Page 9 - Florida Sentinel 2-13-18

Local
$30,000 Donated To Step Up For Students Scholarship Program
Cigar City Brewing, a Tampa area brewery, an- nounced February 2 a $30,000 contribution to the Step Up For Students Schol- arship Program for the 2017-18 school year.
This is the first time that Cigar City Brewing has part- nered with Step Up For Stu- dents. The company’s contribution will fund four K-12 scholarships so finan- cially disadvantaged Florida children can attend the school that best meets their learning needs.
“Cigar City Brewing is proud to support our com- munity, and even more proud to make a difference in the life of a child through providing educational op- portunities that might not otherwise be available,” said Justin Clark, Cigar City Brewing’s chief operating officer. “We admire the work of Step Up For Stu- dents and are pleased to join in this partnership.”
Cigar City Brewing Chief Operating Officer Justin Clark (right) presents Step Up For Students De- velopment Officer David Bryant (left) with a check for $30,000. The donation will provide K-12 schol- arships for lower-income Florida families to attend the school that best meets their child’s learning needs through the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program.
best fit their children’s unique learning needs,” said Doug Tuthill, Step Up For Students president. “We are grateful for their generosity and their com- mitment to giving back to their community.”
For the 2017-18 school year, Step Up For Students is serving more than 100,000 students through- out Florida with tuition scholarships valued at up $6,343 per student for K through fifth grade, $6,631 for sixth through eighth grade and $6,920 for ninth through 12th grade. More than 1,700 private schools participate in the scholar- ship program statewide.
Cigar City Brewing, makers of Jai Alai IPA and Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout, was founded in 2009 by Joey Redner with the goal of creating world-class beer that reflected the flavors and history of the Tampa region.
Step Up For Students is a nonprofit that administers the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for lower-income children throughout the state. The program is funded by cor-
porations with tax-credited donations and allows par- ents and students to choose between a K-12 scholarship to support private school tu- ition and fees, or one that assists with transportation
costs to out-of-county pub- lic schools.
“We are honored to wel- come Cigar City Brewing as a partner in our mission to help lower-income Florida families access schools that
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