Published: August 25, 2011
Miami Dolphins Star Davone Bess, Prominent South Florida Community & Education Leaders to Serve as Sun Life Rising Star Awards Program Judges
WELLESLEY, Mass. - (BUSINESS WIRE) - Sun Life Financial Inc. (NYSE: SLF, TSX: SLF) and the Miami Dolphins
today announced that nine prominent South Florida community and
education leaders will serve as judges for the Sun Life Rising Star
Awards program, the financial services company's signature national
philanthropic initiative, now in its second year. The judges will help
Sun Life award more than $220,000 in grants and scholarships to South
Florida youth and nonprofit organizations to reduce the achievement gap
faced by low-income students. In 2011, Sun Life will invest more than $1
million to outstanding students and nonprofit organizations affiliated
with large urban school districts across the country, including Boston,
Detroit, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and South Florida.
Miami Dolphins Wide Receiver Davone Bess will join a
distinguished judging panel that includes Champion Services Group
President and CEO James Champion; Consortium of Florida Education
Foundations President Mary Chance; local philanthropist Ada
Cole; Florida College System Foundation President Judy Green; Sun
Sentinel "Society Scene" Publisher Stacy Ostrau; Sapoznik
Insurance & Associates Founder, President and CEO Rachel Sapoznik;
City of Miami Protocol Officer Dr. Wallis Tinnie and Jeanette
Sparano, wife of Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano. The review
board is comprised of some of South Florida's foremost education and
community leaders, philanthropists, financial advisors, city officials
and local activists. Bess played a significant role in last year's
program -- addressing students at the inaugural Sun Life Rising Star
National Summit, volunteering to serve as a mentor to one of the winning
students, and helping select the program scholarship recipients.
The Sun Life Rising Star Awards program improves the lives of
under-served youth in large urban school districts by providing
financial resources and education to students and nonprofit
organizations committed to increasing success in high school and beyond.
Each winning South Florida organization will receive a $50,000 grant,
while an exemplary student nominated by each organization will receive a
$5,000 Sun Life Rising Star scholarship towards financing a college
education. The program also seeks to promote financial literacy as a
means to achieve long-term financial wellness and stability.
Judges, who will participate in celebratory events and serve as
spokespeople for the Sun Life Rising Star Awards program, have evaluated
the finalists' applications and student nominations submitted by South
Florida nonprofit organizations based on the following criteria:
-
Nonprofit's commitment to developing and promoting skills that
directly translate to educational success for students under the age
of 21
-
Nonprofit's demonstrated partnership with a secondary or
post-secondary educational institution
-
Nonprofit's documented ability to respond to the needs of specific
groups of youth in a manner yielding measurable results
-
Student nominee's plan to pursue post-secondary education, leadership
qualities, commitment to his or her community, and a 750-word essay on
how financial education contributes to future success
"We are thrilled to have some of South Florida's foremost community and
education leaders help us shape the Sun Life Rising Star Awards program
in South Florida," said Sun Life Financial U.S. President Wes Thompson.
"Their keen understanding of the local educational landscape will be
invaluable as we create sustainable programming that helps bridge the
achievement gap by promoting financial literacy, a critical factor in
helping our Rising Stars embark on the path towards a sound financial
future."
Sun Life will surprise winning students with their $5,000 scholarships
at separate area award presentations led by Miami Dolphins players,
cheerleaders and front office staff, as well as prominent local
community members on September 20 and 21. The Sun Life Rising Star
Awards program is the educational cornerstone program of the Miami
Dolphins Foundation.
"We're honored to have such a prominent group of judges from the South
Florida community join Sun Life and the Miami Dolphins in recognizing
these exceptional students and nonprofit organizations," said Miami
Dolphins Chief Executive Officer Mike Dee. "These individuals understand
the challenges facing our local students and their expertise and
commitment to improving the lives of students is critical to helping us
select this year's honorees."
About Sun Life Financial
Sun Life Financial is a leading international financial services
organization providing a diverse range of protection and wealth
accumulation products and services to individuals and corporate
customers. Chartered in 1865, Sun Life Financial and its partners today
have operations in key markets worldwide, including Canada, the United
States, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan,
Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda. In the United States and elsewhere,
insurance products are offered by members of the Sun Life Financial
group that are insurance companies. Sun Life Financial Inc., the holding
company for the Sun Life Financial group of companies, is a public
company. It is not an insurance company and does not offer insurance
products for sale in the United States or elsewhere, and does not
guarantee the obligations of its insurance company subsidiaries. Product
offerings may not be available in all states and may vary depending on
state laws and regulations. As of June 30, 2011, the Sun Life Financial
group of companies had total assets under management of US $492 billion.
For more information, please visit www.sunlife.com/us.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and
Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
Sun Life Financial Inc. trades on the Toronto (TSX), New York (NYSE) and
Philippine (PSE) stock exchanges under the ticker symbol SLF.
About the panelists
Davone Bess
Bess is a star wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins. Through hard work
and perseverance, Bess became the first person in his family to attend
college. Davone stays active in the community by participated in the
Miami Dolphins Foundation Golf Tournament and the Foundation's Kids
Fishing Clinic, purchasing Thanksgiving meals and Holiday toys for those
in need, visiting children at Kids In Distress and took part in the
inaugural Miami Dolphins Touchdown For Life Blood Drive.
James Champion
Champion is the President and CEO of The Champion Services Group, a
Human Resources and Management Consulting Firm. Mr. Champion serves on
the Board of Directors of a number of organizations in South Florida,
such as the Jackson Memorial Foundation and Greater Miami Tennis and
Education Foundation, and is a member of the Society for Human Resources
Management, Association of Affirmative Action Professionals and Equal
Employment Advisory Council.
Mary Chance
Chance serves as President of the Consortium of Florida Education
Foundations, the professional association for the local county education
foundations that serve the 2.6 million public school students and
295,000 educators throughout Florida's 67 counties. The Consortium's
mission is to advance K-12 public education in Florida by increasing
capacity and resources of member local foundations in partnership with
key stakeholders.
Ada Cole
Cole is a local philanthropist and has more than twenty-five years
experience in organizational development, management and leadership with
private, public and non-profit organizations. Currently, Cole is a
member of Mo Homes LLC and Riverbend LLC, real estate development
companies. Before relocating to Ft. Lauderdale, Cole served on the Board
of Port Commissioners, Port of Oakland, where she chaired the Aviation
Committee of the Oakland Airport.
Judy Green
Green is President of The Florida College System Foundation, which
awards almost $900,000 in scholarships annually to college students
throughout Florida. The Foundation also provides program support
services to the Florida College System and Division of Florida Colleges
and in 2011, provided scholarships to more than 1,200 students in the
Florida College System. Ms. Green works closely with Florida's 28
colleges, their Presidents and the Foundation Offices.
Stacy Ostrau
Ostrau is the Society Scene Publisher for the Sun Sentinel and has 17
years experience in marketing and public relations, spending the last 11
years with the Sun Sentinel. At the Sun Sentinel, she is also Director
of the Sun Sentinel Children's Fund. Sun Sentinel and Sun Sentinel
Children's Fund have provided extensive community support including
sponsorship, in-kind and grant support to hundreds of community groups,
including $1.4 million in grants last year.
Rachel Sapoznik
Sapoznik is the founder, President and CEO of Sapoznik Insurance &
Associates, Inc. Sapoznik Insurance is an Employee Benefits Agency and
is regarded as one of the largest Insurance Agencies in Florida. Ms.
Sapoznik is an active force for organizations that provide women with
the tools to succeed and those that assist abused women and children.
She has been awarded the "Distinguished Citizen Award" from the City of
Miami Beach and "Impressive Citizen Award" by City of North Miami Beach
in 2010.
Jeanette Sparano
Sparano is the Wife of Miami Dolphins Head Coach Tony Sparano, and is
committed to giving back to the South Florida community. Ms. Sparano was
recently honored as one of the "Women of the Year" by the 1000+ Club of
the American Cancer Society. She was chosen by Forever Family, a
non-profit foster care organization of which she is a board member and a
volunteer, because of the money she has been able to raise and the
tireless efforts she has put forth herself on behalf of the organization.
Dr. Wallis Tinnie
Dr. Tinnie is Protocol Officer for the City of Miami, working in close
cooperation with the Mayor, the five Commissioners and the City Manager,
and is Professor Emerita of Miami-Dade College. As a volunteer executive
director of two nonprofit organizations, the African American Caribbean
Cultural Arts Commission, Inc. and Imani Um Nommo Writers Workshop, Dr.
Tinnie has introduced many cultural initiatives and ground-breaking
presentations to Miami, including the Pan African Bookfest and Cultural
Conference.
SLPC 23624 appvd: 8/11, exp 8/15
Sun Life Financial
Alexi Maravel, 781-446-1624
alexi.maravel@sunlife.com
or
elevate
Keith
Gainsboro, 857-234-1481
kgainsboro@elevatecom.com
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