2012-01-14 02:46:07 - The Founders Fund celebrated 20 years of making a difference to the students of Collier County and honored those scholarship recipients at the 2011 Scholars Luncheon.

What began as a small group of individuals with a mission to help a few local students has now grown into a life changing organization for many. The Founders Fund, Inc. celebrated the end of their 20th anniversary year with a special Scholars Luncheon to honor past and present trustees. The December 30, 2011 event was held at the Club Pelican Bay with over 90 guests in attendance, including 38 scholarship recipients who were home for the holidays.

The Founders Fund holds the luncheon each year to celebrate and mingle with students who have been awarded a scholarship for the coming year. It has become a tradition for each student to speak briefly about their college studies and activities. The

accomplishments seem more and more impressive each passing year and the number of students carrying a 4.0 GPA seems to be a growing number.

Sue McNaghten, President of The Founders Fund, opened the luncheon program and thanked trustees, sponsors and school counselors for their dedication in helping to make a difference in the lives of local students. McNaghten’s message at this year’s luncheon was about one person’s effort to make a difference.

She read a story about a young boy who was seen gently tossing one starfish at a time back into the ocean after a high tide. When a man stopped to ask him what he was doing the boy explained that the starfish would die if they were not thrown back into the water. The man replied that the boy would not be able to make a difference because there were miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish. After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it back into the surf. Then, smiling at the man he said, I made a difference for that one.

McNaghten’s message mirrored the story. She said in her closing remarks that the Founders Fund cannot help all the children of Collier County but can make a difference in the life of each student who receives a scholarship. Each trustee was then presented with a frame-ready color print of the starfish story as a reminder that they do make a difference, one student at a time.

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 2011, renewable annual scholarships of $2,000 each were awarded to 26 students from Collier County. Over two-million dollars in scholarships have been awarded since the founding of the fund.

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.