CYD Leadership Breakfast honors Sheriff Knight

The 10th annual Community Youth Development Leadership Breakfast brought together leaders from throughout Sarasota County to honor Sheriff Tom Knight and John Stafford. The breakfast took place Thursday, Sept. 10 at the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club.   

Currently serving his second term as Sheriff, Knight is a supporter of youth development programs, including Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast, Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County and the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches.

Aside from a distinguished career in the banking industry, Stafford is a founder of the Suncoast Foundation for Handicapped Children (now Suncoast Charities for Children) and serves as a member of the investment committee for the Shriners Hospitals for Children.

In addition to honoring community leaders that contribute to the mission of CYD, the breakfast is also an opportunity for youth ambassadors like Jakob Lawrence to interact with influential citizens of Sarasota. As a freshman at Riverview High School, Lawrence has participated in CYD for two years. As recently as Sunday, Sept. 6 gave his time to helping in a downtown community garden weeding and laying mulch. 

"I love to help out, it's something I can do more to relate to people," Lawrence said. "I would like more people to volunteer their time."