Shutts & Bowen LLP is pleased to announce that Charla M. Burchett, a partner in the firm’s Sarasota office, was recently appointed Chair of the Pines of Sarasota Foundation’s 2021 Board of Directors.
The Pines of Sarasota Foundation is an organization created to support the endowment, capital and programmatic needs of Pines of Sarasota senior care community. For seven decades, Pines of Sarasota has cared for more seniors who have outlived their financial resources than any other senior care community in Southwest Florida, with a shortfall of $7,500 annually per resident. A member of the organization’s Board since 2018, Charla will continue in her new role to lead the Foundation’s efforts to support the local senior care community residents through initiatives such as the Mission Fund and the annual “Wit and Wisdom of Aging” Luncheon. With over thirty years of experience in wills, trusts and estates, Charla volunteers her time and talents to the Foundation’s board of diverse civic leaders.
The Pines of Sarasota Foundation’s Mission Fund helps sustain Pines of Sarasota’s ability to continue to care for residents facing financial hardship. Seniors in such a situation make up more than 85% of Pines’ skilled nursing residents. Through the efforts of the Pines of Sarasota Foundation, generous donors and community partners, residents of the Pines of Sarasota are able to enjoy a holistic approach to care that is developed uniquely for them – giving quality of care needed for comfort and dignity.
At the beginning of 2020, the Pines of Sarasota Foundation broke ground on the construction of a new 90-bed skilled nursing and rehabilitation center on its campus, which was fully funded by a donation from the Esther & Harold Mertz Foundation. Construction should be completed in 2021. The transformational donation will also fully fund a new child care and learning center on the campus. The two projects are part of the Pines of Sarasota’s campus renovation master plan, which will continue to be a priority for Charla during her term as Chair of the Foundation.
“It is an honor to work with the board and the team at the Foundation to support the Pines of Sarasota residents, especially during 2021, as we continue to renovate and replace the buildings on our campus to better serve our most vulnerable population,” said Charla.
About Charla M. Burchett
Charla M. Burchett is a partner in the Sarasota office of Shutts & Bowen LLP, where she is a member of the Private Client Services Practice Group. A Martindale-Hubbell AV® Preeminent™ rated attorney, Charla is a Board Certified Specialist in Wills, Trusts and Estates as certified by The Florida Bar. She has more than thirty years of experience assisting clients through challenging decisions and difficult times to preserve their legacies across generations. She focuses her practice on estate planning, estate and gift taxation, estate administration, and trust administration.