A Angels awards $14,000 to Hardee County schools, highlights scholarships and trade-program success

Scott Kurrick, founder of the charity A Angels, presented the group’s annual donation to Hardee County schools on Dec. 11, saying the organization awarded $14,000 split among the district’s seven schools.

The presentation, introduced by board member Miss Bennett, outlined A Angels’ 18‑year giving history. Kurrick said the group raised $171,000 last year during a 60‑day campaign and that A Angels has donated roughly $1,150,000 to schools during its 18 years of operation. He also described a trade‑school scholarship program that awarded $50,000 last year to 13 students after earlier years where scholarships totaled $30,000.

Kurrick said the program tracks students who complete short certificate programs and that graduates—particularly those completing an electrical lineman program at South Florida State College—are reporting entry‑level hires at about $70,000 a year. “Once you become part of the A Angels family, you will always be part of our family,” Kurrick said, summarizing the charity’s long‑term commitment to schools in the region.

Kurrick described A Angels as a pass‑through charity that covers no administrative expenses from donor funds and asked school counselors and principals to continue sending letters describing how donations are used; he said selected thank‑you letters are included in the group’s annual donor mailing and posted on the organization’s website, aangels.org.

Miss Bennett and district staff thanked the organization for its work. The district noted that the $14,000 will be distributed according to the district’s population‑based spread across the seven schools and that schools with additional, documented need may request extra support from the charity.

The presentation concluded with a photo opportunity and brief remarks recognizing Mary Lynn Driscoll, a counselor at Hardee Junior High School, whose letter to the charity was among those highlighted by A Angels.