On September 15th, during the Annual Scholarship Awards Recognition, the Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation announced the scholarship recipients for 2020. Despite the economic collapse caused by COVID-19, the Kiwanis of Little Havana are proud to continue fulfilling their mission to help the South Florida youth.
The foundation awarded $100,000 in scholarships to 23 new students and 25 renewed scholarships. Seven of these scholarships were given in honor of members that have passed: The Carlos Erdman Scholarship was presented to student Daniela Acosta; the Carlos Font Scholarship was awarded to Ana Gamboa; the Manuel Gonzalez Scholarship was presented to Cynthia Pinedo; the Jose “Cherry” Vila Scholarship was awarded to Nayeli Chavez; the Luciano “Pepe” Luzarraga Scholarship was presented to Monica Garcia; the Antonio Goitia Scholarship was awarded to Daniela Cerrato; and the Carlos F. Garcia Scholarship was presented to Dante Diaz.
Founded in 1987, the Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation was formed by members of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana to assist the underserved youth of Miami-Dade County with their educational, cultural, and recreational needs. Recognizing the difficulties encountered by Hispanic students who are unable to attend college, the Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation created the Future Leaders Through Education Scholarship Program to provide underserved Hispanic youth the opportunity to attain a college education.
Currently, there are forty-eight students enrolled in the program. Since 1992, more than five hundred students have graduated. In today’s workforce, we have Accountants, School Principals, Teachers, Engineers, Psychologists, Business Administrators, Dentists, Pharmacists, Nurses, Computer Scientists, Microbiologists, Lawyers, and many other professionals.
“I strongly believe in the beneficial impact that the Academic Scholarship Program has on Miami-Dade County as it provides youth with the educational opportunity and a support-system they need to become knowledgeable and productive citizens. It not only provides financial support, but it also provides the mentoring that so many students need to make it through to graduation”, said Tony Lorenzo, Chairman of Kiwanis of Little Havana Foundation.
The student requirements for obtaining a scholarship: Must be a permanent resident living in Miami-Dade and Hispanic parentage. He/she must be a high school graduate, maintain a 2.5 GPA, demonstrate financial need, and be eligible for acceptance at a State of Florida public university or college.
Thank you to our continued supporters and partners, Coca Cola Beverages Florida, South Florida BMW Centers, Korth Family Foundation, Do Unto Others Trust, Miami Kiwanis Youth Foundation, Miami Heat Charitable Fund, MBAF, Datapro, Wells Fargo, members of the Foundation and the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana, and to our current scholarship recipients, and past graduates.