Advertisement

Social scene

 
Family and friends of Patrick Brett, who died 11 years ago in a car accident, hold pictures of him at their gathering for his 30th birthday and to kick off the Patrick Brett Foundation.
Family and friends of Patrick Brett, who died 11 years ago in a car accident, hold pictures of him at their gathering for his 30th birthday and to kick off the Patrick Brett Foundation.
Published June 9, 2016

5.29.16

ST. PETERSBURG — Multiple generations of friends and family of Patrick Brett celebrated his 30th birthday at a kickoff for the Patrick Brett Foundation at 3 Daughters Brewing.

Brett died in a car accident 10 years ago at the age of 20.

Close to 300 people came out to share memories, enjoy birthday cake, play games and dine on food donated by the Chick-fil-A.

"It's great to see all of his friends here because they were always around," said David Neely, owner of the Fourth Street store where Patrick worked. His portrait hangs in the restaurant.

The foundation, organized by many of his friends, has raised $45,000 in its first month. It plans to fund "fresh start" scholarships for students who need financial aid going to college after getting off track or having an obstacle waylay their education.

"We are blown away at the support that the foundation has received and can't wait to see the impact that the scholarships have on our community," said Jordan Rothwell, a friend of Brett's.

Eligibility and the application process for the scholarships will be available later this summer at patrickbrettfoundation.org.

Brett was a sophomore at the University of Florida when he died. He had just completed a United Nations internship at The Hague and planned to enter politics later. Because he often said he wanted to run for president, the foundation is using a Patrick for President slogan. It is planning a victory party for November.

Noteworthy

• The Woman's Service League is accepting applications from Pinellas County organizations that would benefit from its annual fundraiser in 2017. Applicants must be a 501(C)3 organization. For information and applications, call (727) 343-3050.

•Submissions for the annual St. Pete Times Social Calendar, which publishes in September, are due by July 31. Events that raise money for worthy causes in Pinellas County during the fall of 2016 to spring of 2017 will be listed.

Please go to the following link to submit your information online: https://tampabay.wufoo.com/forms/sj9u6zy0tne25d/. Type it into your browser or click on the link in the online version of this column.

You may also email details of your event, including the sponsoring organization, date, time, venue (with street address), admission price and publishable contact information, to Katherine Snow Smith at kssmith@tampabay.com. Or send by regular mail to: St. Pete Times Social Calendar, Tampa Bay Times, 490 First Ave. S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.