SHARI ASHMAN GIVES HER 80TH BIRTHDAY GIFT TO TAKE STOCK IN CHILDREN
Sarasota, FL, June 7, 2023. For Shari’s milestone birthday she believes in giving instead of receiving. To celebrate her 80th Birthday she set up a fund to benefit Booker High School graduating girls in the Take Stock in Children/Booker Promise program. This year six collegebound students, Adriana, Amarah, Jessie, Milania, Briaih, and Amanda, were selected to receive this special scholarship.
Shari cares deeply about the Booker High School girls preparing for college and in need of resources for personal expenses. She established “Shari’s Fund” to provide a $2,500 scholarship to be awarded to a female student(s) selected annually until the fund is fully distributed. Students were required to have tuition, books, and housing funded through other scholarships to ensure this scholarship would be used for student’s personal use such as joining clubs, decorating, and furnishing their dormitory, or having collegiate clothing like their peers. Shari Ashman commented, “This is a dream come true for me. I had a humble upbringing, so knowing the girls will have the personal items they want when they attend college is rewarding for me. I wish them all continued success.”
Take Stock in Children and Booker Promise are partners in providing the college scholarship and mentor program to help Booker High School students reach their greatest potential. Services include a volunteer mentor, college success coaching, college readiness workshops, ACT/SAT preparation, financial aid assistance, a tuition scholarship, and postsecondary degree/certification attainment support. “We are grateful for this thoughtful gift to ensure students have the resources to be socially engaged on campus when they attend college” commented Take Stock in Children Executive Director Lisa Bechtold. “College dreams can become reality.”
About Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County
Take Stock in Children was founded in 1995 as a nonprofit organization by business and community leaders and built as a public-private partnership to break down barriers to opportunity and instill hope in economically disadvantaged youth. The Take Stock multiyear model benefits students by providing support services through a volunteer mentor, a college success coach, and college readiness workshops while mitigating financial barriers to higher education by providing a scholarship. By setting high expectations for their academic future, Take Stock in Children helps students graduate from high school in strong academic standing and prepared for postsecondary success. Student support services continue from college acceptance through certification/degree attainment ensuring students are workforce ready. Today, Take Stock is known as one of the nation’s preeminent mentoring, college readiness, scholarship, college access and completion direct service organizations. For more information or to become a mentor, please visit takestocksarasota.org or call Director of Development, Diana Dill 941-504-0995.
About Booker Promise Foundation
The Booker Promise Foundation is a tax-exempt non-profit organized for the sole purpose of assisting Booker High School prepare its students for the 21st century workforce without the burden of unmanageable college debt. Booker Promise is a comprehensive college and career-readiness program designed to ensure that every Booker High School student has the skills and resources necessary to develop to their fullest potential. Additionally, the Program provides scholarships covering tuition and registration fees at a Florida public college or technical school for eligible economically disadvantaged students. For more information, please visit www.BookerPromise.org or call 941-928-0567
