Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc., announced June 6 a $12 million allocation to Step Up For Students, helping nearly 1,575 deserving Florida schoolchildren access the right education to help them succeed.
Since partnering with Step Up For Students in 2012, Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc., a leading wine, beer and spirits distributor, has funded nearly 13,040 scholarships through contributions totaling $85.1 million to the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship Program. Step Up For Students is a nonprofit organization that helps manage the income-based scholarship program, which is funded by corporations with tax-credited donations. It allows parents and students to choose between a scholarship to support private school tuition and fees, or one that assists with transportation costs to a different public school.
“Johnson Brothers of Florida is proud to have partnered with Step Up For Students for the past 10 years to help Florida schoolchildren access the best education for them,” said Frank Galante, Regional President of Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc. “We are committed to supporting students and families throughout the state and we know our partnership with Step Up For Students is doing just that.”
Johnson Brothers of Florida, Inc. celebrated the contribution during a company meeting at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Company representatives had the opportunity to hear about the impact of their investment and the importance of the scholarship from Step Up For Students President Doug Tuthill, and Icon Preparatory School Principal Dr. Dwayne Raiford. Icon Preparatory School is located in Tampa and serves students in grades K-12, with more than 93% of its students benefitting from a Step Up For Students scholarship.
“It is clear that Johnson Brothers of Florida is committed to helping Florida students succeed,” Tuthill said. “Because of their support over the last 10 years, thousands of students throughout the state had access to the educational environment that works best for them, and we are truly grateful for their continued partnership.”
Since 2002, Step Up For Students has awarded more than 1 million Florida Tax Credit Scholarships. More than 2,000 private schools participate in the scholarship program statewide
About Johnson Brothers
Johnson Brothers is a leading distributor of wine, beer and spirits in the United States. As a third-generation family company, Johnson Brothers is driven by the same values established by its founder in 1953: work ethic, passion, innovation, teamwork, excellence, and integrity. Through partnering with the best suppliers in the world, Johnson Brothers delivers outstanding brands and services to customers across 21 states. To learn more about Johnson Brothers and its supplier partners, visit Johnsonbrothers.com, or connect on LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
About Step Up For Students
Step Up For Students is a non-profit organization that helps administer the donor-funded, income-based Florida Tax Credit Scholarship, the nation’s largest private K-12 scholarship program. The program provides students tuition assistance to the private school of their parents’ choice, or financial assistance to offset the transportation cost to attend a different public school. Since 2002, Step Up For Students has awarded more than 1 million Florida Tax Credit Scholarships.
In February 2019, the Urban Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based think tank, released results of a study on the effectiveness of the Florida Tax Credit Scholarship. It found that students on scholarship for four or more years were up to 99% more likely to attend a four-year college than their peers in public school, and up to 45% more likely to earn bachelor’s degrees.
Step Up also helps administer that state-funded Family Empowerment Scholarship for Students with Unique Abilities, plus three other scholarships: the income-based Family Empowerment Scholarship for Educational Options, the Hope Scholarship for public school students who are bullied, and the Reading
Scholarship Accounts for third- through fifth-grade students enrolled in public school who struggle with reading. For more information, visit www.StepUpForStudents.org.
