Five Teens at Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota Receive College Scholarships from ESPN Hall of Fame Sportscaster Dick Vitale

Dick Vitale, ESPN Hall of Fame sportscaster and author of various books, awarded scholarships to five teens at the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota. For the past 22 years, the Vitales have donated $5,000 each year to be distributed to deserving members of the club.  

“My wife Lorraine and I love helping young people that are chasing their dreams in a positive manner. We love the dedication of Bill Sadlo and his staff in providing direction and guidance for the young members of the club. More leaders in the community need to support this organization and the important services they provide. In addition, we are honored each year to sponsor the annual Christmas party held at the club for all of the youngsters, which will be on December 13th this year” said Dick Vitale.

Vitale offered a passionate and uplifting message about his lessons learned and about the most important game of all, the Game of Life, a story he’s so willing to share with young men and women.

This year, five members of the Boys & Girls Club of Sarasota will be able to continue and pursue their educational dreams. The scholarship recipients are:

Katherine Hernandez– a student at Keiser University Flagship Campus pursuing a degree in Nursing. She is a graduate from the Sarasota Military Academy and attended Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club.

Alex Lam– a student at the University of South Florida pursuing a degree in Biology and History. He is a member of the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club and a graduate of Pine View School.

Ian McLean– also a member of the Lee Wetherington Boys & Girls Club, is a graduate of Sarasota High School and hopes to graduate from the University of South Florida with a degree in Social Sciences. 

Jeremy Morales– has attended the Gene Matthews Boys & Girls Club, is a graduate from North Port High School and is pursuing a Business major at State College of Florida.

Jatavian Peterson– who ultimately hopes to perform on Broadway is a Booker High School graduate and is pursuing a degree in Musical Theatre at Pace University in New York City. He is a graduate of Booker High School and attended the Roy McBean Boys & Girls Club.

“The Vitales are wonderful proponents of our mission with a passion to inspire and empower youth to reach their full potential. With their support, these exceptional Club members can focus more on their studies and less on tuition,” said Bill Sadlo, President/CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Sarasota County. “In addition to personal contributions, the Vitales have helped raise more than $1 million for our organization’s award-winning programs that help youth, ages 6 to 18, excel in school, become leaders, adopt healthy habits and plan for success after high school graduation. The family also gives their time and energy through several motivational speaking engagements throughout the year, as well as, thousands of dollars to provide holiday gifts to local Club members every December.”

Dick Vitale is instrumental in raising funds for premiere pediatric cancer research across the nation while simultaneously promoting awareness of pediatric cancer and how devastating it is to children and their families. To date, over $29.5 million was raised toward pediatric cancer research and Vitale hopes to raise $5 million at his upcoming Annual Gala to benefit the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which will be held on Friday, May 8, 2020 at the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota (www.dickvitalegala.org).