The Founders Fund, Inc. Honors Scholarship Recipients at 2010 Annual Scholars Luncheon

Naples, FL, January 20, 2011 --(PR.com)-- The Founders Fund, Inc. annual Scholars Luncheon was held on Thursday, December 30, 2010 at the Club Pelican Bay. Nearly 100 were in attendance, including 41 scholarship recipients who were home for the holidays.

Each year, The Founders Fund holds a luncheon to celebrate the students who have been awarded a scholarship for the coming year and also to hear about their achievements at school. It is also a venue for students and members of The Founders Fund to interact and get better acquainted.

Sue McNaghten, President of The Founders Fund, delivered a short message about the importance of the annual renewable scholarships. McNaghten reminded the students that it is small differences over time that add up to make the big differences in the world. She invited each student to speak briefly about their accomplishments and share their major area of study with the rest of the attendees. Students attending were in varying stages of their college career, some graduating soon and others just finishing their first college semester.

McNaghten recognized the 2011 Founders Fund Board of Trustees in attendance - Chris Carlson, Coe Gutowsky, John Levy, Tom McCarty, Frank Morely, Schuyler Peck and Pidge Weir, as well as Board of Governors representatives - Ray Crisci, John Cauley and Sam McCulloch. Guidance counselors present at the luncheon were Glenna Potter - Everglades High School, Sandy Consolino - Golden Gate High School, and Ella Fravel - Palmetto Ridge High School. The Founders Fund generous program sponsors Connie Moody of Preferred Travel and Tom Butz of Mercedes-Benz of Naples were thanked for their continuing support of the Founders Fund.

A theme for all the students was the honor of a very high grade point average. The Founders Fund students are chosen for their dedication to higher education and this was evident as each student spoke -- they all had 3.5 to 4.0 grade point averages, and are involved in student government, sports, clubs, committees and volunteerism. Students attending the luncheon represented several schools including: Florida State University, University of Florida, Valencia Community College, Mercer University, Hope College, Duke University, Edison State College, College of the Holy Cross, University of Tampa, University of Central Florida, Florida Atlantic University, University of South Florida, Florida Gulf Coast University, Vanderbilt University, and University of Miami. Majors include law, engineering, medical, communications and education… to name a few.

The Founders Fund, Inc., a non-profit, tax-exempt charitable organization, was created in 1991 by the Founding Golf Members of The CLUB at Pelican Bay. The mission is to provide financial assistance to young men and women from Collier County in their pursuit of higher education. In 2010, renewable annual scholarships of $2,000 each were awarded to 25 students from Collier County.

Celebrating 20 years of service to the community, The Founders Fund is supported by Golf and Social Members of The CLUB, as well as many corporate sponsors which include prominent local and national businesses that are very generous in their support of the Founders Fund. Income from reserve assets, sponsorships and fundraising activities supports annual scholarship grants of approximately $180,000 per year.

For more information about scholarship, sponsorships, or becoming a part of the golf tournament, contact Sue Davenport at 239-593-0124 or 597-2244 or visit www.thefoundersfundinc.org.

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