History

From our inception in 2001, Rotary Futures was destined to be a winner. Founder Bob Vedder’s idea of a 501(c)3 non-profit, on-campus site where students of all ages could obtain assistance with planning their future needed only 1) Venice High School cooperation, 2) funding, and 3) a dedicated group of volunteers willing to bring this dream to fruition.  Former VHS principal Dan Parrett and, subsequent principals, brought their expertise and VHS resources, while 22 community leaders stepped up to join as a Board of Directors.  These individuals represented all segments of our community including educators, business people, VHS supporters, and interested citizens.

The final step was to secure funding.  The Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club has contributed for years to youth agencies throughout the Venice area and saw Rotary Futures as an excellent way to serve the students of our community.  With a commitment to be the primary on-going sponsor, the Venice-Nokomis Rotary Club provided a $20,000 donation, and they continue to do so each year.  Concurrently, the Kathleen K. Catlin Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County contributed the start-up funds necessary to get our program off the ground. In 2004, once again the Kathleen K. Catlin Fund of the Community Foundation of Sarasota County supported our program with a grant to improve our program technology.

THE PROGRAM

Since opening our doors in January 2002, Rotary Futures has provided post-secondary planning assistance, personal guidance and vital computer-based resources to area students at absolutely no cost.  Rotary Futures developed and implemented the first local scholarship database, which has been utilized by over 6,500 area students. This database contains approximately 500 scholarships, including local, state, national and institutional scholarships.  Since Rotary Future’s inception, VHS students have more than tripled the amount of annual scholarship dollars earned totaling $60 million in the last 18 years.  In addition, Rotary Futures organizes the South Sarasota County College Night, which hosts over 60 colleges and 700 students and parents each year.  Rotary Futures also coordinates student/parent meetings, an annual tour  to  Suncoast  Technical College,  SAT  prep  classes  for  VHS  students,  as  well  as  Venice High’s Senior Awards Celebration.

In addition, hundreds of volunteer hours have been spent making Rotary Futures’ goals a reality.  These volunteers do everything from helping students, organizing fundraisers, and assisting with special events.  Our volunteers are truly an invaluable asset to Rotary Futures.

Finally, the success of this program continues to depend on generosity.  The generosity of the school district has provided us a home while volunteers’ time has kept our service flowing. Consequently, as is true in every business, it is the financial contributions that allow us to keep our doors open.  The generosity of citizens, businesses, and foundations has allowed us to continue our mission “to educate, inspire, and motivate students of all ages to access post-secondary education and/or training by linking education, career, and life opportunities.”

A COPY OF THE OFFICIAL REGISTRATION (#CH39882) AND FINANCIAL INFORMATION MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE DIVISION OF CONSUMER SERVICES BY CALLING TOLL-FREE WITHIN THE STATE 1-800-HELP-FLA (435-7352).  REGISTRATION DOES NOT IMPLY ENDORSEMENT, APPROVAL, OR RECOMMENDATION BY THE STATE.