The world looked very different in 1955.
Sarasota Springs subdivision on Bee Ridge Road opened with homes starting at $6,995 and lots selling for $695 or $10 per month.* Can you imagine? In Montgomery, Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat on a bus to a white person. We are still moved by her courage and the courage of others who work for positive change.
Our 70-year story began in 1955 when Bill Selby created the William G. and Marie Selby Foundation as a tax-effective way to invest in our community into perpetuity. In our journey through the decades, we have relied on excellence in nonprofit and student leadership to deliver our mission that is focused on opportunity for others.
Many of the same things continue to be important and will remain constants–not only for the Selby Foundation, but for the successful students and charitable organizations we support.
Values are powerful guides. Bill and Marie found humanity, humility, social responsibility, innovation, and stewardship important. We strive to keep these at our forefront and love to know the values that guide our students and local organizations.
Flexibility, adaptability are essential. Change can be exciting and motivating or dizzying and disconcerting–especially when it means further challenges for the people ultimately served by grants and scholarships. We stretch and adapt to meet the present opportunities.
Caring for ourselves provides endurance. We have learned a lot about what students and nonprofit sector staff experience. In short, it’s a lot.
A now retired educator who lived in a “Selby House” with three other young women as college students at Florida State University once told us about the time Marie Selby drove to Tallahassee. Marie believed their beds were insufficient, and she paid to have them replaced because comfort was essential. Investing in the time and resources we need for ourselves will fortify what we can do for others.
We wish you a summer of recalibration and an opportunity to focus on the spaces where you can make a difference–including good care for yourself.
Susie Bowie
President & CEO
*Source: Sarasota History Alive!
Photo: 2025 Selby Scholars win baskets of dorm goodies, a nod to the importance of taking good care of yourself.