SB Family & Life: Foundation Donates Funds for Student Entrepreneurs

Fulfilling a pledge to provide seed money and scholarships for student entrepreneurs from the proceeds of the 2016 Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, the Spirit of Entrepreneur Foundation presented a check for $15,000 to Geoff Green, president of the Santa Barbara City College Foundation, and Julie Samson, director of SBCC’s Scheinfeld Center for Entrepreneurship, on Dec. 16.

The majority of the donation will be used as seed money for the 2017 winners of the Scheinfeld Center’s New Venture Challenge, a two-tiered business pitch competition for area high school and college students. The rest will be added to the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Fund that was established last year to help the New Venture Challenge winners attend the college or university of their choice.

“The Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards honor outstanding women entrepreneurs in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties for the benefit of student entrepreneurs,” said Cathy Feldman, CEO and board chairwoman of the SOE Foundation. “Our mission is to support entrepreneurship at all levels in the area because entrepreneurs are the engine for growing our economy. And we are grateful to all the people who attend the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards and our wonderful sponsors who all help make this donation possible.”

For more information log onto www.soefoundation.org.

Photo caption: Julie Samson and Geoff Green receive $15,000 check from Cathy Feldman and Ambia McLaughlin for the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Foundation