How it Began...
Started in 1998, the Alan Epstein "Reach for the Stars" Scholarship was established after Alan Epstein tragically passed away in a car accident on his way back to school at the University of Florida. Alan's parents, Cheryl and Murray Epstein, wanted to turn this tragedy into something positive. Through the Miami Community Foundation, the Epstein Family decided to create the Alan Epstein "Reach for the Stars" Scholarship, which provides financial aid to deserving graduating high school seniors to further their education. Since the Scholarship's inception, the Scholarship has helped over 100 South Florida students continue their education by decreasing the burden of tuition and school expenses. Per year, over $10,000 in scholarships are given to the brightest and most deserving students, making the Alan Epstein "Reach for the Stars" Scholarship one of the largest scholarship foundations in South Florida.
What started as a small scholarship, funded from minimal profits from the sales of jewelry created by Cheryl, grew after a fundraising event was established over Thanksgiving Weekend in Miami. The event's success has created an annual tradition, enabling the Scholarship to expand and affect the lives of countless of South Florida's brightest students.
The Scholarship set the tone for the Epstein's fundraising efforts. After Murray passed away in 2004, after battling Leukemia, and Cheryl passed away in 2009, after a fifteen year battle with Breast Cancer, the family's charitable torch was passed to their children, Michael Epstein and Jamie Epstein Kolnick. Michael and Jamie, two of RFTSF's founders, expanded their fundraising goals to include raising money for Leukemia and Breast Cancer charities, in honor of their parents.
Where we are now...
We are now proud to announce that we are a 501c3 organization! We continue to have annual fundraisers in Miami and New York.
2016 recipients:
Bruny Garcia
Jaimesha Taylor
Leslie Perez
Ashley Kirkland
Ivy Leung
Amari Thomas
Chrishera Smith
Benjamin Bao
Tiffany Segre
Olivia Cabrera
2015 recipients:
Monica Tunez
Lauren Bendesky
Camilo Bacca
Dorothy Alexis
Luhit Recinos
Emilia Rojo
James Green
Valonie Richardson
2014 recipients:
Michael Hammond
Daniella Nunez
Aleida Vieyra
Sabrina Mayor
Jose Calderon
Ikramamul Nibir
Nirvana Sookdeo
Sami Qubain