Florida Realtors® Education Foundation Awards $118,800 in Scholarships

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May 28, 2013, 11:35 ET

ORLANDO, Fla., May 28, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In communities across Florida, 96 young people are getting phone calls of congratulations and finding out that "the check is in the mail." Why? These students — high school graduates about to enter their first year of college and others already enrolled in a college or university — recently were notified they received scholarships through the Florida Realtors® Education Foundation Inc.

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A not-for-profit corporation established by the state Realtor association, the Florida Realtors® Education Foundation Inc. provides real estate-related educational scholarships and grants. The Foundation's Board of Directors awarded $118,800 in scholarships to help pay for higher education expenses for 96 deserving young people in the 2013-2014 school year. All recipients are Florida residents and will be attending community colleges, four-year universities, graduate programs or law schools both in-state and out-of-state. Many students wish to pursue careers in real estate.

"It's amazing how $1 can make such a huge difference in the lives of so many bright young people and their families," said Phyllis Choy, 2013 chair of Florida Realtors Education Foundation Inc. "And it all started with a dream of our late past president Chuck Bonfiglio, and the generosity of every member of Florida Realtors in annually providing $1 in dues dedicated to the Education Foundation Student Scholarship program. Thanks to him and to our members, the reality of helping these deserving students realize their goals for the future is a perpetual dream come true."

The Education Foundation's student scholarships also were made possible through an initial "seed money" contribution from Florida Realtors in 2009 under the direction of then-president Cynthia Shelton. Through this, the fourth year of the program, Florida Realtors will have helped 368 students continue their education and realize their goals for the future by awarding a total of $674,300 in scholarship funding, Choy said.

Scholarship recipients are enrolled at institutions of higher learning throughout the state, such as Florida State University, University of Florida, University of Central Florida, Florida Agriculture and Mechanical University, University of Miami, Florida Atlantic University, Florida Gulf Coast University, University of South Florida and Stetson University School of Law, as well as other colleges throughout the U.S. A variety of criteria was considered for successful applicants including: academic achievements, financial need, relationship to the Realtor family and contributions to family, school and community.

Florida Realtors®, formerly known as the Florida Association of Realtors®, serves as the voice for real estate in Florida. It provides programs, services, continuing education, research and legislative representation to its 118,000 members in 63 boards/associations. Florida Realtors® Media Center website is available at http://media.floridarealtors.org.

SOURCE Florida Realtors