SUNSHINE 100

Sunshine Unity Network

October 2026 Newsletter

September 2026 Lunch & Learn Recap

Patricia Pope, GMMB

Building Trust Through Prosocial Messaging

On September 17, Sunshine 100 members gathered for an engaging Lunch & Learn focused on pro-social messaging for elections, political violence, and strengthening trust in our democratic process.

Our featured speaker, Patricia Pope of GMMB, shared insights from her work supporting the Carter Center Democracy Resilience Network. She explored current public sentiment around elections, including concerns about misinformation and artificial intelligence, voter confidence, election information, and the impact of political rhetoric.

A central theme of the conversation was the important role that trusted community leaders and organizations can play in promoting peaceful civic engagement. Participants discussed how harmful or inflammatory rhetoric can contribute to an increasingly divisive environment, and how addressing that rhetoric early, respectfully, and constructively can make a difference.

The group also shared experiences from communities across Florida, highlighting the importance of providing reliable information, listening to community concerns, and creating opportunities for people with different perspectives to engage in meaningful dialogue.

As we move closer to the November election, the Lunch & Learn served as an important reminder that how we communicate matters. Through trusted voices, factual information, and respectful conversations, Sunshine 100 members are helping build stronger, more resilient communities across Florida.

Capitol Alliance for Justice Ministries (CAJM) Event

Kurt Kelly traveled to Tallahassee to participate in a Sunshine 850-sponsored event featuring Kevin Warren of Capitol Alliance for Justice Ministries (CAJM), along with faith and community leaders. Held on September 15, the community seminar brought together approximately 200 participants for an engaging day focused on community leadership, collaboration, and event training and planning. The gathering provided an opportunity for faith and community leaders to connect, share ideas, and strengthen their efforts to serve and engage their communities.

"Dialogue Across Our Differences" Event at St. Pete Museum of History

With the Elections near, fear mongering and attack ads are already ubiquitous. On Tuesday, September 29, 2026, our Associate Director, Lauren Kirby from the Carter Center and Kelly McBride from Poynter held an event on "Dialogue Across Our Differences" in a cross-partisan conversation about bridging our divides and why the way we talk to each other tests our Democracy.