The first 13 recipients of Red Sox Foundation Scholarships awarded in Lee County, Florida are honored in a special pregame ceremony before a spring training Grapefruit League game between the Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals at JetBlue Park at Fenway South in Fort Myers, Fla. on Saturday, March 19, 2016. (Brita Meng Outzen/Boston Red Sox)
FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 21, 2016) – The Boston Red Sox honored its first 13 local high-school seniors, presenting them each a $5,000 college scholarship by the Red Sox Foundation in a pre-game ceremony prior to the 1:05 p.m. game vs. the St. Louis Cardinals on Saturday, March 19.
Scholarship funds were raised from proceeds of the 2015 Swings For The Sox golf tournament to benefit the newly created Red Sox Scholarship in partnership with The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools, Inc. Annually, the Red Sox Foundation plans to award a $5,000 scholarship to attend college to one deserving student from each of the 13 public high schools in Lee County.
“Our goal is to harness the passion our fans have for the Red Sox and transform it into a vehicle for positive change in our communities,” said Katie Haas, vice president of Florida business operations for the Boston Red Sox. “Education has always been an area of focus for our foundation, and we are so excited to see the funds from our annual golf tournament awarded locally to our promising students who will be this community’s future leaders.”
The Red Sox Foundation’s fourth annual Swings For The Sox golf tournament, held Friday, Oct. 23, 2015, raised more than $70,000. The first four years of the local tournament has raised $180,000 for local nonprofits.
“The Boston Red Sox continue to be awesome community partners,” said Marshall T. Bower, president and CEO of The Foundation for Lee County Public Schools. “These scholarships will help to ensure that some very deserving students are given the opportunity to succeed and ultimately become productive citizens.”
The Red Sox Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the official team charity of the Boston Red Sox. The foundation’s primary focus locally is in serving the health, education, recreation and social service needs of children and families across Southwest Florida. The Red Sox Foundation is one of the most successful in all of Major League Baseball.
2016 Scholarship Recipients:
Cape Coral High School
Devon Hamilton
Cypress Lake High School
Luke Turner
Dunbar High School
Alex Lopez
East Lee County High School
Jordan Angel
Estero High School
Alvaro Minor
Fort Myers High School
Madison Thiele
Ida Baker High School
Danny Olson
Island Coast High School
Luis Guzman
Lehigh Senior High School
Yessenia Estrada
Mariner High School
Brandon Sanzetenea
North Fort Myers High School
Nick Browning
Riverdale High School
Mikeala Roberts
South Fort Myers High School
Eyllen Miranda
