Page 14 - Florida Sentinel 1-26-18

Local
$45 Million Donated For Scholarships Serving Lower-Income Families
Eric Pfeil, Executive Vice President of Breakthru Beverage Florida, left shakes the hand of Pentab Academy fourth-grade stu- dent Taneisha Micelus, while Principal Barbara Sharpe looks on.
Step Up For Students and Breakthru Beverage Florida celebrated Breakthru’s seven-year support of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program at Pentab Academy last Friday. Shown in the photograph from left to right: Pentecostal Tabernacle Pastor S. Robert Stewart, Step Up Board member Paul Sher- man, Step Up Chairman and Founder John Kirtley, Pentab Academy Principal Barbara Sharpe, Break- thru Distribution Manager Rick Thoni, Breakthru Executive Vice President Eric Pfeil, Breakthru Director of Event Management Katie Leibick, Breakthru CFO Eric Roth, Step Up President Doug Tuthill and Breakthru Vice President of Business Development Lou Muzi.
FORT LAUDERDALE —- Breakthru Beverage Florida, one of the largest distribu- tors of wines, spirits and non-alcoholic beverages in the state, recently an- nounced its plan to donate $45 million to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program.
Breakthru’s donation will fund more than 6,880 K-12 scholarships for lower-in- come Florida schoolchildren for the 2017-18 school year.
Since 2011, the organiza- tion has contributed more than $254 million, providing more than 45,600 scholar- ships.
Eric Pfeil, Executive Vice President of Breakthru Beverage Florida said, “Com- munities thrive when we all do our part and work to- gether. Breakthru Beverage
is proud to support Step Up For Students and give Florida students an opportu- nity to reach their highest potential. We’re confident these students will aim high and will be future leaders in our community. We look for- ward to a long relationship with Step Up For Students.”
This is the seventh con- secutive year Breakthru Bev- erage Florida has contributed to the non-profit organization that adminis- ters the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for fi- nancially disadvantaged schoolchildren. The program is funded with tax-credited donations and allows par- ents and schoolchildren to choose between a K-12 schol- arship that helps with private school tuition and fees, or one that assists with trans- portation costs to out-of- county public schools.
Dr. Doug Tuthill, Pres- ident of Step Up For Stu- dents said, “Thanks to the support and generosity of our donors, Step Up For Stu- dents is helping parents find the best learning environ- ment for their children that they otherwise couldn’t af- ford
“On behalf of our Step Up families, we thank Breakthru Beverage for its continued commitment and generos- ity.”
The announcement was made at Pentab Academy in Miami, which serves prekindergarten through eighth grade students. More than half of its 260 students use Step Up For Students scholarships.
PAGE 2-B FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY FRIDAY, JANUARY 26, 2018