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Orlando Magic donate $75,000 to Seminole State

Thursday, Jan 19, 2012
Staff

From left: Orlando Magic Chairman Dan DeVos; John Gyllin, executive director of the Foundation for Seminole State; Seminole State College President Dr. E. Ann McGee; Orlando Magic VP of Community Relations/Government Affairs Linda Landman-Gonzalez; and Orlando Magic CEO Alex Martins. Photo credit: Gary Bassing

The Orlando Magic Youth Fund presented a check for $75,000 to Seminole State College of Florida President Dr. E. Ann McGee on Jan. 19 to provide support for first-generation college students.

McGee and John Gyllin, executive director of the Foundation for Seminole State, hugged Magic Chairman Dan DeVos and CEO Alex Martins.

"This is amazing for us," McGee said. "About 25 percent of our students are first-generation students, and they need the extra help. This grant from the Magic is like an invisible hand behind them, helping them to be successful."

The $75,000 grant will create the OMYF Molding Another Generation in College Fund (MAGIC) at Seminole State, which will provide support programs designed to help students graduate. Programs will include mentoring, tutoring and assistance with financial planning and budgeting.

The grant was part of $1 million donated to 19 nonprofit organizations throughout Orange, Seminole and Osceola counties by the Orlando Magic Youth Fund. It's the second consecutive year that the fund has given away $1 million, raising the total to approximately $17 million in grants to local nonprofits during the past 22 years.

"For the Magic to invest as much as they did in our vision to help kids be successful in college, that's huge," McGee said. "The Magic are such a powerful organization in this community, and we're all intertwined. We're all working to life everybody because we have a community that works together."

The Orlando Magic Youth Fund also recently announced it will award full scholarships to three Seminole County Public Schools students to attend Seminole State. The scholarships are for $3,000 per year.

For more information on the grant, visit the official Orlando Magic website.