Governor Jeb Bush Joins more than 1,000 students and mentors at Take Stock in Children�s Rally in Ta

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) April 17, 2006 -- Governor Jeb Bush and state lawmakers joined more than 1,000 Take Stock in Children students, mentors, and sponsors at a celebration to honor mentoring.

The Governor honored the mentoring and scholarship program and its partners for their commitment to providing low-income, at-risk children with college scholarships and caring mentors. �By taking stock in these children, you are making a difference and giving underserved children the opportunity to succeed in life.�

Held annually, Take Stock in Children�s Rally in Tally recognizes the successes of its mentors and students and demonstrates the impact of its scholarship and mentoring program to lawmakers. Students and mentors travel to Tallahassee to meet with legislators to thank them for their ongoing commitment.

Governor Bush congratulated the program for its success, �Take Stock in Children understands how important mentoring is to children. They have logged more than 715,000 volunteer hours, providing more than 11,000 of Florida�s children with the opportunity to work with a mentor and build a solid foundation.�

Students from Marion and Brevard Counties presented the Governor with the first ever Gold Star Award recognizing his dedication to education and to Florida�s children. Bryan Shearon, from Marion County thanked the Governor for his leadership, �I want to thank you for your commitment to providing me with all the tools I need to succeed in life. Because of you, I have a mentor who is a guidepost for how I want to be in the future. My mentor is my cheerleader, coach and most importantly my friend.�

Other speakers included State leaders such as; Lt. Governor Toni Jennings, Education Commissioner John Winn, and The Florida Lottery Secretary, Rebecca Mattingly. Secretary Mattingly is a member of the Board of Directors for Take Stock in Children.

The Florida Lottery, a statewide sponsor of Take Stock in Children for nine years, sponsors the Take Stock in Children Rally in Tally. The Florida Mentoring Partnership has recognized the Florida Lottery for the past four years for achieving outstanding participation and leadership for mentoring. In addition to providing funding to raise awareness of the statewide need for mentoring, the Lottery supports and encourages its employees to give their time to assist children in learning.

Outback Steakhouse, a founding sponsor of Take Stock in Children, provided lunch for the crowd of more than 1,000 people.

Founded in 1995 in response to the need for a scholarship program that provided more than just financial assistance to recipients, Take Stock in Children is an award-winning program that provides scholarships, mentors, and hope for a better future to Florida�s most deserving children. A public-private partnership, this school-based mentoring organization has positively affected the lives of more than 11,000 children. Scholarships are purchased through the Florida Prepaid College Foundation, which provides matching funds to double the impact of scholarship donations to Take Stock in Children. To learn more, visit www.takestockinchildren.com.

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