Monin, Inc., producer of premium syrups, gourmet sauces, fruit purées and fruit smoothie mixes for coffees, iced teas, lemonades, cocktails and more, announced Wednesday a contribution of $70,000 to the Step Up For Students Scholarship Program, which serves lower-income children in Florida. The donation will fund 11 scholarships for the 2017-18 school year.
Bill Lombardo, CEO of Monin, announced the donation at a scholarship celebration event at Guardian Angels Catholic School in Clearwater, where 57 students use the tax-credit scholarship.
Following the scholarship donation announcement, the fifth-grade students at Guardian Angels participated in an activity making a school-themed lemonade and handcrafted soda with flavors provided by Monin.
This is the second consecutive year Monin has partnered with Step Up For Students, bringing the company’s total contribution to $130,000.
“Monin embraces the meaning of generosity and giving back to our community. Our partnership with Step Up For Students allows us to support and improve the lives of people in our Tampa Bay community through K-12 educational scholarships,” said Lombardo. “We are proud of our support of helping develop future leaders.”
Step Up helps administer the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program allowing recipients to choose between a scholarship to help with private school tuition and fees, or a transportation scholarship to attend an out-of-district public school.
“Providing access to educational options and finding the right learning environment for all students is vitally important today. We’re grateful that Monin joins us in our mission to provide these opportunities to families that otherwise would not be able to access them,” said Doug Tuthill, Step Up For Students president. “On behalf of Step Up and the families we serve, we thank Monin for your continued support.”
For the 2017-18 school year, Step Up For Students is serving about 100,000 students throughout Florida with tuition scholarships valued at up to $6,343 per student for kindergarten through fifth grade, $6,631 for sixth through eighth grade, and $6,920 for ninth through 12th grade. More than 1,700 private schools participate in the scholarship program statewide.
