Luncheon honors spirit of late Manatee educator Marjorie Kinnan

BRADENTON -- Although she didn't know her personally, Manatee County School District Superintendent Diana Greene is pretty sure the late Marjorie Kinnan was the type of woman who didn't care what kind of car she drove, or what kind of clothes she wore, or how much money she had in the bank.

"She cared about what she did in a life of a child," Greene said during a luncheon Thursday, after reading the poem "100 Years from Now."

The annual luncheon on Thursday honored businesses that work with the Manatee Education Foundation, the brainchild of Kinnan, a former school board member and educator. Started in 1988, the nonprofit organization hosts a number of events each year to give back to the students of Manatee County.

"Good relationships are always the cornerstone of success," executive director Mary Glass said.

In the past year, the foundation has given out more than 400 classroom grants for teachers, funded field trips to the South Florida Museum, adopted schools and helped send TSA students at the middle and high school levels to national competitions. Donations in the past year totaled more than $500,000, said Trevor Gooby, the director of the board.

"On behalf of the entire board, I really want to thank all the partners that are here today," Gooby said.

In addition to giving out awards, students from River Rhapsody, a choir at Braden River High School, performed. Almost 40 students sang under the direction of Kerrie Carrier. The audition-only ensemble is made up of mostly upperclass students, Carrier said.

"They're mostly involved across the board in music," she said.

Companies honored on Thursday included Lockheed Martin, the Pittsburgh Pirates and Bradenton Marauders, Mosaic, Florida Power and Light, Manatee Memorial Hospital, Bank of America, IMG Academy, FawleyBryant and Blalock Walters.

"Manatee Education Foundation may not be directly in the classroom but that spirit of what you do for a child embodies what this organization is about," Greene said.

Meghin Delaney, education reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7081. Follow her on Twitter@MeghinDelaney.

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 3:12 PM with the headline "Luncheon honors spirit of late Manatee educator Marjorie Kinnan ."