News
Local Pre-K Startup a State Model?
“Gocio Elementary’s pre-kindergarten program is unique in Sarasota. The students — all of them 4 or 5 years old — learn the daily school routine. They ride a bus to school, eat in the cafeteria, check out books from the library and are taught by certified teachers and paraprofessionals — all for free.”
Summer Learning Resumption Video
Sarasota County School District offers a variety of Summer Learning Opportunities for students.
SRQ Good Hero Award 2023 for Mary Kay Henson
Mary Kay Henson Honored as Good Hero “Each year, SRQ Media invites the community to nominate individuals with hearts of giving who have made a significant impact with local nonprofit organizations — from volunteers and board members to individual staff members and donors. This year, attendees were thrilled to be together as we recognized our […]
Henson Fund USF $500,000 Gift for Tutoring and Reading Program
Ensuring young students can read, so they are free to accomplish their dreams, is a goal of a literacy program based at the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus that matches USF students with middle schoolers needing support to boost their reading skills — and to set a course for brighter futures. “I cannot imagine […]
Mary Kay Henson Receives Good Hero Award
2022 GOOD HERO AWARD HONOREES Good Hero Honorees from the 2022 Good Hero Philanthropic Awards include: board members Lisa Moore of Blaze of Hope and Marjan Zaun of Florida Cancer Specialists, staff members Bronwyn Beightol of United Way Suncoast, Jessica Braemer of Better Together and Bill Sadlo of The Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota […]
Henson Unity Award 2021
“Lots of people tsk-tsk over civic problems and move on. When Joe and Mary Kay Henson, on the other hand, learned that a majority of Sarasota County elementary school-aged children live in poverty, they decided to “get up off the couch,” as Mary Kay says, and do something about it. “We’re problem solvers, or at […]
Henson Fund All Faiths Food Bank $500,000 Gift
In 2020 the Joe and Mary Kay Henson Family Fund provided a $500,000 match on all donations that come into the food bank. Read more:
2019 Blog entry for Notre Dame Student Volunteer at Summer Learning
“My name is Matt Twargoski, and I am a rising junior at the University of Notre Dame participating in the Notre Dame Summer Student Learning Program (SSLP) here in Sarasota. In this program, I spent six weeks at Alta Vista Elementary School’s Eagle Academy participating in the Suncoast Campaign for Grade-Level Reading.”
Creating Success through Summer Learning
“The intricacies of our education system can be frustrating for those of us uninitiated with the workings of local, state, and federal governments. Rather than walk away, bemoaning “the system,” several area philanthropists have focused their charitable giving on how to improve local schools so they can help develop new ways of operating that benefits […]
Press
Henson Fund USF $500,000 Gift for Tutoring and Reading Program
Ensuring young students can read, so they are free to accomplish their dreams, is a goal of a literacy program based at the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus that matches USF students with middle schoolers needing support to boost their reading skills — and to set a course for brighter futures. “I cannot imagine […]
Henson Fund USF Partnership Booker Middle Literacy Program
December 2022 – Couple’s $500,000 gift to USF funds tutoring and mentorship program at Sarasota middle school Ensuring young students can read, so they are free to accomplish their dreams, is a goal of a literacy program based at the University of South Florida’s Sarasota-Manatee campus that matches USF students with middle schoolers needing support […]
Henson Fund Season of Sharing Giving Challenge 2022
“Giving back has never been a question for philanthropists Joe and Mary Kay Henson, who have actively served the Sarasota area since moving here full-time from Greenwich, Connecticut, 12 years ago. Mary Kay, a former IBM marketing manager, and Joe, a former tech entrepreneur and chief executive officer of Fortune 500 companies, were honored as part of Sarasota Magazine’s 2021 Unity Awards for creating The […]
Henson Fund Unidos Now COVID Impact Relief
January 2021 – From Food Inequality to Education to Emergency Funds, Joe and Mary Kay Henson Always Step Up Lots of people tsk-tsk over civic problems and move on. When Joe and Mary Kay Henson, on the other hand, learned that a majority of Sarasota County elementary school-aged children live in poverty, they decided to […]
Henson Fund All Faiths Food Bank $500,000 Gift
In 2020 the Joe and Mary Kay Henson Family Fund provided a $500,000 match on all donations that come into the food bank. Read more:
Henson Fund Gocio Elementary Academic Pre-K Program
August 2017 Gocio Elementary will be the first school in the county that provides regular preschool opportunities to students, thanks to a grant of up to $700,000 provided by local philanthropists Joe and Mary Kay Henson. “Getting an early start is huge for children to build a strong foundation.”
Eagle Academy Alta Vista Program 2015
“Alta Vista’s Eagle Academy summer program has increased and improved since its start in 2012, and Barbara Shirley, the principal, predicted another successful summer at today’s Sarasota County School Board workshop. The summer education program, for entering kindergarten to third grade students, aims to reduce the loss of learning and loss of learning retention during […]