Liberty National Life Insurance Company, a provider of life and supplemental health insurance, announced on September 25 a $25,000 contribution to Step Up For Students, funding three K-12 scholarships during the 2018-19 school year. The scholarships allow lower-income children the opportunity to attend the school that best meets their learning needs.
This is the first time that Liberty National has partnered with Step Up For Students, a nonprofit organization that helps manage the income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The program is funded by corporations with tax-credited donations.
“From our corporate office to local agencies, Liberty National gives back to the community we serve,” said Joel Scarborough, senior vice president and general counsel of Liberty National. “We’re proud to partner with Step Up For Students in support of educational opportunities that will help develop future leaders for our community.”
The Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program for financially disadvantaged schoolchildren allows parents and schoolchildren to choose between a K-12 scholarship that helps with private school tuition and fees, or one that assists with transportation costs to out-of-county public schools.
“We are thrilled that Liberty National has partnered with us to provide educational options for lower-income families in Florida,” said Doug Tuthill, president of Step Up For Students. “We are grateful for their generosity and commitment to helping students in their community.”
For the 2018-19 school year, Step Up For Students is serving more than 98,500 students throughout Florida with tuition scholarships valued at up to $6,519 per student for kindergarten through fifth grade, $6,815 for sixth through eighth grade, and $7,111 for ninth through 12th grade. More than 1,750 private schools participate in the scholarship program statewide.
About Liberty National Life Insurance Company
Liberty National was founded in 1900 and is licensed in 49 states. It markets products to uninsured and underinsured Americans through thousands of full-time sales representatives across the United States who meet with consumers in their homes and at their workplaces. Liberty National is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torchmark Corporation (NYSE: TMK). To learn more about a sales career with Liberty National or to find a Liberty National Agency in your region, visit libertynational.com.
About Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is a nonprofit organization that helps administer the income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Students who qualify for the national free or reduced-price lunch, or those who are homeless or in foster or out-of-home care, may qualify. The scholarship program provides tuition assistance to the private school of their parents’ choice or financial assistance to offset the transportation cost to an out-of-district public school. Since 2001, Step Up has awarded more than 680,000 scholarships.
A first-of-its-kind study on the long-term effects of the scholarship program by The Urban Institute found that students who use the scholarship four or more years are up to 43 percent more likely to go to college and up to 29 percent more likely to earn an associates degree than their peers.
Step Up also helps administer the state-funded Gardiner Scholarship for Florida students with certain special needs, plus two new scholarships, the Hope Scholarship for public school students who are bullied and the Reading Scholarship Accounts for third- through fifth-grade students enrolled in public school who struggle with reading.
For more information, visit: StepUpForStudents.org.
