Thanks to the generosity of our members and others, our society had provided by 2021 more than $250,000 in meritorious scholarships since the inception of our Scholarship Program.  Each year, GCICS awards a minimum of $1,000 to 5 to 7 graduating seniors, of full or partial Italian ancestry, who are entering colleges and universities across the USA.  Concomitantly, we provide grants of $1,000 each to the Sarasota Youth Opera and the Sarasota Ballet-The Next Generation.  These two programs support youngsters in our Sarasota community who have an interest and potential talent in the performing arts.

 

How do we raise funds for our scholarships and grants? We have great fun conducting 50/50 raffles, auctioning baskets of goodies donated by members or businesses in the community, and holding drawings for restaurant gift certificates.  During our annual membership drive/renewals, we encourage our members to donate at one of our six levels: Benefactor ($1,000+), Angel ($500-$999), Sponsor ($250-$499), Patron ($100-$249), Donor ($50-$99), and Booster ($20-$49)