Jessica Schubick, Communications Manager
Email: [email protected]
06-09-14
The South Florida Museum Named
Arts, Culture and Humanities Nonprofit of the Year
The Museum was Recognized as the 2014 Arts, Culture and Humanities Nonprofit of the Year by the Tampa Bay Business Journal for Our Work in Educating and Engaging Visitors About the Natural and Cultural History of Florida and the Universe.
South Florida Museum Staff, Board and Friends at Thursday’s Nonprofit of the Year Award Ceremony –
pictured left to right: Jessica Schubick, Chris Pennewill, Martha Wells, COL James A. Fraley, Jr., Brynne Anne Besio,
Realize Bradenton Executive Johnette Isham, Carol Rice, Debbie Gigliotti and Jackie Barron.
(Bradenton, FL) The South Florida Museum is proud to have been named the 2014 Arts, Culture and Humanities Nonprofit of the Year at an Awards Luncheon presented by the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Thursday, June 5th in Tampa. The 2014 Awards, sponsored by Mauldin & Jenkins, featured an independent panel of judges which selected 42 organizations as finalists for the 2014 Nonprofit of the Year Awards earlier this year. From these finalists, winners were selected in 8 categories in addition to a Judges’ Choice Winner and an overall Nonprofit of the Year winner.
There are a total of 9,219 nonprofits in the Tampa Bay, Manatee, and Sarasota regions. The Nonprofit of the Year Awards honor nonprofit organizations making a significant impact in the community every day. Since its inception in 2005, the awards program recognizes organizations that demonstrate strong financial best practices and lean management structures that support the delivery of their mission-driven goals.
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The Museum’s mission – to engage and inspire learners of all ages, we protect, interpret and communicate scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe – allows our staff, board and volunteers the opportunity to educate the public and ignite a passion for learning and discovery in everyone with whom we interact. Our staff and Board of Trustees make it a priority to ensure the future of the Museum’s mission and to respect our responsibilities toward the preservation of knowledge, objects and our cultural and environmental history.
“We are thrilled to be recognized as one of the region’s nonprofit leaders, especially among such esteemed nominees, finalists and winners. The finalists in our category – Junior League of Tampa and the Sarasota Ballet of Florida, Inc – are truly exceptional organizations that do great work in our area. We were so gratified to be in their company and appreciate the support of the Nonprofit of the Year Awards committee in naming the Museum as the outstanding Arts & Cultural Nonprofit of the Year among the truly amazing array of organizations in the Tampa Bay area,” said Museum CEO Brynne Anne Besio. “We are particularly pleased with this award because it acknowledges the great care that our Board and Administrative staff take in maintaining a legacy of fiscal responsibility and preserving the Mission and Vision that our founders had for the Museum more than 66 years ago.”
In addition to this honor, the South Florida Museum has also received the 2014 Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor which requires that organizations maintain an overall rating of four or higher, out of a possible five, as reviewed by travelers on TripAdvisor. Additional criteria include the volume of reviews received within the past 12 months. In 2013, the Museum was recognized with an “At your Leisure” People’s Choice Award by the State of Florida.
The South Florida Museum was one of five Nonprofit organizations from Manatee County to be recognized in 2014 as winners among the eight award categories. We congratulate our community partners at Realize Bradenton for their win in the Public & Societal Benefit category, as well as our friends at the Manatee County Girls Club / Just For Girls (Children & Youth Services), Goodwill Manasota (Health & Human Services), and Southeastern Guide Dogs (Environment & Animals) – who also took home the overall Nonprofit of the Year award.
For more information, please contact Jessica Schubick at [email protected] or 941-746-411, ext. 14.
About the South Florida Museum
The largest natural and cultural history museum on Florida’s Gulf Coast, the South Florida Museum offers engaging exhibits as well as educational programs which interpret the scientific and cultural knowledge of Florida, the world and our universe. In addition to the permanent exhibits, the Museum features a constantly changing lineup of temporary exhibitions – offering something new to discover with each visit. The facility also includes both the all-digital Bishop Planetarium Theater and the Parker Manatee Aquarium. Outfitted with a brand new, state-of-the-art Planetarium and projection system in October of 2013, the NEW Bishop Planetarium is the region’s premier astronomy education facility with stunning new multimedia capabilities. The Parker Manatee Aquarium is home to Snooty™, Manatee County’s official mascot and the oldest known manatee in the world. Snooty shares his Aquarium pool with young manatees from the Manatee Rehabilitation and Release Partnership. These injured or orphaned animals are taken care of by the Parker Aquarium staff until they are ready to be released into the wild. For more information about current exhibitions and special programs, membership, hours, or admission prices please call 941-746-4131 or visit .
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