The Miami Dolphins and Sun Life Financial have teamed up to keep bright kids on the right path towards education, with South Florida’s Sun Life Rising Stars Awards. The program, which is now in its second year, aims to do that by rewarding both a handful of exemplary students, and a few nonprofits in the state that focus on improving low high school graduation rates.
Sun Life and the Dolphins recently announced the winners of this year’s awards—four students, who each received a $5,000 dollar scholarship, and four nonprofit organizations that each received $50,000, totaling $220,000 thousand dollars in grant and scholarship money.
The awards were given out at four separate surprise presentations, where Dolphins cheerleaders, front office staff and players, including guard/tackle Vernon Carey, kicker Dan Carpenter, guard John Jerry, center Mike Pouncey and wide receiver Davone Bess, showed up to honor the recipients. Bess returns to lend a hand after having been an integral part of last year’s inaugural effort, wherein he even took on a student to mentor.
Receiving those great big cardboard checks this year were Sarah Moreno of Miami Beach Senior High, Amanatulla Khan of Boca Raton Community High School, Miles Mallinson of McFatter Technical High School and Mariela Vega of Immokalee High School. Also earning honors were the not-for-profits Take Stock in Children of Palm Beach County, Urban League of Broward County, Inc., The Education Fund of Miami-Dade County and The Guadalupe Center of Immokalee.
