The 27th Brunch on the Bay was held on Sunday, Nov. 7, at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus. Guests enjoyed cuisine from leading local restaurants and caterers. USF Federal Credit Union will be the title sponsor of Brunch on the Bay for the next three years, and Elizabeth Moore has agreed to serve as chairperson of the 2021 event
Brunch on the Bay supports non-traditional students in accessing higher education. As keynote speaker, Jennifer Eubanks explained, sometimes following the dream of higher education takes more than grit. It takes a community’s support including, but not limited to, financial opportunities.
When Jennifer Eubanks decided to Return to college after working for 20 years as an executive in retail, she was faced with many uncertainties. A wife and mother of a young child, Jennifer was concerned about the cost of tuition and , yet it was time to pursue her bachelor’s degree. It had taken nearly 20 years Eubanks’ dream became a reality, and she certainly made the most of her opportunity at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, graduating Summa Cum Laude in April with a bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in business. She also was enrolled in the Judy Genshaft Honors College, where she wrote a thesis on childhood food insecurity in Sarasota and Manatee counties.
During the past 26 years, the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus has hosted one of the region’s premier social events, Brunch on the Bay, raising scholarships funds for nearly 1,900 students, most of whom are from the Sarasota-Manatee region and remain in the community to live and work. Thanks to the generosity of Brunch on the Bay scholarship donors, students have earned college degrees and now give their time and talent back to the Sarasota and Manatee communities.
Spark Growth was thrilled to Sponsor the Lobster table and lend its support to the community’s efforts to support our non-traditional students. At Spark Growth, we believe people and businesses thrive in connected communities and that everyone has the right to an educational path that allows him or her to become productive, working members of our community.
