Gold Coast Eagle Distributing Encourages Low-Income Families to Take Advantage of Scholarship Opportunity
Sarasota, Fla. (PRWEB) March 03, 2014 -- Gold Coast Eagle Distributing and Step Up For Students hosted an information session Thursday night for Sarasota- and Manatee-area families and schools, educating them about the K-12 scholarship program.
Step Up For Students, which administers the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, is funded by corporate donors, like Gold Coast Eagle, that receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contributions to the program. The program provides scholarships to qualified low-income families throughout Florida, allowing recipients to choose between a scholarship to help with private school tuition and fees or a transportation scholarship to attend an out-of-district public school.
As an extension of Gold Coast Eagle’s partnership with Step Up For Students, the Sarasota-based distributing company wanted to help spread the word about scholarships for the 2014-15 school year, and provide a way for non-participating schools to learn how to begin accepting scholarship students. At the event, company leaders presented Gold Coast Eagle’s $6.82 million contribution to the program.
“As a donor to Step Up For Students, we want to make sure families in our community are aware of this great opportunity to find the best educational option for their children,” said John Saputo, Gold Coast Eagle president and owner. “Gold Coast Eagle is proud to support children in our community through our participation in this program, and we wish them many future successes as a result of the quality education they will receive.”
About two dozen parents, children, educators and community activists turned out to learn about the Tax Credit Scholarship Program, ask questions and, for some, begin their applications online.
“We are honored to partner with a company that goes the extra mile to spread the word about our scholarship program,” Step Up For Students Director of Operational Compliance & Training Jody Hysler said. “We are grateful for Gold Coast Eagle’s generous contributions that have helped so many Florida students, as well as their community outreach efforts.”
During the 2013-14 school year, about 800 students in Sarasota and Manatee Counties benefited from a Step Up scholarship, and 37 schools in the counties serve Step Up scholars. Statewide, nearly 60,000 students are attending a school of their parents’ choice this year.
About Gold Coast Eagle Distributing
Gold Coast Eagle Distributing, located in the Lakewood Ranch community in Sarasota, is the 50th largest of 675 Anheuser-Busch beer distributors in the United States. The company employs more than 160 associates, and services about 1,400 supermarkets, restaurants, bars, and convenience stores per week. Gold Coast Eagle is involved in more than 500 charitable events in Sarasota and Manatee counties each year.
About Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is the nonprofit organization responsible for administering the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The scholarship program is available to students who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch and students who are in foster care or who are homeless, and provides tuition assistance to the private school of their parents’ choice or transportation help to an out-of-district public school. Scholarships are funded by corporations that receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contributions. For further information, visit http://www.StepUpForStudents.org.
Ashley McDuffie, Step Up For Students, http://www.stepupforstudents.org, +1 813.463.8950, [email protected]
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