"For people to give this much, they have to trust where their money is going."

Even to the woman who started it all, the news that more than $2 million had been raised in this year’s Season of Sharing campaign was stunning.

“I have always known that generosity is Sarasota’s core competency, but this exceeds any expectations I ever might have had,” said Diane McFarlin, dean of the College of Journalism at the University of Florida, who began the program as publisher of the Herald-Tribune in 2000. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think the community would raise so much money, year after year.”

Read more at the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.