MANASOTA ASALH SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMs

On Friday, May 28, 2021, Manasota ASALH awarded scholarships to 19 graduating high school seniors of Manatee and Sarasota schools during a Zoom Meeting. Along with the high school seniors, there were 3 college students present who were awarded scholarships.

The speaker for the scholarship award program was community activist, founder and director of the Multicultural Health Institute, Dr. Lisa Merritt. Dr. Merritt obtained her medical degree from Howard University after completing her B.S. at George Town University with honors. Dr. Merritt has been published in the field of physical medicine and rehabilitation, and has lectured nationally and internationally on multicultural health issues. 

The scholarship awards are based on very rigorous criteria, including academic achievement, community service, in school activities and extracurricular activities and a personal interview. Individual awards range from $1,000 to $3,000 and totaled $54,000 for the 2020/2021 academic year. Funds for the scholarships are raised primarily from the annual Randy Rankin Scholarship Golf Classic. However, this year, this event had to be canceled due to Covid-19.

With the support of the President of the Manasota Branch, David G. Wilkins, Esq., and the entire Executive Board , a campaign drive "Closing the Gap" provided the funding for students to receive this year's awards.

Generous multi-year contributions have also been received from the estate of Patricia Lynch-Pepin, and her brother Danny Lynch, in memory of his sister, a dedicated and tireless volunteer with the Friends of the North Sarasota Public Library. Also, in 2017 new ASALH members Morrie and Quincy Tharps and family  made a generous pledge of $10,000 to the ASALH Scholarship Fund in honor of his late brother, Vernon Tharps. Since the 2000  school year, Manasota ASALH has awarded over $500,000 in college scholarships to 283  Sarasota and Manatee Counties students.  

The KBR Foundation was founded by the late Margaret Dole Rust in 1992. The Foundation was principally established to provide funds to assist disadvantaged children, to support health and medical facilities and to continue to provide assistance to the various types of charitable beneficiaries that Mrs. Rust generously supported during her lifetime. Since 2019, this Foundation has generously donated $27,500 to the ASALH Scholarship Fund. We are forever grateful to the KBR Foundation for their donations.