Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund partners with Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches to send at risk youth to summer camp in Broward County.
Broward County, Florida
The Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund (SJBMF) and Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches (FSYR) are thrilled to announce a groundbreaking partnership with the goal of sending twenty at-risk, underserved children touched by gun violence to the Ranch. The Florida Sheriff Youth Ranch will be the seventh camp to receive funding from the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund. Florida Sheriff’s Youth Camp is the first camp to receive SJBMF funding for camperships in the southeast. The two organizations are closely tied together in their mission to prevent gun violence through positive and healthy indoor and outdoor activities.
The children will be attending camp at FSYR from July 31st through August 7th, 2023. All these children will come from Broward County and will be given top priority to attend FSYR the following summer. To send twenty at-risk underserved children touched by gun violence to FSYR in 2023, SJBMF will be giving FSYR a grant of $15,000. This will help change the lives of children in need and show them that there are positive alternatives to the scourge of gangs and gun violence. The ages of children range from ten to fifteen years old. At age fifteen these young adults will be given the opportunity to become LITs (Leaders in Training) where they will receive training Trust Based Relational Intervention, Nonviolent Crisis Intervention, First Aid, CPR, Childcare basics, and emergency response practices.
On February 14, 2023, it will be five years since my son, Scott J. Beigel, was murdered in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL. Scott was a geography teacher, a cross-country coach, a mentor, a summer camp counselor, and someone who changed the lives of his students and campers. Scott was a hero who saved the lives of his students that horrible today. I knew immediately that I wanted to honor his life, memory and legacy. This is why I started the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund. Five years later the fund has sent 431 at risk, underserved children touched by gun violence to summer sleep-away camp where they experience positive alternatives to guns, gangs, and violence while giving them hope for their future. The partnership with The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranch marks the first time the fund will send at risk children from Florida to camp. I am excited and honored to work with FSYR. I will never stop working in Scott’s honor to give children a better future, free from guns and gangs. A future where they have the right to be safe – a future where they can live without fear, stated Linda Beigel Schulman, Founder.
We, the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches are very honored to be chosen to continue Scott J. Beigel’s legacy of service to children. We understand that summer camp impacted Scott’s life in such a way that he wanted a career in which he could impact the lives of others. We are grateful to be entrusted with carrying on his life goal to make a difference in the lives of children. It means so much to be entrusted with Scott’s legacy. We will work hard to honor him, stated Elisha Hoggard, Director of Camping Services, Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches.
The Florida Youth Sheriffs Ranch will host the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund sponsored campers the week of July 31st through August 7th. With its entry into Florida, SJBMF will be sending children to seven summer Sleep-away camps in four different states.
About Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund
The Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund is a 501(c)(3) organization created in response to the tragic loss of Scott J. Beigel, the geography teacher and cross-country coach at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School where 17 innocent people died from gun violence. The fund provides camperships to send at-risk, underserved children touched by gun violence to summer sleep-away camp. Scott loved working with children and teaching afforded him the ability to continue with one of his life’s passions, working at summer sleep-away camp. He worked diligently to have a positive impact on every child, no matter how young or old, no matter what the issues. It is for this reason the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund was created, to combine Scott’s two life passions: his love for summer camp and his desire to teach and mentor children. Donate to Scott J Beigel Memorial Fund (sjbmf.org)
About Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches
The mission of the Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches is to prevent delinquency and develop strong, lawful, resilient, and productive citizens. This year the Youth Ranches will serve over 5,000 needy boys and girls. This charitable, non-profit childcare agency was founded by the Florida Sheriffs Association and operates three residential campuses and three summer camps. The organization is funded primarily through charitable donations from its generous donors. The Florida Sheriffs Youth Ranches, Inc. is nationally accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children, Inc. and the American Camp Association. For more information, please visit www.youthranches.org or contact your local Sheriff.
