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Press Release

Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship Fund
Reaches Milestone Ahead of Schedule

Two years back when the Orlando Chapter inaugurated the Melissa Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor the memory of an esteemed friend and colleague, our goal was to build the fund into a self-sustaining endowment within 5 years.

Thanks to an outpouring of generosity from Melissa's friends, family, and colleagues — both within and outside STC — as well as two sizable grants from the STC Board, the fund has grown much more quickly than we ever imagined possible.

In fact, we have reached the first milestone — the capability to earn sufficient funds to match historical financial scholarship levels for the undergraduate and graduate awards at the University of Central Florida — exactly 3 years ahead of that schedule!

Reported Chapter Treasurer W.C. Wiese: "Our 5-year goal was to build the fund to a $10,000 level, capable of generating approximately $1,000 in earnings each year on a self-sustaining basis. We have accomplished this sooner and in a larger way than we ever anticipated."

To be exact, the ledger now shows $11,195.68, based on the December statement from the mutual funds in which the scholarship fund is invested, plus the latest contributions.

"This is a wonderful tribute to Melissa and an accomplishment of which the Chapter can rightfully be proud," declared Dan Voss, manager of the sponsoring Education Committee. "Not only is the fund now self-sustaining, I am confident it will continue to grow — offering us even more opportunities to support education."

Editor's Note:

If you wish to add your support to the Melissa Pellegrin Memorial Scholarship Fund, you may send your tax-deductible contribution to the Treasurer, STC Orlando Chapter, P.O. Box 1343, Orlando, FL 32802-1343. Make the check payable to STC Orlando Chapter and indicate "Scholarship Fund" on the memo line. (The IRS ID is 31-0919557.)