Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Selby Gardens) is excited to announce that a fifth, one-million-dollar gift has been secured towards the capital needs for Phase I of the Master Plan for its Downtown Sarasota campus. Marcia Jean Taub and Peter Swain have made this gift in loving memory of her parents, Ethel and Ron Taub. Marcia Jean and her parents began visiting Selby Gardens since our opening in 1975 and became avid supporters participating in many philanthropic campaigns including the campaign for The Children’s Rainforest Garden.
As a part of their gift, Taub and Swain provided a matching challenge for Selby Gardens’ Solar Array Campaign, leading to almost 150 solar panels named and raising more than $375,000 additional dollars for the Master Plan.
“We are elated to continue the legacy of support for Selby Gardens that started with my parents,” says Taub. “Selby Gardens is a jewel in our community, and just as my parents did, we believe in Selby Gardens’ vision and are excited to be a part of this next chapter in Selby Gardens’ future.”
“We are grateful for this generous gift as we move forward with our Master Plan,” says Jennifer Rominiecki, president & CEO of Selby Gardens. “It is inspiring to see Marcia Jean and Peter continue the legacy of supporting Selby Gardens set forth by her parents. Their generosity will help us become an international leader in sustainability as we embark on this transformational Master Plan.”
To date, Selby Gardens has raised $40.1 million, which is 94 percent of the $42.5 million needed to implement Phase I of the Master Plan.
Selby Gardens broke ground on the Master Plan on June 3 and construction has commenced. The three-phase plan will take several years to complete. Selby Gardens’ trustees, leadership donors and campaign co-chairs Jean Weidner Goldstein, Cornelia Matson and Pauline L. Wamsler are spearheading the fundraising effort, Innovating a Greener Future- Living Inspiration for The Living Museum®: The Campaign for Selby Gardens.
For more information, please contact Lynn H. Bates, lbates@selby.org.