Support Our All Stars

Latest News on Campus

Shining Stars: Psychology Training at All Star

February 29, 2024
|

Heather Finster, M.S., Doctoral Psychology Intern, & Laura Roggenbaum, Ph.D., Post doctoral Psychology Fellow discuss their involvement with All Star Children’s Foundation.

All Star Children’s Foundation Welcomes Board Member Terri Klauber

January 8, 2024
|

All Star Children’s Foundation has welcomed Terri Klauber to its board of directors. Klauber, who serves as the director of community engagement at Michael’s on East, has garnered national recognition for her advocacy for at-risk children. For 13 years, Klauber has played a leadership role on the advisory board of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida, contributing significantly […]

Connection through Creativity

August 23, 2023
|

Jack Harris, a fourth-year animation student at Ringling College, held an impactful art workshop for the children living at the Campus of Hope & Healing. The concepts of empathy and compassion served as prompts to begin painting and drawing anything that came to mind. This workshop would serve as the first phase and a crucial […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Welcomes Karen A. Holbrook to its Board of Directors

August 2, 2023
|

Dr. Holbrook, the regional chancellor at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus, brings a wealth of expertise, including a longstanding connection with the Sarasota-Manatee community. All Star Children’s Foundation has welcomed Karen A. Holbrook, PhD., to its board of directors. Dr. Holbrook is the regional chancellor at the University of South Florida Sarasota-Manatee campus […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Selects New CEO

July 13, 2023
|

The former CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Duval, Denise Marzullo brings a wealth of expertise, education, and vision to All Star. (July 11, 2023) After an eight month search, All Star Children’s Foundation’s board of directors has appointed Denise Marzullo, MBA, LMHC as its new CEO. Marzullo most recently served as the President […]

Cheesecake Cutie & Café Raises Valuable Funds 

May 24, 2023
|

A fundraising event in March raised more than $5,000 for both child welfare agencies. (May 3, 2023) Can cheesecake save the world? Ask Jennifer and Kane Geils, owners of Cheesecake Cutie & Café in Holmes Beach, and they’ll tell you it can certainly raise valuable funds for an important cause. The Geils are not only […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Welcomes New Board Member

March 16, 2023
|

(March 16, 2023) All Star Children’s Foundation has welcomed a new member to its board of directors: Byron Shinn. Shinn is a partner with Carr, Riggs & Ingram CPAs and Advisors, a nationally acclaimed accounting and advisory firm. He brings 42 years of public accounting experience to the All Star team. Graci McGillicuddy, All Star’s […]

All Star Children's Foundation Founder, Graci McGillicuddy, Honored As '100 Women To Know' In America

August 10, 2022
|

Graci McGillicuddy was recently honored as one of the “100 Women to Know” by The KNOW Women, a global women’s group.

June Newsletter

June 7, 2022
|

Raising Awareness for National Foster Care Month May was National Foster Care Month and All Star focused on appreciating foster parents and raising awareness of the need for more foster parents throughout the month. Support from the community makes a huge difference in building brighter futures for children in foster care. They say it takes […]

Foster parents needed on Suncoast

May 31, 2022
|

With hundreds of kids in the child welfare system on the Suncoast, the need for foster parents is great. “Currently, there are over 400,000 children in foster care, nationally,” All Star Children’s Foundation Chief Development Officer Stephen Fancher said. “And in our local judicial circuit, there are over 1400 children currently in foster care- There is more […]

April 2022 Newsletter

April 29, 2022
|

Bringing CARE into the Community Chelsea Hernandez, a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with nearly 10 years of clinical experience working with children and families, now serves as All Star’s new clinical director. Chelsea is already covering a lot of ground this year by leading Trauma 101 presentations and co-facilitating Child Adult Relationship Enhancement (CARE) […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Expands Staff

April 20, 2022
|

All Star Children’s Foundation, a non-profit organization in Sarasota that works to create brighter futures for children in foster care, continues to expand its staff. The nonprofit recently hired Chelsea Hernandez, LCSW, as its new clinical director. Read More

Resources available on Suncoast for victims of Child Abuse

April 18, 2022
|

Hundreds of kids on the Suncoast have been removed from their homes due to neglect or abuse. During Child Abuse Prevention Month, we share some of the resources helping children through this trauma. Read More

ASCF Year in Review 2021

Check out these highlights of what All Star has accomplished in 2021! From trainings and outreach to celebrations and support for our campus kids and foster parents, it’s been an incredible year of happy memories! Thank you to our dedicated staff, volunteers, board members, donors, and the community for helping us create brighter futures for […]

Barancik Foundation funding strengthens bolsters All Star Children's Foundation mission

July 20, 2021
|

Despite the best efforts and good intentions of the child welfare system, children and families with foster care involvement still experience negative outcomes on a regular basis.

Newsletter Summer 2021

July 9, 2021
|

Community of Support A sense of community can be felt everywhere on the All Star Campus. You can see groups of kids playing on the playground and foster parents grilling outside their homes or talking at the picnic tables. Clinical staff can be seen driving kids around the campus on the red golf cart and […]

Trauma-Informed Care Remains Top Priority for All Star Children's Foundation

July 6, 2021
|

Recent funding from Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation strengthens organizational capacity to support regional foster parents and children.

Barancik Foundation Grants $250,000 to All Star Children’s Foundation

July 2, 2021
|

A partnership between All Star Children’s Foundation and the Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation is seeking to build brighter futures for children in foster care and the families who support them. The effort is focusing on providing direct support for families currently caring for foster children, while also providing the most-cutting edge trauma-informed therapy to help heal the emotional tolls on the child.

All Star Children’s Foundation Adds Two Board Members

December 22, 2020
|

Ashley Coone and Noah Riner have both joined the foundation’s board of directors.

Newsletter July 2020

July 10, 2020
|

A child’s earliest experiences have a lasting impact on their brain development. Genes provide the blueprint, but experience builds the neural pathways.

Newsletter June 2020

June 22, 2020
|

Building Resilience Early in Life Helps Children Cope with Trauma Children who come to live on All Star’s campus have endured abuse and neglect that increases the risk of multiple health problems throughout their lifespan and hinders healthy brain development. All Star’s model tackles this problem head-on. An important component is building resilience – preparing […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Continues Vital Clinical Outreach and Welcomes New Clinical Team Members

June 9, 2020
|

Since beginning trauma-informed outpatient clinical services on April 1, 2019, All Star has treated 96 children and their families with trauma-informed, innovative therapies. The organization has also adapted quickly to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. (SARASOTA, FL) Since beginning trauma-informed outpatient clinical services on April 1, 2019, All Star Children’s Foundation has […]

All Star Children’s Foundation Welcomes Two Team Members

June 9, 2020
|

Kristin Hoffman, Ph.D., joins All Star Children’s Foundation as chief program officer and Sharon Ghazarian, Ph.D., joins as All Star’s chief research officer.

All Star Children’s Foundation Continues Vital Clinical Outreach and Welcomes New Clinical Team Members

June 6, 2020
|

Since beginning trauma-informed outpatient clinical services on April 1, 2019, All Star has treated 96 children and their families with trauma-informed, innovative therapies. The organization has also adapted quickly to the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis.

A Dream Becomes a Reality

May 14, 2020
|

It was November 2017 when Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy and a few of their friends and family members gathered at 17th St in Sarasota to break ground on Graci’s long time dream

The Junior League of Sarasota Donates to All Star Children’s Foundation

May 11, 2020
|

Junior League members purchased $5,000 worth of linens and made 42 beds in a generous act of giving to the All Star Children’s Foundation.

The Devastating Effects of Childhood Trauma

May 7, 2020
|

A child’s earliest experiences have a lasting impact on their brain development. Genes provide the blueprint, but experience builds the neural pathways.

Campus Picture Tour

April 22, 2020
|

Please Enjoy This Picture Tour of the Campus of Hope and Healing! We’ve long held in our hearts the vision of creating a safe haven for our community’s children who have been abused and neglected. But to look at the photos below taken last week by our good friend Cliff Roles, it’s hard for us […]

Newsletter: March 2020

March 3, 2020
|

Spring is Just Around the Corner! And so is completion of the All Star Campus! Every day something new springs forth! We wanted you to see the amazing progress that’s happening right now. Enjoy! Building a Future, One Brick at a Time Would you like to be forever part of the Campus? We invite you […]

Matter Brothers Furniture Donates Over $25,000

February 4, 2020
|

Matter Brothers Furniture Donates Over $25,000 to Help Create Nurturing Spaces for Foster Families On the All Star Children’s Foundation Campus (SARASOTA, FL) Matter Brothers Furniture recently donated over $25,000 worth of furnishings and design services to All Star Children’s Foundation for its Campus of Hope and Healing in Sarasota. Matter Brothers Furniture also worked […]

Newsletter February 2020

February 4, 2020
|

We extend a grateful thank you to each of you who has entrusted us with your finances, gifts and time in makingour dream of creating a safe place for children to heal from the trauma of child abuse a reality. When we think of all the conversations we’ve had over the years with our friends […]

$500,000 Matching Challenge – Double Your Donation

February 4, 2020
|

All Star Children’s Foundation has been selected to participate in The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust $500,000 Matching Challenge. The matching program, called the 2020 Flanzer Contribution Matching Program, is designed to inspire residents across Sarasota and the Suncoast area to make a difference in their communities. Donate any amount up to $500 to All Star […]

Herald Tribune: All Star Children’s Foundation Makes a Bright Beginning

December 27, 2019
|

After decades of working with abused and neglected children, Lucia Branton says she can usually tell within six to nine months whether a family can be knitted back together securely enough to safely sustain a young life. But it’s never an easy call to make. Florida law requires its child protection system to “preserve and […]

Brenda and Brian Johnson Donate Property To All Star Children’s Foundation

December 11, 2019
|

Sarasota’s rock royalty donated a property that sold for $335,000 to support this non-profit organization dedicated to transforming foster care through innovation, science, and compassion. (SARASOTA, FL) Brenda and Brian Johnson have a celebrated place in rock’s pantheon. Their philanthropy is also well known. Case in point? The Johnsons recently donated a property to All […]

Gulf Coast Community Foundation Awards Major Grant to All Star Children’s Foundation

November 30, 2019
|

he $100,000 Leveraged Grant provides valuable funds toward completion of the organization’s clinical care program. (Sarasota, FL) All Star Children’s Foundation will be able to treat many more children in the tri-county area who are suffering from trauma thanks to the $100,000 Leveraged Grant recently issued by the Gulf Coast Community Foundation. The funds will […]

Five-acre foster care campus being built in Sarasota

May 29, 2019
|

Hundreds of Suncoast children in foster care will soon be getting a new home. The All Star Children’s Foundation is building a five-acre foster care campus on 17th Street between Beneva and Lockwood Ridge roads.

The Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust Donates $3 Million to Sarasota’s All Star Children’s Foundation

April 7, 2019
|

All Star Children’s Foundation announced a $3 million donation from the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust. The generous gift will contribute to the construction and operation of its five-acre campus currently underway at 3300 17th Street in Sarasota.

PECKY Gets Creative and Proudly Announces its Newest Fundraising Campaign: “PECKY Gives Back” Benefitting the All Star Children’s Foundation

March 15, 2019
|

Through a partnership with the All Star Children’s Foundation, founded by Graci and Dennis McGillicuddy and focused on healing children who have been impacted by the trauma of abuse and neglect, they embarked
on this campaign. This campaign is a win-win for all and very simple.

Donors Invited to View the New Campus for a Special Recognition Event.

January 15, 2019
|

All Star Children’s Foundation gave donors a special look at the new campus and the opportunity to write messages of love to be “embedded in the fabric of our building,” founder Graci McGillicuddy told guests.

All Star Pilots the First Foster Parent Class with Trauma-Focused Parenting!

October 15, 2018
|

The decision and process to become a foster parent is not an easy one and once a child is placed into your home- this decision can be tested, due to many reasons. One of the many reasons is due to the child’s behaviors. With the mission of ASCF to address childhood trauma, we are working […]

All Star Staff Head to San Francisco for ACES Conference!

October 15, 2018
|

Founders, Dennis and Graci McGillicuddy and the ASCF staff , which include, Lucia Branton-Executive Director and Lindsey May- Director of Programs, and, Dr. Kristin Hoffman of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, will be heading to San Francisco to attend the ACES Conference which is hosted by Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris, a nationally recognized pediatrician who has […]

The Interior Design Society, Sarasota, Partners with All Star Children’s Foundation

October 15, 2018
|

The Interior Design Society has chosen All Star Children’s Foundation as their main charity to support this year.  Julie Szymczak, President of IDS stated that “We feel that what All Star stands for is so important.  There are too many abused and neglected children in the system who need help.  We are excited to be […]

The All Star Campus is Underway!

October 15, 2018
|

Each week we get more and more excited as we see concrete poured, bricks laid and pillars standing because, for us, it means we are one day closer to helping children! Construction is finally underway and it’s amazing to see the team of people who are committed to making our vision come true. We are […]

All Star Recognized as a Leader in Trauma Recovery in Their Community

September 6, 2018
|

In the spring of 2010, Robin Saenger, then vice-mayor of Tarpon Springs, discovered the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) test, a simple 10-question survey developed through Centers for Disease Control research that calculates the degree of abuse, neglect and family dysfunction an individual has experienced in childhood.

Building a Bright Future in Foster Care

May 7, 2018
|

All Star Children’s Foundation is “Building A Brighter Future in Foster Care.” Read more in the May edition of SCENE, The Education Issue.

Manatee Coalition Tackles Foster Care Epidemic

February 11, 2018
|

Manatee and Sarasota counties are the top counties in the state for the rate at which children are removed from their homes, largely due to the rise of opioid addiction

All Star Children's Foundation

January 11, 2018
|

For over 30 years, Graci McGillicuddy has dreamed of building a brighter future in foster care. Now, with the support of her husband Dennis, and in collaboration with Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, her dream is coming true.

Nutter Construction Selected to Build Foster Homes

December 22, 2017
|

SARASOTA, Fla.– Nutter Custom Construction, a Sarasota-based residential custom-building company, has been selected to build the foster homes for All Star Children’s Foundation, an organization with the goal of providing state-of-the-art treatment for childhood trauma on its Campus of Caring…

A new future for foster children

December 17, 2017
|

When Dennis McGillicuddy asked his wife, Graci, what she wanted for her birthday, she didn’t have to think long. It’s what she has wanted and worked toward for more than 30 years, to bring an end to child abuse and care for abused, neglected and abandoned children…

Breaking ground

November 15, 2017
|

It might not have been a birthday party, but All Star Children’s Foundation’s groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday was the perfect celebration to commemorate Graci McGillicuddy’s birthday.

ASCF Will Have a 5-Acre Center for Hope & Healing Campus.

November 15, 2017
|

The All Star Children’s Foundation plans to break ground on its Center for Hope & Healing today…

Sarasota’s All Star Children’s Foundation Hired Beth Bush as its New Vice President

September 7, 2017
|

Sarasota’s All Star Children’s Foundation recently hired Beth Bush as its new vice president of philanthropy.

Community Responds to Children's Needs

June 23, 2017
|

Sarasota is known as a wealthy retirement community, but the concern that our residents and local organizations demonstrate for poor and struggling children is inspiring.

Fresh Start for Foster Care

June 18, 2017
|

Imagine being taken in the middle of the night from the only home you have known, your parents under arrest, you brothers and sisters bundled into the back seats of separate police cars…

Foundation awards $1 million grant for trauma-related services

June 8, 2017
|

The Charles & Margery Barancik Foundation recently awarded a $1 million grant to Sarasota’s All Star Children’s Foundation, which is building a center for trauma-focused clinical services and to provide children who have been victimized by abuse with a nurturing, family-style home environment and comprehensive, trauma-sensitive treatment…