A steady stream of State College of Florida, Manatee-Sarasota (SCF) students, staff and faculty visit SCF’s Foundation in the weeks before school begins. The Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises the money for student scholarships and capital projects that directly impact learning at SCF.
The Foundation will be busy on National Nonprofit Day, recognized on Aug. 17, as Cassandra Holmes, executive director of the SCF Foundation, participates in the ribbon cutting for Gator Engineering at SCF. The Foundation’s efforts helped pay for a Gator Den for students in the new engineering program. The Foundation’s Board of Directors worked with the Charles and Margery Barancik Foundation and the Gulf Coast Community Foundation to pay for the space and are still working to raise another $130,000.
It’s been a busy year for the Board as they continue to raise money for the new Library & Learning Center under construction at SCF Bradenton and have begun to promote new projects, including a $3.5 million Studio for Performing Arts and a $6 million Health & Human Performance Center. Through its work, the nonprofit Foundation focuses on supporting students as they further their education or obtain workforce training. A recent economic impact study for Manatee and Sarasota counties shows that students’ success at SCF results in more than 7,700 jobs in the community.
The SCF Foundation receives nearly 3,000 scholarship applications every year and awards about 900 scholarships across every discipline.
For more information or to donate, contact Holmes at holmesc@SCF.edu or 941-752-5654.
