Take Stock in Children Awards Asofsky Foundation "Leaders 4 Life" Fellowship

All Non-Tuition Related Expenses Paid for These Five Exemplary Florida High School Students

MIAMI, March 22, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Take Stock in Children provides college scholarships for deserving low income at-risk students, but books supplies, housing, food, transportation and more are all expenses college students must bear in addition to tuition. For five Florida high school seniors, those expenses will be paid thanks to the generosity of the Asofsky Family Foundation.

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Esther Benette of Palm Beach County,  Benjamin Carpenter of Hillsborough County,  Kaylee Mancillas of DeSoto/Hardee/Highlands County, Wade McDonald of Citrus/Levy County and Katty Pierre-Charles of Manatee County are the 2013 Leaders 4 Life Fellows. Chosen from several thousand Take Stock in Children students, these five were selected based on their demonstration of strong leadership skills, moral character and academic success.

Created in partnership with the Asofsky Family Foundation, the Leaders 4 Life Fellowship enables the recipients to excel in a university environment by giving them the resources that empower them to develop their full potential as "leaders for life." The fellowship provides each student with up to $10,000 annually for leadership training and development, housing, food, textbooks, supplies, transportation and other college-related expenses. Fellows were recognized on March 6 in Tallahassee at Take Stock in Children's Leadership Summit. State and local stakeholders took the opportunity to join Take Stock in Children to recognize and applaud the five scholars' achievements. State leaders in attendance included Lt. Governor Jennifer Carroll, Florida State Lottery Secretary Cindy O'Connell, Florida Power & Light Vice President Mike Sole, and Commissioner of Education Dr. Tony Bennett. Frank Brogan, Chancellor of the State University System of Florida, was also on hand to applaud Mark Asofsky, his family and the foundation for creating an innovative fellowship that allows Take Stock in Children scholars the ability to enter a university without the financial concerns of non-tuition college expenses.

"As a strong believer in supporting education for our youth, the Asofsky Family Foundation is honored to celebrate these remarkable Take Stock in Children scholars," said Mark Asofsky, Founder of the Asofsky Family Foundation. "All are top-notch students who deserve to be recognized for their achievements, and we are working to provide them with the tools necessary to become tomorrow's great leaders."

"We are so proud to be able to present these life-changing fellowships, generously provided by the Asofsky Family Foundation, as an extension of our commitment to improve college enrollment and retention," said Take Stock in Children President and CEO Emilio Alonso-Mendoza.  "This is a great opportunity for our incredible students who work so hard towards fulfilling their dream of earning a college degree."

About Take Stock in Children
Take Stock in Children is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization with a solid 18 year history of providing mentors, educational scholarships and hope for Florida's low-income and deserving youth. The organization has provided educational support and college scholarships for over 22,000 children in partnership with more than 800 public schools throughout the 67 counties in Florida. It is the only scholarship mentoring program that has attained a high school graduation rate of 94 percent in Florida. The program's multi-year commitment to students and their comprehensive program services begin in middle school and continue through high school graduation and into college. Special emphasis is placed on student accountability and specific measurable outcomes. Take Stock in Children students pledge to meet with their assigned mentor once a week, maintain a minimum grade point average of 2.5, and remain drug and crime free. Upon successful high school graduation, in fulfillment of their contractual agreement, students are then awarded a college scholarship to any college, university or vocational school in the state of Florida. To learn more about Take Stock in Children, please call 888-322-4673 or visit www.takestockinchildren.org.

SOURCE Take Stock in Children