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Local clubs award scholarships to minority students in     need

• By Garrett Shiflet, Daily Sun Staff Writer
• 06/07/2021
  

Otis Lane is the chairman of the scholarship committee for the Sophisticated Gents of Florida. The group along with the African-American Club gave out thousands in scholarships.

The role scholarships play in giving local students a chance at higher education is one of vital importance to many local clubs.

Funding provided from different events hosted by two local clubs, the Sophisticated Gents of Florida and The African-American Club of The Villages, led to the creation of a scholarship award ceremony and luncheon for minority students who demonstrated financial need, character, earned a minimum GPA of 2.5 and who showed  the desire to obtain a postsecondary education.

The two groups hosted an online Zoom ceremony Saturday for this year’s scholarship winners.

Vernon Haley, a member of both clubs and the Sophisticated Gents’ president for 2014-18, has been a major representative in fostering unity between the groups. This includes helping to organize the annual Friendship Golf Tourney, which has been running for seven years.

Read this story and many others in Monday’s edition of the Daily Sun.

From: Corporate Social Responsibility <csr@gtigrows.com>
Sent: Friday, June 18, 2021 11:23 AM
To: GTI Worldwide <gtiworldwide@gtigrows.com>
Subject: Juneteenth 2021 & Beyond

Hello team:

Saturday, June 19th, marks an important day in American history. The Juneteenth holiday celebrates the end of one of our country’s most abhorrent practices: slavery.

 The history behind Juneteenth uniquely intersects with those of us who work in the cannabis industry.

While the 13th Amendment terminated slavery as Americans once knew it, cannabis prohibition and the War on Drugs soon emerged as new tools to disproportionately enforce cannabis laws against black and brown communities.

 In addition to sharing some facts about how we as a country are doing, we also wanted to share how the Green Thumb team is celebrating the history behind Juneteenth, and some of the ways Green Thumb supports efforts to advance change everyday.

 Learn more below and get involved today!

The Facts

Studies show that cannabis is consumed at roughly the same rate across racial demographics. And yet, to look at some of Green Thumb’s markets, there is still work to be done:

• New York: 57% of individuals arrested for cannabis in 2020 were black.
• New Jersey: a black person is 3.45 times as likely as a white person to be arrested for cannabis between 2010-2018.
• Pennsylvania: African Americans made up 9% of the state’s 2020 population, but 35% of cannabis arrests.
• Massachusetts and Connecticut: black individuals were more than 4 times as likely to be arrested for cannabis than their white counterparts from 2010-2018.

Honoring Juneteenth with Events & Activities

Our $20,000 Contribution Funds Webinar & Educational Series “Who’s Invited to the Cookout” with National Expungement Works addressingthe question:who is welcome into Black spaces and how that correlates to allyship, social responsibility, and economic and political justice.

Rock Island Team Supports Quad Cities Juneteenth Fest an educational celebration of freedom that highlights the economic, political, and social efforts of African Americans to fully participate in the American culture following slavery – Thank you to Carmen Hensen for organizing!

Monroeville, PA Growing for Good volunteers support Book ‘Em Pittsburghto provide reading and educational material to Pennsylvania’s incarcerated population, promoting the organization’s belief education during incarceration is integral to rehabilitation and preparation for re-entry into society. A big shout-out to Andy Schaner for coordinating this opportunity!

RISE Oviedo made a Juneteenth contribution to Sophisticated Gents of FL, a non-profit that builds mentorship relationships that empower students from low-income communities to graduate high school and achieve their ambitions. Graduating students who meet specific criteria can apply to our scholarship program.

RISE Pinellas Park donated funds to the Health Program at Pinellas County Urban League, a non-profit that aims at providing a holistic approach to solving some of our society’s biggest challenges. We make sure our partners are empowered by creating opportunities for individuals and communities in Health Care, Education, Economic Development and Housing Development.