Orlando Magic Chairman Dan De Vos, Foundation Executive Director John Gyllin, Seminole State President Dr. E. Ann McGee, Orlando Magic VP of Community Relations Linda Landman Gonzalez and Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins celebrate the donation of $75,000.
The $75,000 grant will create the OMYF Molding Another Generation in College Fund (MAGIC) Fund at Seminole State, which will provide support programs designed to help students graduate. Programs will include mentoring, tutoring and assistance with financial planning and budgeting.
"This is amazing for us," said Seminole State President E. Ann McGee "About 25 percent of our students are first-generation students, and they need the extra help. This grant from the Magic is like an invisible hand behind them, helping them to be successful."
The grant was part of $1 million donated to 19 nonprofit organizations throughout Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties by the Orlando Magic Youth Fund. It's the second consecutive year that the fund has given away $1 million, raising the total to approximately $17 million in grants to local nonprofits during the past 22 years.
"For the Magic to invest as much as they did in our vision to help kids be successful in college, that's huge," McGee said. "The Magic are such a powerful organization in this community, and we're all intertwined. We're all working to life everybody because we have a community that works together."
The Orlando Magic Youth Fund also recently announced it will award full scholarships to three Seminole County Public Schools students to attend Seminole State. The scholarships are for $3,000 per year.