Regency Oaks Highlights Money Raised For Staff Scholarships

CLEARWATER, FL — Regency Oaks residents highlighted the Regency Oaks Scholarship Fund, in honor of National Scholarship Month.

The scholarship fund was created, organized and run by the residents of Regency Oaks and began awarding scholarships to staff in 2017 and has continued every year since. To date, the scholarship fund has distributed $190,000 to staff members seeking higher education.

“The scholarship fund is an indicator that we care for our associates by assisting deserving individuals financially with their college or tech school needs,” said Johanna Guzik, resident and the founder of the scholarship fund. “We know how much one benefits from advanced education; and are thankful for any assistance we may have been given. With this purpose in mind, a group of residents formed a scholarship fund. It took a year of organization, explanation and donations to get it started. We are pleased to have awarded 97 scholarships in the last five years, ranging from $1,000 to $10,000. Our residents are thoughtful, caring and generous.”

Residents raise funds for the Regency Oaks Scholarship Fund by hosting raffles, auctions, fashion shows, drag queen bingo, dueling piano concerts, murder mystery dinners and donations. The scholarship fund has successfully helped recipients earn degrees, making it possible to be promoted to department director at Regency Oaks. Additionally, two staff members have used the funds towards their doctorate degrees and others have received further technical and professional certifications.

This is a not-for-profit charitable organization. All contributions are tax-deductible. The scholarships are considered on a case-by-case basis, varying in amounts based on criteria, such as length of employment at Regency Oaks, evaluation of immediate past transcripts of grades, supervisor evaluation, assessment of essay and community involvement and estimated cost of tuition, books, fees and other costs associated with the school year.

Decisions on the award amounts are made by the Evaluation Committee and approved by the board of directors.