy of Mothers Helping Mothers. Renowned as one of the organization’s most diligent service members, Martha’s duties have fulfilled support for countless mothers and families in need.

Ken Freeman, Board Chair, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota and Desoto Counties

A pivotal service member for more than 3,000 Sarasota youth, Ken’s service to the Boys and Girls Clubs has covered more than a decade across the country. His duties have helped enhance programs, develop new facilities, further develop operational models, and establish a fortified presence for all Sarasota youth to thrive.

Bob Manness, Board Member, Mayor’s Feed The Hungry

Regarded as an instrumental figure in the fight against food insecurity, Bob’s service in Sarasota and Manatee counties have helped provide countless meals for people in need. Tasked with executive duty for one of the state’s largest programs of its kind, the Mayor’s Feed the Hungry team has distributed millions of dollars in food resources for more than 25 years.

2022 Honorees

Ben Knisley, Retired U.S. Army Colonel

A long time Florida resident, Ben joined the Army following his graduation from the University of South Florida in Tampa. He was a medevac helicopter pilot and a former MIA from the Vietnam War. He retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of Colonel, and in his last tour of duty served during Operation Desert Shield and Desert Storm. As a member of the Sarasota community, Colonel Knisley is supporting veterans through various organizations. He serves on the Board of Directors for Operation Second Chance and the Sarasota Military Academy. He is also the military and veterans liaison officer for the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Michelle Perala, Sarasota Memorial Health Care System’s 2021 Leader of the Year

As the Manager of Employee Health, Michelle led the way in keeping the Health Care System’s 8,000 member staff safe. Her invaluable knowledge was key to navigating the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. Michelle joined Team SMH in 1982, but her dedication to Sarasota Memorial goes back even further to her experience as a hospital volunteer as a teenager. Her compassion for others has shined since those early days and the Sarasota Health Care System would not be the same without her care, leadership and empathy.

Laura Feder, All-Faiths Food Bank Volunteer

Laura has been a dedicated All-Faiths Food Bank volunteer for nearly two years. Her crucial work involves visiting with the families who benefit from the food bank’s services and talking with them about their experiences. Laura’s unique ability to make people feel seen and valued has allowed for their stories to be shared with donors, supporters, and community partners of All-Faiths Food Bank. These stories encourage others to see how a small donation or act of kindness can change people’s lives. Laura’s work in the Sarasota community inspires us all to do the same.

2021 Honorees

Joe Gaurisco

Joe currently manages nearly 200 environmental services staff members who are responsible for providing a clean, safe, and sanitized environment in every area of the hospital. These unsung heroes are on the front lines in the fight against COVID-19 and work diligently to keep the hospital running smoothly and safely. Joe has gone above and beyond during these challenging times — and for the last quarter-century — to ensure the team maintains the highest infection control standards. A dedicated Sarasota Memorial employee, Joe is also the father of two daughters — both teachers — and has eight grandchildren.

Kari Johnson

Going into her fifteenth year as a kindergarten teacher at Fruitville Elementary School, Kari went above and beyond to provide her students a safe environment to learn and grow. Kari is a true front-line worker who has dedicated her career to teaching today’s youth kindness, confidence, and compassion.

Christopher Kielty

Christopher was deployed to Vietnam in 1969 and was assigned to the 20th Engineer Battalion. During his deployment, Christopher sustained major injuries from an RPG and was evacuated in 1970. Christopher is a Purple Heart recipient who never stopped serving our county. Since arriving home, he has held many offices in the American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America and now currently serving as the vice president of the Sarasota County Veteran’s Commission.

Dwight English

Dwight is an army veteran who served in Korea, Bosnia, and Kuwait. After the tragedy that took place on September 11, 2001, Dwight re-enlisted and was deployed to Iraq where he was later injured by an RPG that left him blind in one eye. Today, Dwight works as the veteran outreach specialist for the veteran affairs readjustment counseling service where he works face to face with veteran’s and families to provide mental health counseling and community activities to the nearly 70,000 veterans living in the Sarasota, Manatee and DeSoto area.

Dr. Manuel Gordillo

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Dr. Gordillo has led the charge to help triage, test, and treat thousands of patients. In the beginning days of the pandemic, Dr. Gordillo was seeing a patient at Doctors’ Hospital here in Sarasota that he felt should be tested for COVID-19. To his quick action, this patient was the first positive hospitalization in the State of Florida. His efforts reach far beyond the walls of the hospital; he also has served as an advocate and guide for local schools, governments, health departments, and civic and arts organizations, helping them navigate essential public health strategies and precautions to safely reopen and serve the community. “Dr. G” has also taped several Spanish-language segments for Radio Unidos 101.1LPFM, answering questions and providing accurate and useful information to families regarding the pandemic and the importance of getting vaccinated.

2020 Honorees

Todd Mercer

A longtime community member, Todd has been a key contributor to the Sarasota County Fire Department for twenty-three years. A graduate of the Venice Fire Academy, Todd has served as a lieutenant at fire station #16, in addition to reporting as a paramedic, engineer, and a component of the special ops and honor guard teams for the past fourteen years.

Michael Feduccia

As a longtime resident of Sarasota, Michael has dedicated countless hours of his time volunteering at Manasota BUDS. Founded in 2002, Manasota BUDS is a volunteer-based non-profit organization that has helped over two hundred children with down syndrome and their families, as well as raised and extended over 1.4 million dollars to the community. Over the past seventeen years, Mike has averaged over 140 hours of service each year; that is over 2,380 volunteer hours.

Heather Young

After completing her first year of teaching visual arts to elementary and middle school students, Education Foundation of Sarasota County named Heather the 2020 Sarasota County Teacher of the Year. Heather will represent district educators for 2020 and will receive a nomination for state Teacher of the Year. As a teacher, she views her classroom as an extraordinary, fair space for teaching problem-solving, in addition to other essential lessons to her students. Heather was awarded the Florida Best and Brightest Award for consecutive years since 2015.

2019 Honorees

Colonel Bill Goodwin

Colonel Bill Goodwin entered the military in 1950 and retired in 1983. He was a commander specializing in tanks and aviation in the Korean and Vietnam Wars. He served as the helicopter pilot for presidents Kennedy and Johnson -- flying Army One.

Colonel Goodwin's military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star and ten Air Medals. Following retirement, he served as a peace keeper with multinational forces in the Sinai Desert, ensuring peace in the region.

Dan Buchler

A lead volunteer at five mobile pantry sites for All Faiths Food Bank, Dan exemplifies the dependability and kindness demonstrated by the Food Bank's many volunteers. Together they contribute more than 47,000 hours of service each year to help the hungry.

Dr. April Glasco

Inspired by her own struggles earlier in life and seeing the need of many in our community, Dr. Glasco founded Second Chance-Last Opportunity to help people help themselves.

The nonprofit organization, supported by foundations and individual donors, offers life management skills training, counseling, after-school youth programs, and more.

Lynn Bonnett (In Memory Of)

Lynn was a passionate supporter of the Sarasota YMCA and Sarasota high school baseball. A coach for Sarasota Little League and youth football, Lynn helped establish the long-running Sarasota Baseball Classic and facilitated many other youth tournaments in Sarasota county. For many years he coordinated parking at Ed Smith Stadium to benefit the Sarasota YMCA.

An outspoken advocate for the overlooked and under-represented, Lynn was a tireless and reliable volunteer, even while founding and operating a successful business in Sarasota.

Michael Scicluna

Nestled on 32-acres, The Haven offers programs and services to enhance quality of life for adults and children with disabilities. The Haven's staff -- and volunteers like Michael -- encourage independence, champion inclusion, and advocate for individual rights for people with disabilities.

Michael has volunteered at the Haven for 10 years. twice a week, over 100 adults with disabilities join Michael on nature walks he leads around the campus. He knows each of The Haven's 250 adult clients individually and makes sure they have gifts on their birthdays.

Paul Kurtz

A firefighter / E.M.T. with the Sarasota County Fire Department, Paul has served the Sarasota community for 13 of his 26 years in fire service. As president of the Sarasota County Firefighters Benevolent Fund, Paul donates his free time to assisting Sarasota County Firefighters and citizens during times of crisis.

Shane Swezey

Sarasota County's 2019 Teacher of the Year! Shane provides music education and therapy services to students ages 5 to 22 at Oak Park School, Sarasota County's School for Special Needs. Oak Park is one of ten schools participating in the Orioles Health & Fitness Challenge.

Shane is known for being able to quickly build rapport and engage with children. he uses highly creative methods to motivate students and encourage learning gains, such as increasing eye contact and interacting with peers. He builds on students' abilities instead of dwelling so much on disabilities.

Holly Wright

Stricken with a rare form of brain cancer, Holly's daughter Payton passed away at the age of 5. Holly and her husband Patrick were inspired by their daughter's brave fight and moved by the financial and emotional stress facing the families of seriously ill children.

Today, the Payton Wright Foundation assists families who have children being treated for brain and spinal cord malignancies. The foundation pays for gas cards, monthly rent, mortgage, and utility bills, and provides uplifting care packages filled with items that can bring comfort to children.

Tripp Schwenk

A police officer for the Sarasota Police Department, Tripp is a veteran K-9 Unit, Marine Patrol Officer and a member of the Police Dive Team Unit. He also is an Olympic gold medalist in swimming, competing on Team USA in the 1992 and 1996 games. Today, Tripp volunteers his time and celebrity to support many local and national nonprofits, such as the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund, Sarasota Sharks and Sarasota Tsunami swim teams, National Pediatric Cancer Foundation, and happiness is camping for children with cancer in New Jersey.

Jeffrey Hammill

A detective in the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office. First Lieutenant Hammill is a Navy veteran and active member of the U.S. Army. Over the last year, Hammill served in Syria, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, and Iraq.

2018 Honorees

Lieutenant Sandy Anderson

Lieutenant Anderson is a decorated paramedic with the Sarasota County Fire Department. Since beginning her career as a firefighter and E.M.T., she earned her leadership position through hard work and dedication to the community while serving in some of the county's busiest fire stations. Lieutenant Anderson has received numerous awards for saving the lives of people in life-threatening emergencies and has been named Firefighter of the Year by several community-based organizations.

Coach William "BJ" Ivey, Jr.

Named the 2018 Teacher of the Year for Sarasota County Schools, Coach Ivey has taught social studies, world history honors, and A.P. psychology at Riverview High School. He has also served as Riverview's head coach for both the boys' and girls' basketball teams, where he works hard to have a positive impact on all of the children he teaches both on and off the court. Coach Ivey is committed to helping young people succeed in school, in the game, and in life.

Scott Biehler

Scott is the executive director of the Mayors' Feed the Hungry Program, a nonprofit that collects and distributes food to people in need. Since 1987, the organization has distributed more than 600 tons of food and $3.5 million in food gift cards. Each November, the Orioles host the charity's Thanksgiving Sorting Day at Ed Smith Stadium, where hundreds of volunteers come together to sort donated food. Scott's tireless efforts to organize the nonprofit's annual food drive resulted in a record of 74 tons of food donated to the hungry in 2017.

Dan & Laura Tellor

Dan is the president of the Miracle League of Manasota where Laura is an active volunteer. The nonprofit organization is dedicated to making baseball accessible to everyone, regardless of ability. Dan helped secure Sarasota County's funding for the league's specialized ballfield and currently recruits players, coaches, and volunteers. Laura managed administration, recruited volunteers and currently assists with game day coordination, special events, fundraising, and community awareness. Through the Tellors' tireless efforts, the league continues to grow and inspire others.

Bob Bartholomew

A retired business executive, Bob is president of the 500-member Hospital Volunteers of Venice, a nonprofit that supports Venice Regional Bayfront Health. Bob and his fellow volunteers provide caring and compassion to help patients and their families when facing illness or injury. The HVV also raises funds for health care scholarships. Bob's volunteer service extends beyond the hospital as a mentor and tutor for youths in the Venice community. His dedication challenges each of us to do what we can to help our neighbors.

Kevin Kenney

A retired Sarasota County Sheriff's major and former U.S. Army pilot, Kevin advocates for military veterans and their families. He is a dedicated fundraiser and leader for veteran-focused charities, including the national Operation Second Chance, based in Maryland, and Operation Patriot Support, based in Sarasota. No matter the challenge, Kevin's response is to solve and succeed, making the lives of veterans and their families safer, healthier, and happier.

Jim Henry

A leader in the Sarasota area's Rotary organization, Jim has spearheaded expansion of the Suncoast Campaign for Grade Level Reading, kindergarten readiness bags, and a dental care program for school children. Jim has demonstrated strategic vision in connecting Rotary's resources with regional needs and solutions identified by the Patterson Foundation, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Community Foundation of Sarasota County, and the Sarasota County Health Department. Jim is committed to fostering child literacy and wellness throughout Sarasota County and beyond.

Vickie Oldham

A leader in the Newtown Alive initiative, Vickie represents a team of professionals and volunteers who are preserving and sharing the rich history of Sarasota's Newtown neighborhood. The Newtown Alive team has produced a book, a report, installed 15 historical markers, conducted oral history interviews, and inventoried 150 historic Newtown structures. Their work celebrates the ground-breaking social changes brought about by Newtown residents across the generations -- residents such as Negro League legend Buck O'Neil.

Rafael Ortiz, III

A criminal investigation detective in the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, Rafael has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience. He also is a chief petty officer in the U.S. Coast Guard where he supervises a security unit for seaports and command and control centers. Rafael has deployed with his team seven times since 2004. His service in the Middle East and rescue and relief efforts for Haiti, Hurricane Katrina, and Puerto Rico have required many sacrifices by Rafael and his family. Rafael inspires others by his courage and commitment in serving our community and our nation.

John "Murph" Murphy

A lead volunteer at All Faiths Food Bank, Murph manages registration at many pantry distributions across Sarasota County. Murph exemplifies the dependability and kindness demonstrated by the Food Bank's many volunteers, who together contribute more than 47,000 hours of service each year to help the hungry. In 2017, All Faiths Food Bank distributed over 10.2 million pounds of food -- equating to 8.5 million meals. This monumental effort is only possible through the dedicated service of volunteers like Murph.