Embracing Our Differences supporters gain insight from program participant

It was an emotional afternoon Dec. 14 when supporters of Embracing Our Differences filled the ballroom of Michael’s On East to hear stories of some of the organizations’ most inspiring participants.

Embracing Our Differences Board Chair Dennis McGillicuddy opened the afternoon with an explanation of the core values and mission of the organization, throwing in some jokes about how some guests had already begun munching on their kale salad. After the official break for lunch, Mark Pritchett, president of Gulf Coast Community Foundation, shared his appreciation for the organization, and Embracing Our Differences Associate Executive Director Sarah Wertheimer welcomed the first of two special guest speakers.

The first was Brooks Tracey, the art teacher at Sarasota Middle School who not only plans an annual lesson plan around the Embracing Our Differences art exhibit, but was a contributing artist to the exhibit as a child. Tracey expressed his appreciation for the organization and why it’s made an impact on his life as well as the lives of his students.

The second speaker was Anton Kernohan, an executive member of the Coexist Club at Riverview High School who serves as a docent who guides visiting children around the Embracing Our Differences art exhibit every year. Kernohan delivered a heartwarming speech about his journey as a homosexual elementary schooler-turned teenager who was constantly bullied because of his sexual orientation.

“I will not stop sharing this story until there will no longer be a need for this story,” he proudly declared to the crowd.