Joel EngelhardtPalm Beach County Caucus of Black Elected Officials triples last year’s number of recipients of the $1,000 checks.
The school names came easily to the students about to embark on their collegiate years: Bethune Cookman, THE Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University, University of Florida, Florida Atlantic, Howard University, University of Michigan and the oft-repeated acronyms, FSU, FIU, UCF.
They gripped envelopes with hand-written $1,000 checks and grinned for parents snapping pictures Saturday at the Manatee Lagoon in West Palm Beach as if they were graduating all over again.
Why it matters: For 77 Palm Beach County students selected from 115 applicants, the Palm Beach County Caucus of Black Elected Officials is now something to remember as they buy books or pay for room and board. The nonprofit led by County Commissioner Bobby Powell and representing 45 elected Black officials regrouped in recent years with a luncheon that last year supported 27 scholarships.
Zoom in: The students submitted high school transcripts and essays with stories about overcoming foster care, illness, constant moves and the challenge of being the first in a family to attend college, Powell said.
Judging applicants with Powell: State Rep. Jervonte “Tae” Edmonds and Port of Palm Beach Commissioner Jean Enright.
Of note: One child living with foster parents wrote that she had attended four high schools and couldn’t remember the name of her mother, Enright said. She is going to Palm Beach State College to learn to be a nurse.
What they’re saying: Powell said afterward his hope is “They don’t forget where they came from,” and return to South Florida.
The money came from a lengthy list of signature businesses headed by Florida Power & Light and Florida Crystals.
Others on the list:
- Forest Development, which is building high rises in Riviera Beach and Lake Park.
- Huizenga Holdings, which is rebuilding a West Palm Beach neighborhood.
- Related Ross, downtown West Palm Beach’s biggest developer.
- Related Urban Development Group, which has several projects in West Palm Beach and Riviera Beach.
- Political consulting and law firms: Cornerstone Solutions Florida, Akerman, Gunster and Ronald A. Book.
Joel is a founder, reporter and editor at Stet News. His award-winning newspaper career spanned more than 40 years, including 28 years at The Palm Beach Post, which he left in 2020. Joel lives with his wife in Palm Beach Gardens. He volunteers on the board of NAMI Palm Beach County and the Palm Beach Gardens Historical Society.
