For 15 years, Georgia Anderson has spent one day each week volunteering at Resurrection House, a day center serving unhoused individuals in Sarasota. Her role is simple: she helps with laundry, one load at a time, while getting to know the people who come through the center's doors. Over the years, some of those people have become more than familiar faces — they are neighbors she sees in her own community, and people whose stories have stayed with her.
“Working at Resurrection House has been more than a volunteer commitment,” she said. “I've learned invaluable lessons about humanity and the enduring power of connection, even in the face of adversity.”
The hub offers much more than laundry services; it is also a place to escape the heat, enjoy a warm meal, shower, and collect mail, as well as receive medical support, employment assistance and other services. That work is made possible by a small, dedicated staff and a team of devoted volunteers. For more than 35 years, that core group has helped more than 45,000 unhoused neighbors across the region. Now, the organization is looking toward its next chapter, with plans to expand its services and increase its capacity to better serve the community.
Bringing people together around what matters
Georgia is one of four Gulf Coast donors who have developed a meaningful connection through service to Resurrection House. Though Jim Doyle, Blake Rolley, Bob Theis, and she volunteer on different days and in different ways, each has gained a firsthand understanding of the organization and the people it serves. The group knew they were part of a larger volunteer community, but they didn’t realize they shared another thread: each had philanthropic ties to Gulf Coast.
When Sasha Pyatte, Director, Philanthropic Partnerships at Gulf Coast, realized four donors had each found their way to Resurrection House on their own, she saw an opportunity worth exploring. She invited them to an in-person roundtable conversation.
“What stood out to me was how much each person had to contribute to the conversation,” said Pyatte. “They each brought such a different perspective, and yet there was this incredible sense of possibility as they talked about Resurrection House and what it could become. By the end of the conversation, it was clear they were thinking beyond their individual involvement and about what they could do together.”
"My volunteer days there are absolutely my favorite days of the week," said Doyle, who has volunteered at Resurrection House for three years, helping with laundry and clothing needs. "I’ve watched other volunteers show me, by their example, how to serve. They are my teachers."
Turning conversation into action
In the weeks that followed, the possibilities discussed began to take shape. Through an initiative grant, Gulf Coast provided $100,000 in program support and $50,000 toward Resurrection House’s $1 million capital campaign to support both day-to-day operations and the renovation of its current space in Sarasota’s Rosemary District.
Alongside Gulf Coast’s support, the four volunteers chose to band together in multiple ways to bolster the much-needed expansion for their beloved community hub. They each made additional gifts apart from their annual giving allocations to support the capital campaign and encouraged their friends and networks to join them.
“When the opportunity to participate in the facility reconfiguration process came about, none hesitated,” said Joe Reuth, Executive Director at Resurrection House. “It is a pleasure to see how self-motivated and driven all of them are in taking the initiative to create an environment here."
Looking toward what’s possible
The impact of Resurrection House is felt in the small moments every day — a place to rest, to share a conversation, to lend or receive a helping hand. For the volunteers who see those moments of respite and connection up close, what Resurrection House offers today makes the possibilities for tomorrow feel within reach.
“What has stayed with us most, however, isn’t the work — it’s the people,” said Bob Theis, who volunteers with his wife Sally. “That experience — and the people we’ve come to know — is what inspires both our personal involvement and our financial commitment to the mission of Resurrection House.”
What happens at Resurrection House is a powerful example of partnership at work. Individuals bring their time and resources, the organization brings its experience and purpose — and Gulf Coast connects the right partners when an opportunity arises. When those pieces align, what’s possible can be limitless.
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