for Sarasota County Youth

Our History:  In 1995, Dr. Don Pemberton, a school guidance counselor and Director of the Pinellas County Education Foundation, had a burden in his heart and a vision in his mind to educate Florida’s underprivileged youth, in essence, to provide Scholarships, Mentors and Hope.  

Our Present: Today, Take Stock in Children serves students in all 67 Florida counties.  Take Stock in Children began in Sarasota County in 1996 and on July 1, 2002, became an independent non-profit organization: Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County, Inc. The program currently serves over 220 middle and high school students in 21 schools in Sarasota County.

Our Mission: To identify at-risk youth, place them in an environment of success, provide them with mentors and program support/case management to enable them to achieve high school graduation and gain entrance into post-secondary education. Take Stock in Children is a mentoring program that provides at-risk youth from low-income families with hope for the future, a full-tuition scholarship to college/technical school and the support they need to achieve their dreams.

Our Students: Students are selected through an application and interview process involving each public school in Sarasota County and the TSIC Selection Committee.  The student’s family must meet certain income guidelines and participate in the interview process in order to be eligible for the program. All students sign a contract pledging to maintain good grades and to remain drug and crime free. Each Take Stock in Children student is paired with a caring, adult mentor. His or her progress is closely monitored and supported by our staff.  Upon high school graduation, each Take Stock in Children student is awarded a full tuition scholarship for two years at a community college and two years at a state university through the Florida Prepaid College Foundation’s Program STARS. A student may also use their scholarship at a vocational/technical school. 

Our Mentors: Mentors are the key to the educational success of our students. Mentors provide a sympathetic ear, an encouraging word, sound advice from personal experience, an objective opinion, or perhaps help with a tough homework problem.  By meeting with students once per week at his or her school during the school year, mentors help guide our students toward a successful future. 

Our Donors: In sponsoring a Take Stock in Children student, you give the deserving youth of Sarasota County hope for their future through education.  The Florida Prepaid College Foundation’s Project STARS matches every scholarship dollar raised in Sarasota County. 100% of all funds raised by Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County go to bringing Scholarships, Mentors and Hope to the life of a child in Sarasota County. Your gift is tax deductible.

Our Future: Ninety-seven percent (97%) of Take Stock in Children scholarship recipients throughout the state of Florida graduate from high school and attend a post-secondary school (Community College, University or Technical School). The futures of thousands of local children depend upon your willingness to invest in the children of our community.  The need for volunteer mentors and financial support is unlimited, as is the potential of our students.

Contact:  Lisa Bechtold at 346-3153 or Kacia Zuill at 358-4407

Take Stock in Children of Sarasota County, Inc.: P.O. Box 48186, Sarasota, FL 34230-5186

www.takestocksarasota.org