TAKE

STOCK IN CHILDREN OF SARASOTA AWARDS $1,012,812 IN COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS TO SARASOTA COUNTY SCHOOLS SENIORS

Sarasota, FL, April 14, 2023. The Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County’s Celebration of Hope reaches new heights with the largest class of scholars in their 28-year history. The annual event will be held at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota on Thursday, April 20th at 6:00 p.m. The Booker High School Jazz Band Fourcast, which includes Take Stock scholar Juan Zambrano, will perform to greet guests for this very special occasion. College dreams for 102 graduating seniors become reality as college scholarships are awarded to the deserving students who have participated in the powerful and proven college readiness and mentor program.

First generation college bound students and families, along with their volunteer mentors, will join the scholarship donors, and community leaders to celebrate the student’s commitment to academic success, perseverance, and determination in reaching their college dream.

“Take Stock in Children is proud to provide a college opportunity for a record number of students to reach their greatest potential” commented Take Stock in Children Executive Director Lisa Bechtold. “The Celebration of Hope is an exciting time to recognize these amazing students and the generous Sarasota community that made it possible.”

We are grateful for the following sponsors who have made the celebration possible without cost to the children and families: Rays Baseball Foundation and Rowdies Fund, Publix Super Markets Charities, Sunwest Bank, Scott Atkins, Heather Clark, Gulf Coast Community Foundation, Jon R. Swift Construction and the Swift Family Foundation, Neal Communities, Atlas Insurance, First Horizon Bank Foundation, Bonnie and Jack Harrison, Kelley Lear, Thomson Reuters, Lone Star Wealth Management, Marge and Steve Townsend, Tandem Construction, T.J. Chitekwe, Brittany Lamont, and XANDERSRQ.

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 publicprivate 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.