Manatee nonprofit aims to raise $100,000 in November

When Lake Club’s Jim Gallogly, a former healthcare executive, met his first mentee through Take Stock in Children Manatee, the two had so little in common that Gallogly described the first few meetings as “painful.” 

“I was 71, and he was 11,” Gallogly said. “Sixty years difference is a huge mountain.” 

When his mentee said he likes to read graphic novels, Gallogly hadn’t a clue what graphic novels were until he called them “comic books." Gollogly tried talking about sports, but the shy sixth grader had no interest in sports. 

The two were meeting virtually because of the COVID pandemic. During the first few meetings, the only one talking was Gollogly. 

Then, Gollogly tried playing a game called “Would you rather?” The question was “Would you rather work at Chick-fil-A or a high-end restaurant as a waiter?” 

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His mentee chose Chick-fil-A because employees get Sundays off, and Gallogly chose the high-end restaurant because he’d make more money. The two talked about minimizing work effort versus maximizing income. 

Gollogly said introducing the game was a “grand slam.” 

The mentee is now 15 years old. Take Stock would not release the names of mentees for this story.

Over the last couple summers, the mentee said he’s been reading books like “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill and “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” by Robert T. Kiyosaki and Sharon Lechter. 

When Gollogly asked why he chose those books, he said he wanted to end the cycle of poverty in his family. 

Signing up for Take Stock in Children Manatee was the mentee's first step toward achieving that goal. Not only are the students provided with mentors, staff also helps them apply for grants and scholarships.

Take Stock is an income-based program, so a single mother with one child has to show a total income of $36,814 or less on her 1040 tax return. For a family of five, the income limit is $67,673.

Take Stock reports that less than half of the students growing up in poverty will graduate high school. Only half of those who graduate will attend college, and less than one in five of those students will complete their degrees.

November is National Scholarship Month. Take Stock Manatee’s goal is to raise $100,000 during the month, all of which will directly support scholarships. 

To help meet the goal, Take Stock will receive up to $25,000 in matching funds from individual donors and up to $3,000 in matching funds from the Louis and Gloria Flanzer Philanthropic Trust Match Program. Each nonprofit is capped at a match of $3,000 through Flanzer.

Community Outreach Specialist Ryan Steward said Take Stock’s overall goal for the fiscal year is about $400,000. 

The program accepts students in sixth grade up through 11th grade. The program covers any gaps in grant and scholarship funding, including books and board. 

Steward said Take Stock tries to make mentoring as accessible as possible, and it’s not as time consuming as some other volunteer commitments, but it is a long-term commitment.

Gallogly still mentors the now 11th grader for a half-hour each week. His other mentee technically aged out of the program when he went to college, but they still speak weekly, too.

Since Gallogly started mentoring during the COVID lockdown, he’s continued to meet with his mentees virtually through Take Stock’s app, but mentors can also meet with students in person. 

When his older mentee was accepted into the National Honor Society, he called Gallogly because he said his mom doesn’t “get this stuff,” so he had no one else to call. 

Gallogly takes no credit for that mentee. He said he would’ve gotten straight A’s if the devil was his mentor.

Prior to Take Stock, Gallogly sat on the board of the Gulf Coast Community Foundation for nine years. 

“We helped the homeless,” Gallogly said. “We did so many projects at the Gulf Coast Community Foundation, putting $20 million a year into Sarasota County, but the actual mentoring is more rewarding.”