Eric Zeitlin runs down his Boca Raton street with (from left) neighbor
Carmen Araujo, 8, and Zeitlin’s daughters Zoe, 10, and Avery, 8.
Zeitlin is co-founder of the fundraising event Take Stock In Children
Strides for Education 5K Walk/Run, scheduled for Dec. 8 at Florida Atlantic University.
Tim Stepien/The Coastal Star
By Linda Haase
Eric Zeitlin’s December calendar is jam-packed with events. But for this coastal Boca Raton resident, the month signals a very significant occasion: the Take Stock In Children’s Strides for Education 5K Walk/Run, which raises money for college scholarships for low-income Palm Beach County students.
Zeitlin hopes that the event, scheduled for 10 a.m. Dec. 8 at Florida Atlantic University, will raise $200,000 (last year’s inaugural race brought in about $90,000).
“Take Stock in Children is breaking the cycle of poverty and decreasing the number of high school dropouts,” explains the 42-year-old father of three, who co-founded the event and is chairman of the board of directors of the Palm Beach County chapter of Take Stock In Children.
The statewide nonprofit organization was established in 1995 to “give deserving low-income youth/students, many from minority families, an opportunity to escape the cycle of poverty through education.” The assistance begins in middle school and includes mentoring, tutoring, career guidance and — if the student maintains at least a 2.5 GPA and remains drug-free and crime-free — a Florida prepaid college scholarship.
The success stories, says Zeitlin, managing director of Provenance Wealth Advisors, are so inspiring that they “tear your heart out.”
“This opportunity offers hope and a future for these kids and gives them a chance to be productive in the community and help ensure the economic success of our state,” says the University of Florida graduate, who has been volunteering for the group for seven years.
There are 300 students in the program in Palm Beach County. Zeitlin, a Saint Andrew’s School alum, says there’s always a need for more volunteers to become mentors as well as for donations toward scholarships.
“One of the challenges for us is that the cost of scholarships has risen. And there are far more kids than we can provide for,” explains Zeitlin, who also volunteers as a coach for Boca Hoops and enjoys working out, golfing and spending time with his family.
“We also need mentors, people who can be a friend to these kids, to provide advice, to make sure they do their homework and not give in to peer pressure. And be someone they can talk to that can give them guidance.”
As for Zeitlin’s impact? “Each day that passes and each dollar he raises change so many children’s lives for futures to come,” says his wife, Melissa. “He finds time to make a difference in so many lives.” Ú
For more information on the Take Stock In Children’s Strides for Education 5K Walk/Run, visit www.StridesforEducation.com.
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