In the spirit of forging connections across continents and supporting communities living adjacent to Africa’s wild spaces, the All Heart Fund – in partnership with restaurant Michael’s On East and the Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club – showed its passion for supporting digital learning in rural South Africa when it hosted the fifth Safari Sarasota event in October.
The South African Fine Wine Dinner, hosted in the private wine cellar at Michael’s On East, a fine-dining restaurant in Sarasota, Florida, saw more than $50 000 being raised for the All Heart Fund and Good Work Foundation (GWF). A highlight of the evening was a talk from best-selling author and life coach Dr Martha Beck, who shared her wisdom.
These funds (equating to more than R800 000 in South African currency) will be used to assist children in villages surrounding the Kruger National Park in accessing wonder-filled education, equipping them for a bright future in the digital economy.
Safari Sarasota was inspired by the Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club’s travels to Londolozi Game Reserve – a luxury safari lodge that was a founding patron of GWF, a non-profit that helps thousands of rural children and young adults gain access to education, skills and opportunities.
The initiative was created in memory of Leanna Knopik, a young Sarasotan who had travelled to Londolozi with her family and fallen in love with the place and its people. Before tragically passing away from a rare heart infection at the age of 16 in 2012, Leanna had expressed her deep wish to volunteer at schools and orphanages in Africa.
This courageous and compassionate teenager was often described as being “all heart”, and the fund created in her name honours that legacy. Since 2013, the All Heart Fund has been instrumental in raising funds to build GWF’s satellite digital learning campuses, extending its reach and impact to where it is needed most.
The funds raised each year through Safari Sarasota help to further Leanna’s vision and empower thousands of children with access to coding, robotics and digital literacy skills grounded in wonder-filled learning environments. But this year, the event very nearly didn’t happen.
Relates Leanna’s mother, Beth Knopik, “To think we nearly cancelled the event after two hurricanes ravaged Sarasota! Clearly, a bigger plan was at play as the evening was filled with joy, excitement and generous hearts.
“With Dr Martha Beck as our guest speaker, magic filled the air as the spirit of Leanna touched us all. We are thrilled to make yet another meaningful contribution to the Good Work Foundation to support digital learning in rural parts of South Africa.”
GWF CEO Kate Groch, who attended the fundraising dinner, applauded the Sarasota community for its heart, generosity and resilience. “To have endured the devastating hurricanes and still show up to support a rural education non-profit in far-away South Africa says so much about this incredible community.
“We’re deeply grateful for their generosity and we hope they enjoyed the taste of South Africa on offer during this beautiful evening – top South African wines, kingklip and venison, and finally our delicious local Amarula liqueur.”
Like the Knopiks and members of the Gulf Coast Connoisseur Club (many of whom are regular visitors to South Africa and visit GWF campuses to witness the All Heart Fund’s impact first-hand), Dr Beck is also part of the global GWF family. She leads annual personal development safari retreats to South Africa’s wild spaces, which also support fundraising for GWF.
Says Groch, “Safari Sarasota 2024 was a beautiful gathering of different supporters of GWF, coming together in one place in celebration of what we do and inspired by Leanna. It was a virtuous circle of positivity. It reminded us that our mission goes beyond fundraising: it’s about building relationships and being part of each other’s lives.
“This event really showed us how invested people are in what we do, and the interconnectedness of people across the world. And on each GWF campus, we have a beautiful image of Leanna watching over us, reminding us to continue leading from the heart.”
- Safari Sarasota 2024 raised more than $46 000 to support immersive learning experiences in coding and robotics, as well as conservation, for rural school children on GWF’s campuses. GWF would like to thank Michael and Terri Klauber, and the Michael's On East team, Vin and Michele Beni, Steve and Beth Knopik, Tom and Sherri Koski, and Martha Beck and Rowan Mangan for all their support in making this event such a success.
