Lakewood Ranch neighborhood recycles old items into community grants

The Lake Club Women’s Giving Circle has taken the adage of “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” and turned it into fundraising gold. 

While The Lake Club is one of Lakewood Ranch’s wealthiest neighborhoods, it’s also one of its most generous neighborhoods.

The Giving Circle issued $103,000 worth of grants in 2025, and now the entire neighborhood is getting involved by giving away their old stuff to raise even more grant money. 

Last July, the Giving Circle formed a partnership with The Exchange in Sarasota, a nonprofit consignment store that financially supports local art students. 

Mary Myers is a resident of The Lake Club, but not a member of the Giving Circle. She is, however, a volunteer at The Exchange. She saw an opportunity for both organizations to further their missions. 

The idea came to her during a volunteer shift at The Exchange. The snowbirds had left for the summer, and the clothing racks were nearly empty. Another volunteer asked her jokingly, “Mary, don’t you know anyone who can empty out a closet?”

She thought about her neighborhood and replied quite seriously, “As a matter of fact, I do.” 

That night, Myers read about a sneaker drive the Giving Circle was holding for The Twig Cares, so she reached out with a proposal. 

Since Myers was already driving back and forth to The Exchange, all the women had to do was get some donations together. Because the Giving Circle is also a nonprofit, The Exchange agreed to a 50-50 partnership, instead of its usual 60% take.

While the Giving Circle declined to say how much has been raised through the partnership, Vice Chair Jennifer Alokeh said the initiative played a significant role in supporting a second grant cycle in 2025, something the women hope to continue. 

The second cycle distributed $24,250 to 18 local nonprofits. The nonprofits range from large organizations, such as Meals on Wheels Plus of Manatee, to more obscure nonprofits, such as the Chemical Coaters Association International that is located in Lakewood Ranch and offers training scholarships. 

Courtesy image

Alokeh said the women wanted to add the second grant cycle to encourage more organizations to apply for grants throughout the year. They also recognized that a nonprofit’s needs might change depending on the time of year. 

An organization like The Twig Cares is a good example. The nonprofit provides clothing to children in foster care. The Giving Circle collected shoes to fill a need when the kids were going back to school, but sometimes the store needs to be stocked with basics like socks and underwear.

“What impresses me most is that this impact was created with no added expense, just good old-fashioned volunteer power,” Karen Koblenz, CEO of The Exchange, said in an email. 

Vivienne Pietrunti is one of those volunteers. She allows neighbors to drop off items at her home every Tuesday and Thursday, and then she delivers them to Myers. 

She’s enjoyed getting to know her neighbors and doing good in the community.

She’s also been surprised to see how much stuff has been donated in such a short amount of time. She collected 16 bags in one day. 

Myers has 350 pieces of clothing set aside in her home waiting for the corresponding seasons to roll around. Jewelry, artwork and furniture have also been donated. 

One donation was from a woman, who sort of apologetically donated a bag of “costume jewelry.” The jewelry was made by David Yurman, who’s been a renowned New York jeweler for over 40 years and sells at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. 

Another woman dropped off a small bag to Myers and apologized that was all she had to donate. When Myers opened the bag, there was a little blue box inside. She donated a Tiffany necklace.

And the list goes on. Another neighbor had her house repainted, so she wanted to replace all the artwork. She donated 15 pieces of signed art. 

A man lost weight and donated brand new Tommy Bahama shirts with tags on them. And when his wife ordered furniture she expected him to put together, he donated that, too. 

“We’re filling up The Exchange,” Myers said. “It’s actually quite amazing.”