SKY RANCH FOUNDATION ℠ AND SKY RANCH FOR BOYS ® AWARDS $25,000 GRANT TO SUPPORT VOICES FOR CHILDREN OF NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA, INC.

February 2015 –Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch for Boys ® has awarded a $25,000 grant to support Voices for Children of North Central Florida, Inc. which raises money to help meet the needs of children who are involved in the dependency court system, children who have allegedly been abused, abandoned or neglected.

Sue Carpenter, President of Voices for Children of North Central Florida Inc. says, “Voices…is extremely grateful for the sizable grant awarded to our organization to provide normalcy activities for the children in our circuit.  These funds allow children who are in judicial proceedings due to alleged abuse or neglect to participate in clubs, on teams and at events they would otherwise be excluded from pursuing. Without Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ this would not be possible; to each of you we say thank you.  You are making a significant difference.”

More than 2,000 children in North Central Florida find themselves victims of physical abuse, neglect or abandonment and are usually moved from their homes for a period of time. Founded in 1995, this non-profit organization was created to support the quality of care for these children under the auspices of the Guardian Ad Litem Program and the Fifth Judicial Court of Florida. At the request of a Guardian, Voices may provide simple staples like sneakers, clothes, diapers as well as funding for more serious specialized medical treatment or psychological evaluations and counseling.

Peggy Donovan, Vice President and Secretary of Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ witnesses, first-hand, the results of the Voices program as she volunteers as Guardian Ad Litem for the organization. “Thanks to Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch for Boys ® for this grant which enables Voices for Children of North Central Florida to provide funds for children in foster care. These funds make my volunteer job as a Guardian Ad Litem much more rewarding, especially knowing that it is my industry, the beverage alcohol industry, that is generously providing the funding” states Ms. Donovan. Voices for Children relies exclusively on grants, fundraisers and donations from private citizens.

 

About Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch For Boys ®

Since 2011, the Foundation ℠ has awarded $922,394 in grants to organizations providing support for at-risk youth. Formed in 1961 and building on more than 50 years of tradition, Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is a tax-exempt charitable organization committed to identifying and offering grants to efficient and effective programs focused on improving the quality of help available to these youth.

Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is governed by a board of directors comprised mainly of active and retired members of the beverage alcohol industry. The Foundation’s ℠ funds have come largely from individuals and companies associated with the beer, wine and spirits industries and reflects the industry’s great concern and commitment for at-risk youth.

 

Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch for Boys ® appoints Dori Bryant Director of Partnership Development.

Among Dori’s many citations and awards are her 2009 induction into the Sky Ranch ℠ Hall of Fame, recipient of the Gertrude Merinoff Humanitarian Award in 2014 from The Top 50 Club of New York and monikers including ‘Rum Queen’ and ‘Diva of Tequila’.

“We are delighted to recognize Dori with this new role with the Sky Ranch Foundation ℠”, said SRF ℠ President Ralph Aguera. “Through donations collected via auctions at her events for the past 15 years, she not only added significantly to the Foundation ℠ finances, but has kept the Sky Ranch ℠ name in front of hundreds of new and veteran spirits companies and consumers. Ms. Bryant will be responsible for developing closer partnerships with our grantees and especially the beverage alcohol industry, which has always been the uniting force behind our Foundation ℠”.

Ms. Bryant has a career spanning 20 years in the publishing business with the past 15 years spent designing, creating and hosting spirits tasting events and competitions including The Spirits of Mexico, International Rum Festival, Vodka & Gin Fests, Spirits of the Americas and others. Dori’s company, The Polished Palate, was honored as the first and only company in the United States to be sanctioned by the esteemed Academia Mexicana del Tequila, which also awarded her the title of Tequila Ambassador. In 2011, the IWSC Group purchased The Polished Palate and she continued with them for the past 4 years. Dori recently formed a new company, Glorious Spirits LLC, which will continue to host spirits tasting events benefiting the Foundation ℠. She is a graduate of Douglass College, Rutgers University and resides in Tarpon Springs, Florida.

“I am honored to be part of the Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ family. Their grants enable organizations to help abused and neglected children and I cannot think of a more worthy cause”, Dori said.

About Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ and Sky Ranch For Boys ®

Formed in 1961 and building on more than 50 years of tradition, Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is a tax-exempt charitable organization committed to giving at-risk youth a second chance by identifying and offering grants to efficient and effective programs focused on improving the quality of help available to these youth.

Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is governed by a board of directors comprised mainly of active and retired members of the beverage alcohol industry. The Foundation’s ℠ funds have come largely from individuals and companies associated with the beer, wine and spirits industries and reflects the industry’s great concern and commitment for at-risk youth.

SkyRanchFoundation.org ℠ to Connect with Donors, Grant Candidates

November 17, 2014 – Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ is pleased to announce the launch of its redesigned website, www.skyranchfoundation.org.  The new and improved version of Sky Ranch Foundation’s ℠ “home on the web” has been crafted to convey the foundation’s heritage, mission and ongoing efforts to serve at-risk boys and girls through grants to community-based care organizations.

“By updating our presence on the web, Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ has provided an improved destination to connect with the organization, support its mission or seek its support for worthwhile causes,” said Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ President Ralph Aguera.

In addition to providing information on the foundation’s long-standing support from distributors, retailers, suppliers, and other companies associated with the beverage alcohol industry, the site catalogues the foundation’s work to give at-risk youth a second chance by identifying and offering grants to efficient and effective programs focused on improving the quality of help available to these boys and girls.

Visitors to the site will notice streamlined menus, simple navigation and access to information on how to support Sky Ranch Foundation ℠, as well as how to apply for grant support from the foundation.  The site also provides information about the organization’s governance and its continued association with the beverage alcohol industry.

“As Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ continues to develop as a difference-maker in the lives of young boys and girls, we’re also evolving technologically as an organization to connect with those wo want to learn more about the foundation or those who wish to join the men and women of the beverage alcohol industry supporting Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ goals,” said Aguera.

Formed in 1961 and building on more than 50 years of tradition, Sky Ranch Foundation’s &#8480 funds have come largely from individuals and companies associated with the beer, wine and spirits industries.  Sky Ranch Foundation ℠ continues to strive to be the uniting force within the beverage alcohol industry for aid to at-risk youth and reflects the industry’s great concern and commitment – without commercial self-interest or promotion – to the youth of America.