Dec. 1, 2014

My husband Alex Schoenbaum and I did not wait for our Shoney’s restaurants to be successful to start making charitable donations.

Giving and helping others was something that we always enjoyed doing together and it is something that my family and I continue to do in his memory.  I have always said that the joy of giving is the joy of living.

When I learned about the Inaugural Freshman Class Scholarship at the USF Sarasota-Manatee campus, I knew it was a great idea. I have given countless scholarships in my lifetime because I truly believe that education is our future. I actually have six scrapbooks filled with notes of appreciation from young people who would never have been able to go to college; it brings me so much joy.

The USF Sarasota-Manatee campus is special because it allows students who can’t afford to live on campus to get a top tier education right here in Sarasota, and I am glad to help students take advantage of the opportunities that USF provides.