The Right Men’s Club 2025 Scholarship Update

We’re excited to share a triumphant year for The Right Men’s Club scholarship program!

Thanks to our targeted outreach, we quadrupled applications from four in 2023 to 16 in 2025, with a record seven schools represented, including four traditional public schools (Aubrey Rogers, Lely, Barron Collier, Palmetto Ridge) and three public charter schools (Mason Classical Academy, Marco Island Academy, Village School).

Our December efforts—engaging guidance counselors countywide, partnering with the CCPS Superintendent, and leveraging the Scholarship Connector (a Collier Community Foundation clearinghouse)—drove this surge, especially from traditional public schools, reversing past trends.

From 16 applicants, we interviewed five and selected two exceptional winners, to be honored at our June 6 breakfast meeting. One, praised as “a great young man,” aspires to medical school; the other, a first for our program, will attend Hillsdale College. Join us to celebrate these future leaders!

This year, we faced new challenges evaluating diverse essays. One applicant’s essay, copied from Wikipedia and misaligned with our constitutional focus, underscored the need for rigorous review.

With our 2025 awardees, we’ll support 11 students, the County iTech program, and an FGCU student via our endowment, totaling ~$24,000. Two students will graduate from our program this year.

Kudos to our Scholarship Committee—Russell Tuff, Mike Nadolski, Mike Lyster, Reg Buxton, Erick Carter, and newcomers Ed Thompson and Dr. J.B. Holmes—for their dedication. Your support fuels our mission to empower tomorrow’s leaders!

Joe Scheffey
Chairman, Scholarship Committee