OCEAN BANK OFFERS STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS
MIAMI, FL – June 8, 2005 – Four graduating students from St. Francis Xavier Catholic School have received scholarships to continue their education thanks to local community bank, Ocean Bank. Carlos Hondal, Executive Vice President and Director of Internal Audit for Ocean Bank presented the scholarship awards along with other Ocean Bank executives during the school’s graduation ceremony on May 20th. The Bank offered each of the four students $500 to be used for high school expenses which may include registration fees and books. The scholarship recipients included Vanessa Joseph, Tiera Hanks, Tavarius Hicks and Emmanuel Carelus. In addition to the scholarships, the bank also awarded the students $300 worth of U.S. savings bonds.
“This is the sixth year in a row that we offer St. Francis students scholarships in order for them to continue their education,” said Hondal. “As an institution that is deeply rooted in our community, we are pleased to offer our support and we are looking forward to continuing to work with St. Francis School and Miami Inner City Angels to help students reach their full potential. Ocean Bank is very proud to be able to attend the St. Francis Xavier graduation and participate in this very important institution in Overtown. This school is a special place that has a wonderful combination of teachers, parents, grandparents, family and especially, students. Seeing these students improve and overcome many obstacles and succeed in academics, community service and leadership, should inspire and motivate others to get more involved with a school like St. Francis Xavier,” he added.
Ocean Bank has committed $8,000 per year in scholarship funds to St. Francis Xavier School students. In addition to the end-of-year scholarships, Ocean Bank also provides the schools general scholarship fund with eight $1,000 scholarships. These eight scholarships are offered to students from different grades.
St. Francis Xavier Catholic School is the only private school in overtown. St. Francis was the first Catholic Church and school for African-Americans in Miami. The school was in the midst of closing when Miami Inner City Angels, a non-profit 501 © (3) organization, led by Michael Caricarte, Jr., organized a grass roots effort to raise funds for the school.
Ocean Bank is the largest independent commercial bank headquartered in the state of Florida, with more than $4.6 billion in assets and $4 billion in deposits. Chartered in 1982, Ocean Bank operates a network of 22 branches throughout Miami-Dade and Broward counties. Ocean Bank is recognized as a leader in community relations efforts and has received numerous awards from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the Beacon Council, the March of Dimes and the Florida Department of Education for its efforts in helping our community.
