Southern Wine & Spirits of America Announces Landmark $100 Million Contribution to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program
Miami, FL (PRWEB) April 29, 2015 -- Step Up For Students and Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. (Southern), the nation’s leading wine and spirits distributor, announced today that Southern has committed $100 million to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program for the 2015-16 school year.
This monumental redirection is the largest to the program—by far—of any contributor since the program launched in 2001. Southern’s contribution will provide nearly a quarter of the total funding for Step Up For Students scholarships in the 2015-16 school year.
Step Up For Students helps administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program, which provides scholarships to qualified low-income K-12 schoolchildren throughout Florida. Scholarships are funded by corporations that receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for their contributions. The program allows 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.
“We take great pride in being the leader in our industry—and we are equally proud to be considered leaders in our community,” said Southern President and Chief Executive Officer, Wayne E. Chaplin. “We know the value of a quality education and that the students of today will one day grow up to run our businesses, our communities and our country. We are thrilled that our tax credit redirection will provide thousands of children with scholarships for school next year.”
This is Southern’s sixth consecutive year of participating in the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program, bringing the company’s total to a noteworthy $190 million since 2010.
“Once again, Southern Wine & Spirits has demonstrated its incredible generosity and care for Florida students by more than tripling last year’s contribution to Step Up. This sum is truly remarkable and I know our families will echo my sentiments when I say that we are deeply appreciative for Southern’s tremendous support,” said Doug Tuthill, President of Step Up For Students. “One scholarship can change the course of a child’s life, and Southern Wine & Spirits is providing thousands upon thousands of scholarships for the next school year. Our gratitude cannot be overstated.”
This school year, Step Up For Students is serving nearly 70,000 students throughout Florida, more than 5,500 who are directly benefiting from Southern’s 2014-15 contribution. Southern’s $100 million redirection will fund more than 16,500 scholarships during the 2015-16 school year.
About Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is a nonprofit organization responsible for helping administer 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. It 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. Step Up For Students also helps administer state-funded Personal Learning Scholarship Accounts (PLSA) for Florida students with certain special needs. With the PLSA’s, recipients may use the funds for a variety of services including private tutoring, occupational therapy, instructional materials and other education-related services. For more information, visit http://www.StepUpForStudents.org.
About Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc.
Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. is the nation’s largest wine and spirits distributor and broker with operations in 35 markets and corporate offices in Miami. The multi-state distributor currently operates in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Florida, Kentucky, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming. Southern also holds operating licenses and permits in Nebraska and Texas. On a national basis, Southern Wine & Spirits of America, Inc. employs more than 14,000 team members. Southern urges all retail customers and adult consumers to market, sell, serve and enjoy its products responsibly. For more information about Southern and its responsible consumption program, see: http://www.southernwine.com.
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Lisa Davis, Step Up For Students, http://www.stepupforstudents.org, +1 (813) 402-0181, [email protected]
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