Six scholarships awarded to dependents of city employees
Under the leadership of the Southwest Florida Community Foundation and the Good Neighbor Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva, an endowment was established following Hurricane Charley in 2004 to provide scholarships for dependents of city employees.
This year, the partnership has granted six new $500 scholarship awards for the school year 2009-10, which were presented during Tuesday’s City Council session.
The six recipients are Taylor Ashby, Joseph Earle, Angelica Jordan, Nicholas Murray, Alexander Wesserling and Lauren Williams.
Taylor Ashby graduated in June 2009 from North Fort Myers High School with a 3.85 GPA. He is attending the University of South Florida, pursuing a degree in Social Science Education. His goal is to return to Lee County upon graduation to teach and to coach.
Taylor is the son of Lt. Scott Ashby of the Sanibel Police Department, who has been employed by the city for 26 years.
Joseph Earle attended Sanibel Elementary-Middle School and graduated in June 2009 from South Fort Myers High School with a 3.2 GPA. He is attending Emory and Henry College in Virginia, pursuing a degree in Business. His goal is to teach and coach upon graduation.
Joseph is the son of Nancy Earle of the Sanibel Recreation Department, who has been employed as a lifeguard by the city approximately two years.
Angelica Jordan attended Sanibel Elementary-Middle School and graduated in May 2007 from Cypress Lake High School with a 4.2-weighted GPA. She is attending Florida Gulf Coast University, pursuing a degree in Finance.
Angelica is the daughter of James Jordan, Director of the city’s Planning Department, who has been employed by the city for 24 years.
Nicholas Murray graduated in May 2007 from Cypress Lake High School with a 3.6 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society. He is beginning his junior year at Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he is pursuing a degree in English. He maintained a 3.5 GPA for the last school year. In addition, he has been accepted into the Advanced Undergraduate Workshop for Poetry.
Nicholas is the son of Maj. Michael Murray of the Sanibel Police Department, who has been employed by the city for 25 years.
Alexander Wesserling graduated in May 2008 from Fort Myers High School with a 4.46 GPA, scoring 1140 on the SAT. He was in the top eight percent of Lee County High School graduates. He is beginning his sophomore year at Florida State University, pursuing a degree in Nursing.
Alexander is the son of Laura Wesserling of the city’s Building Department, who has been employed by the city for 13 years.
Lauren Williams is a graduate from South Fort Myers High School with a 3.81 GPA. She began attending Edison State College during her senior year of high school. She is pursuing a Nursing Degree and was named to the Dean’s List for the Fall Semester 2008. Lauren is employed part-time as a Recreation Aide for the City of Sanibel, serving as a Counselor in the After-School Program.
Lauren is the daughter of Recreation Department Administrative Assistant Jai Earle, who has been employed by the city for 13 years.
Mayor Mick Denham recognized each of the scholarship winners at the start of the council meeting, offering his congratulations to the winners and their parents.
Tax-deductible donations may be made to the Scholarship Fund by sending checks to the City of Sanibel Scholarship Fund, Good Neighbor Community Foundation of Sanibel-Captiva, 8260 College Parkway, Suite 101, Fort Myers, FL 33919.
The scholarships are awarded based upon academic accomplishment and financial need. Each $25,000 of endowment generates approximately $1,000 in scholarships. The foundation is governed by a board of island residents and business associates.
For further information on donating to the Scholarship Fund for dependents of city employees, call 239-274-5900.