ABOUT US
Letters from our President
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January 2021
Happy New Year! Although 2020 is one we would all like to put in the rear view mirror, my wish is that 2021 will be a new year full of hope and looking to a brighter future. I am hopeful that our new administration will be able to forge ahead and bring unity, healing, and revitalization to our very divided country.
Our organization has also suffered from the effects of Covid 19. With events canceled and fundraising down to an all time low, we too must work together to revitalize the Scholarship Fund. Sadly for us, (but lucky for them) a few of our most dedicated members have retired from practice and moved on. These include Mr. James Walker, one of our important founders, who has been a force in the Treasure Coast area, and Mr. George Rotchford, who worked tirelessly for Northeast Florida, and whose dedication to the students of the Scholarship Fund was most notable. We wish them all the best and thank them for their many years of service. I hope that we can find others with their level of passion to take the baton and help us stay strong. What we need is Youth, and energy in all areas of the state, including rebirth of Tampa.
Yours truly has not been able to perform like my old self, due to illness and multiple hospitalizations. But I will do my best to keep working on behalf of the scholarship fund. The knowledge that our work helps students achieve their goals and dreams is what truly keeps me going. I do it for the kids and I hope that will be one of my greatest accomplishments.
I am concerned that Covid will also affect the application process this year. Since fundraising is down, and the application rate may be as well, I urge you to do two things: 1) reach into your pockets for a donation to the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, and 2) encourage your eligible contacts to apply. Remember the deadline is February 28th.
This past year was definitely a rough one, but I hope everyone gets the vaccine so we can see each other in 2021!
All the best,
Richard
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April 2017
Wow, it's hard to believe it has been 25 years since the establishment of the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund. That means 25 Scholarship Selection Meetings and nearly 800 scholarships awarded. Looking back, it is so rewarding to see how many kids we helped to achieve their educational goals and career aspirations. I hope you will save the date to celebrate this 25th Anniversary milestone with a big bash on October 21st in South Florida. Stay tuned for information regarding the celebration.
All of us involved in the scholarship fund should be so proud of what has been accomplished. There are just too many individuals who have been instrumental and supportive to name here. Since inception in 1991, the scholarship fund has awarded approximately $1.6 million in scholarships. If you have never attended a selection committee meeting, I encourage you to join us in Miami on Saturday, June 3rd. I promise it will be a memorable day with some exceptional students and you will see exactly how are funds are used.
I thank everyone across the state for their efforts and am sure that both old and new members will allow the scholarship to continue growing. ALWAYS remember that the main goal of the scholarship fund is to HELP THE KIDS!!!
Best,
Richard
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June 2016
I am very proud to announce that for the 2016-17 school year, we were able to award $78,000.00 in scholarships to 35 incredible individuals so that their educational goals and dreams can become a reality. These awards, made to 20 returning students and to 15 new applicants, would not have been possible without the overwhelming generosity of Mark Touby and the firm of Touby, Chait & Sicking, PL, who for the past three years, match all donations received in the month of March. Our heartfelt thanks to Tom Conroy, Peter Shapiro, Joan Valdes, Levine, Busch, & Schnepper, P.A., Exceptional Case Services, Inc., Moran Kidd, Mal Steinberg, Rotary Club of Harbor Heights, Bert Ray, and many generous supporters. These donors answered our plea and we all owe them our gratitude, appreciation, and thanks.
Every year, I am inspired by our students, but this year I feel we have a particularly exceptional group of students. They are bright, creative, athletic and extremely goal oriented. They seem destined for greatness and have aspirations that include Engineering, Law and Medical school and careers with the FBI, Google, and the United States Government. We are lucky enough to have five sets of siblings - some of whom are the third in their family to receive a scholarship from us.
Many thanks to Judge Ray Holley, Judge Wil Condry, Judge David Langham, Cory Schnepper, Eric Sandler, Mal Steinberg, Anna Marie Kim, and George Rotchford, who all devoted their Saturday to Scholarship Selection. Last but not least, my heartfelt thanks to the Orlando Division led by Kim Woods, Peter Shapiro, Anna Marie Kim, Andrew Serano, and Matt Troy. Their wonderful Cards for a Cause event was a huge success and helps us kick off our fundraising for next years' awards.
Here's to a great summer,
Richard
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March 2014
The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund and the students we serve, desperately need your help!!! As of today, April 1, 2014, there is a critical shortage of funds available for scholarships for the 2014-15 school year.
We have received a total of 46 applications, of which 29 are renewals and 17 are new students. Last year those renewing students received a total of $52,050. The current balance in the award account is only about $50,000, which represents a shortage of $2,050 before we can provide any new students with funds to help them achieve their educational goals. To comfortably provide adequate support for these students, we need to raise $20,000!!!
The Executive Committee of the board has voted to extend the collection of scholarship funds for the coming school year, through April 30th. We cannot continue to successfully fulfill our mission without your help. I urge you to not only donate whatever you can, but also to reach out to your contacts, clients, family, and friends to help deserving students make their dreams of college a reality!! You can donate directly on our website by clicking here. and then from the donate now page, you can "tell a friend" and link to your email list, Facebook friends, or Linked In connections. If you prefer to mail your donation, please send it to the office at the address below. As always, your donation is 100% tax deductible.
If you have ever attended the Scholarship Selection Interviews, and had the privilege of meeting the students we serve, then you understand the importance of this plea.If you have not ever attended, then please join us in Orlando on Saturday, June 7th, to see exactly where your dollar is going. You will be glad you did and I promise it will be a day you will not soon forget. I encourage you to peruse our site to learn more about the work that we are doing and to meet some of our alumni and learn how the scholarship fund helped them achieve their dreams
All the best,
Richard
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Happy New Year from our President
Happy New Year to all and Congratulations to all Seminole fans for winning the National Championship!!
I want this to be a winning year for the Scholarship Fund as well, so that we may continue to help as many kids achieve their educational goals and hopefully their future dreams. I thank all of you whom have worked on behalf of the fund and the kids this past year. Applications for the 2014-2015 school year are available online here at our website under the scholarship tab and are due by February 28th. Please make sure that those eligible in your area apply in a timely manner.
Our current fund raising year ends March 31st. Frankly our fund raising efforts so far have not been as substantial as the increase in the Dow Jones. We need to step up our efforts so that we can continue to help our students. Our website makes donating very easy. You can DONATE NOW directly on this site with a credit card or send a check to the office. I appreciate all donations made at this critical time and urge all to contact others to contribute as well. For those of you that are inclined, contact Lori, our Managing Director, to set up your Personal Fundraising Page on the site.
Thanks again for your support.
Richard
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Note to the Statewide Board - August 19th, 2013
Welcome,
I am very disappointed that I cannot greet you all live and in person. You all know, or should know, that I am a very emotional, social individual, and I was looking forward to taking a break from working from home and online on behalf of the Scholarship Fund.
I wanted to interact with you guys, especially with the humor. Well, I am getting stronger and hope to be there next year. However, this does not mean that I am not very proud of what we all have accomplished. There are new and exciting changes taking place which will be discussed at this meeting. You will also have the opportunity to meet Lori, our new Managing Director, as well as our scholarship recipients, Devon Lynn and Jennifer Padilla.
Many individuals have worked on helping the kids, even those whose time needed to be spent on other matters. I again, thank you all.
Judge Condry has won the Sadow Award this year. I wish I could be present to hand him his plaque. Judge Condry has not only strived to make the Scholarship Fund successful for many years, but since my health issues, I have gotten to know not only the Judge but the man. My hat goes off to him and he certainly deserves the award. Congratulations and remember you can only, as Mr. Steinberg will tell you, keep the plaque for one year, but your name will be engraved forever and the influence you have on the Fund will never be forgotten. Mal, your work also was and is greatly appreciated by me and all involved with the Scholarship Fund. That's all for now and I will welcome all humorous emails you desire to send my way. LOL!
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August 2013
It has been said that things happen in threes. So following this tradition I have three major topics to address.
First, this year we awarded $75,000 to 48 students. This is $8,000 more than last year and means that since 1991, we have provided 700 students with nearly $1.4 million in scholarships! Kristina Bogos was awarded the Mike Reid scholarship and is attending NYU majoring in Journalism. Carolina Echeverri was given the Phil Feldman Award and is attending FSU majoring in International Affairs and hopes to attend law school. The Jennifer Sadow Award will be presented to Devon Lynn at the WC Convention. Devon is attending FSU and majoring in Special Education. Thanks to all who aided the Scholarship in allowing us to help 48 remarkable students pursue their dreams.
Second, Judge W. James Condry, II was awarded the Sadow award for 2013-2014. Judge Condry is the Vice President of the Selection Committee and an integral part of the Selection process as well as an active member of the Statewide Board. His dedication to the Scholarship Fund is unquestionable. The award will be presented to him during our annual meeting which is being held at the Orlando World Marriott on Monday, August 19th at 7:30 am in the Hall of Cities – New York & New Orleans meeting room. Hope to see you all there. You are encouraged not only to attend but to bring new potential supporters. Third, I would like to announce the launch of our new website. Lori, our new managing director, has been instrumental in its creation and will make a presentation about maximizing its effectiveness at the meeting. She welcomes any pictures you may have to be uploaded to the site. Please send her any feedback regarding the site at lori@440scholarship.org. All suggestions regarding same should be directed to her, not me. Ha Ha!
Football season is quickly approaching and much conversation will be directed to same. So participate in the sports raffle at the convention so you can attend a game live and in person. Don't forget to volunteer to help with the Wish Bowl at the Convention. This is a great opportunity for you to show your support and help us raise funds for the Scholarship Fund.
That's all folks. Richard
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April 2, 2013
By now you should have received my recent email notifying you that as of April 1st, Sharon McMorris will no longer be our Executive Director. I again thank her for all she has done on behalf of the Scholarship Fund.
The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund has hired Lori Markowitz Gerson as our new Managing Director.
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March 15, 2013
It is my sad duty to report to you that March 31st will be the last day that Sharon McMorris will be the Executive Director of the Scholarship Fund.
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August 2012
The Olympics have just ended with Gold, Silver and Bronze medals given to many outstanding athletes. I am sure The Scholarship Fund wins a Gold Medal for what has been accomplished since its inception.
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June 2012
While the Miami HEAT was in the midst of their playoff run, the Scholarship Fund on June 2nd awarded $67,650 to 43 students. The students receiving these awards are truly outstanding individuals.
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February 2012
It's 2012 already. Each year there are unknowns and knowns. We do not know who is going to win the Republican nomination or who will win the general election. Republicans, Democrats, conservatives, liberals and those nasty independents and moderates. What makes the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund unique is a known in which those of all backgrounds and classifications get together as one to help the kids. Helping the educational dreams of many to become a reality is very rewarding.
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November 2011
A lot has happened since my last president's message. First, our 20th Anniversary Celebration was a success. We all had a chance to socialize not only with supporters and board members, but also with current and past scholarship recipients.
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August 2011
WHAT? What did you say? Did I hear you correctly? It's the Scholarship Fund's 20th Anniversary, and we have awarded kids MORE THAN ONE MILLION, TWO HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS to allow them to pursue their educational dreams.
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January 2011
Happy New Year! As the New Year approached many of us watched the ball descend on various TV networks broadcasting from Times Square. We all have different thoughts and expectations for the New Year. Some wish the previous year never ended; others cannot wait for a new start and new resolutions. I am very excited about 2011. It represents the Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund's 20th anniversary.
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June 2010
Milestones were reached on May 15th when $104,100 was awarded to 47 students to help them attend college and have their dreams and goals become a reality. They are an impressive group with varying goals and backgrounds. This year's recipients include the following students
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April 2010
The Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund will be awarding in excess of $102,000.00 this year to aid children to meet their educational goals and dreams. This is a record. Congratulations everyone.
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October 2009
Its football time again. Yeah. Many of us watch college football on a regular basis and realize that most of the student athletes are on scholarship. Well the start of college football also means that it is time to get out the message of the Friends of 440 Scholarship helping kids receive an education so that their goals may come true.
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Email: info@440scholarship.org
Phone: (305) 423-8710
Fax: (305) 670-0716
Friends of 440 Scholarship Fund, Inc.
One Datran Center
9100 South Dadeland Blvd.,Suite 1600
Miami, FL 33156-7817
Recognized by the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code