The Cape Coral Mayor’s Scholarship Fund will award its annual scholarships Wednesday, helping to ease some of the financial burden for 11 hard-working, college-bound students.
Founded in 1982, the scholarships have helped generations of Cape kids achieve their dream, through non-profit fund-raising and corporate sponsorships.
Board of directors president Karne Baker said they hope not only to help kids, but also inspire them to return one day and contribute to the city.
She said that’s one of the questions posed to the kids during the interview period: how, and would, you return to Cape Coral one day?
“That’s a question we ask them, have they thought or processed coming back?” Baker said. “Ninety percent of them state part of the drive is to come back to the community they were raised.”
The application and interview process actually starts in February.
Baker said the winners are chosen through a grading criteria that looks at their academic and community achievements.
A five-person board asks the kids the same set of questions, Baker added, and they are then selected and notified.
This year 11 students will each receive a $1,500 scholarship, though Baker said the number of recipients does vary year to year, depending on their fund-raising efforts.
This year Balfour Beatty, Finemark National Bank, the Zemmel Trust, BJM Consultants and the Cape Coral Construction Industry are among the sponsors.
Baker said the charter sponsor, the Cape Coral Ladies of the Elks, have been involved for many years.
The Mayor’s Scholarships will be awarded Wednesday at The Resort at Tarpon Point. Social hour begins at 6 p.m., with dinner at 7 and the awards at 8 p.m.