Venice Yacht Club Charitable Foundation

Dear Fellow Club Members:

Thursday, April 18, proved to be a picture perfect evening for “Jazz Under the Stars” - starring our very own Venice High School Jazz Band. Many thanks to our Event Committee, VYC Team, and student musicians for organizing this event. As always, your generosity and enthusiastic support of the Charitable Foundation makes our “City on the Gulf” so welcoming.

Our Second Cycle grants - totaling $53,702 - will be presented to recipient organizations over the course of the summer and into the fall. Combined with the First Cycle grants, this year’s total exceeded $150,000! As many of you know, we specifically focus our giving in support of Children and Youth services, Mental and Physical Health, Education and Literacy, Hunger, Homelessness, Veterans, and the Environment.

This month we are profiling Big Brothers Big Sisters - another outstanding organization that our Foundation supports.

Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Sun Coast serves young people from age six through young adulthood in one-to-one mentoring friendships. Each match is supported by a dedicated Match Support Specialist who is always available to provide resources and support specific to the youth’s age. With a mentor in their life, children and teens are empowered to maximize their potential as they grow in their self-esteem, earn better grades, and develop a lifelong friendship with their mentor.

Through its 55 years of service, the organization has broadened and enhanced its programs. The school-based programming now includes an expanded focus on reading initiatives and academic success. Middle school and high school programs include workforce and career mentoring. Specifically, high school students meet with their mentors in a business setting, giving students the opportunity to experience what it means to work for a corporation, learn business etiquette, and identify educational requirements for professional success. A notable metric: One hundred percent of seniors that completed the program are continuing their education, joining the military or entering the workforce. Additional measurements of success are also impressive: 99 percent of youth in the Juvenile Justice Mentoring Initiative avoided truancy and 97 percent of at-risk students were promoted to the next grade.

Joy Mahler, President and CEO, says it best: “For 40 years, I have been blessed to experience the mentoring of thousands of youth across our communities, each matched with a dedicated adult. Our mentoring inspires youth to reach their full potential, and it continues to be the premiere strategy to transform communities. Mentorship is critical to the success of kids today, and I am honored to be a part of our transformative history.”

For more information on this remarkable organization - including becoming a big brother or big sister - visit their website at bbbssun.org.

~Bob Scholten, VYCCF Ambassador to Big Brothers Big Sisters

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updated: June 2024 Currents