Safe Children Coalition Awards Scholarships

July 15, 2022 – Sarasota

The Safe Children Coalition’s Achievers program recently honored high school graduates and awarded $43,000 in college scholarships to its “Class of 2022” participants as well as returning college students who were engaged with the program as teens. A total of 36 scholarships – 18 first-year college and 18 continuing college – of at least $1,000 were awarded. The program took place at the University of South Florida, Sarasota-Manatee Selby Auditorium.  

Contributing to this year’s program and scholarship funding was the Bank of America Client Foundation, N.A., Trustee – which awarded a generous grant of $20,000 – as well as Zenith Insurance Company, the Babe Weiller Memorial Fund, Publix Supermarkets Charities, Vanguard Charitable Fund, Sarasota County Government, The Tracy Ross Memorial Trust Fund, and others.

Addressing the guests during the event were Dr. Karen A. Holbrook, Regional Chancellor of the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, as well as several program alumni, who spoke eloquently about their Achievers experience and how it helped them to succeed in college. They encouraged students to take full advantage of their Achievers contacts and experiences as well as to connect with on-campus resources once they are in college.

As she has done for many years, Achievers program manager, Jone Williams, acknowledged students who have achieved certain levels of program participation and community service as well as “PUSHY Parents” who encouraged their children to participate.

The Achievers program empowers at-risk, minority and other disadvantaged students to set and achieve goals in both their educational and personal lives, encouraging continuous growth in the areas of personal development, college preparation, community service and leadership, cultural enrichment, and career options. The program ultimately increases student participation in school programs, decreases school absenteeism and dropout rates, and prevents delinquent behavior.

The program, which has served thousands of students in the community for over 30 years, is open to all middle and high school students in Sarasota County. Approximately 122 students participated in the Achievers program during the 2021-2022 school year. Career cluster programming this past year featured Achiever alumni as well as professionals from the community and surrounding areas currently serving in the fields of health/medical, journalism, mass communications, law enforcement and the legal field.

For more about Safe Children Coalition, visit sccfl.org.