Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

Column

UNCF's impact too easily overlooked

By ERNEST HOOPER
Published February 6, 2007

Holding luncheons to benefit the United Negro College Fund in Miami, Jacksonville and Orlando makes sense.

Miami and Jacksonville are home to colleges that are members of the fund. Those would be Florida Memorial and Edward Waters, respectively. Orlando is home to the fund's state headquarters and just a hop, skip and a jump from the state's third UNCF school, Daytona Beach's Bethune-Cookman College.

Tampa Bay, however, has no such distinction, making some wonder why the college fund is holding a fundraising luncheon at the Marriott Waterside on Thursday. Well, those who wonder just haven't been keeping up with current events.

The fund does more than support students at the state's three historically black colleges. The fund is providing nearly $800,000 in scholarship money to students at area colleges, including $600,000 to University of South Florida students, $126,000 at the University of Tampa and $72,000 at Eckerd College.

"But people don't know that," said Sherry Parramore, director of development. "We have to let people know exactly what UNCF provides. It's not just scholarship money for UNCF schools."

The program administers more than 450 scholarships nationwide, including the Gates Millennium Scholars Program. That's Gates, as in Bill and Melinda Gates. In Florida, more than 571 students - including 260 Hispanic-Americans, 50 Asian Pacific-Americans and eight American Indians -are supported through the Gates program.

Parramore said one of her directives when she joined the organization a year ago was to create more awareness and build partnerships with people in the Tampa Bay community. The luncheon approach appears to be ideal since the college fund already enjoys success with luncheons in Florida's other major cities.

With the help of then-Gov. Jeb Bush, the organization launched its first fundraising luncheon in Orlando five years ago, and then expanded to Miami and Jacksonville. Bush served as keynote speaker for three years before giving way to Sen. Mel Martinez in 2006.

This year, state Speaker of the House Marco Rubio stepped into the role of keynote speaker for the luncheons in Miami and Tampa. Parramore said Rubio is keenly interested in education.

Although the fund's roots are in helping African-Americans, today it's easy to see the mission is really about helping the community.

"Today, more than ever, education is so important to changing the economics in the community," Parramore said. "Our students come back to the community and get excellent jobs or open thriving businesses.

"This is one program where you can see the benefits."

The fund, which began 63 years ago, built its reputation with heart-warming commercials and the trademark catch phrase "A mind is a terrible thing to waste." The slogan works as well today as it did decades ago.

That's all I'm saying.

Ernest Hooper can be reached at hooper@sptimes.com or (813) 226-3406.

Fast Facts:

UNCF luncheon

Where: Marriott Waterside

When: Thursday, 11:30 (photo shoot); noon (lunch)

Speaker: Marco Rubio

For details: (407) 896-6940

[Last modified February 6, 2007, 05:51:23]