Second Chance of Florida Foundation

We are excited to announce a new partnership with POPS Inc. – the  Professional Opportunities Program for Students. POPS is a great organization that prepares students for the future by reducing at-risk factors and ensuring students’ success in finishing high school and planning for higher education as well as a meaningful career path. We here at Second Chance feel that the goals of POPS closely align with ours and we are thrilled to cultivate this new union. Check back soon for details about upcoming events!

Read more about POPS on their website at www.popsinc.org.

The 2012-2013 school year is fast approaching, and Second Chance’s scholarship efforts are well underway! As we briefly announced late last month, M & I Bank has funded the foundation’s first scholarship, which is great news. In addition to creating new partnerships in our community, we have sent out scholarship information to coaches and educators within the OCPS high school community. As previously stated, students must meet the scholarship requirements to qualify. The deadline for applications is no later than Wednesday, September 12, 2012. If interested applicants would like more information or an application form, please direct inquiries to szielke@thelawman.net.

Exciting news: the Orange County School Board has agreed to work with the Second Chance of Florida Foundation. For those who do not know, the Second Chance of Florida Foundation awards book and tuition scholarships to graduating high school seniors who have succeeded in the face of adversity.

The foundation relies on the central Florida community to identify hardworking students who realistically cannot attend college without financial help.  With the communities help, scholarship awards can give students the chance to seek higher education.  The Foundation believes every hardworking student deserves a chance at an education, regardless of their background.

The Orange County School Board will be asking high school guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers to identify students who are dominating in the classroom against all odds! Once identified, the guidance counselors, coaches, and teachers will encourage their students to apply for Second Chance of Florida Foundation scholarship awards. Once the foundation receives the applications, it will award scholarships to students who have maintained a GPA above a 3.0, overcome difficult circumstances, and who are involved in their community. The foundation is hopeful that many deserving students will be awarded scholarships and be encouraged to attend college in the 2013-2014 academic year.

The Second Chance of Florida Foundation is ecstatic to be work with the Orange County School Board. The foundation believes the Orange County School Board and employees of the Orange County School district are deeply rooted in their communities. The foundation hopes to utilize these ties to help not only the graduating class of 2013, but subsequent graduating classes. We hope you’re excited about this good news, the Second Chance of Florida Foundation sure is!

We had our first board meeting this past week, and it was terrific. All the board members got to meet each other and we laid the foundation for the giving of our first scholarships. Applications are being sent to the schools as we speak, and our Board Members are soliciting support to provide these scholarships. Rob Bamberg and John Brady of ProServe USA and William Umansky of the Umansky Law Firm have already promised to give away scholarships to a deserving senior. Our Facebook page is blowing up! We opened the doors at 12 Likes, and within the last two days are up to 680 new friends Facebook. Stay tuned for more updates!