ILA Local 1408 Scholarship Fund raises nearly $60,000 for local students during 28th annual golf tournament

Fund says residual economic effects of the pandemic have prompted triple the amount of scholarship applicants compared to previous years

The International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1408 Scholarship Fund, affiliated with labor union ILA Local 1408, raised nearly $60,000 for local students’ scholarships during its 28th annual golf tournament. ILA 1408 represents many of the longshoremen and dock workers who move cargo through JAXPORT’s terminals.

The tournament at Hidden Hills Golf Club is the Fund’s primary fundraiser and attracted national labor union representatives, area business leaders, stevedoring companies, philanthropists and golf enthusiasts. More than a dozen sponsors provided contributions to the Scholarship Fund. This year’s title sponsor was the Rowe Family Charitable Fund, with ILA Local 1408 serving as the platinum sponsor.

About half of the Fund’s scholarship recipients are first-generation college students. Jadene King, Executive Director of the ILA Local 1408 Scholarship Fund, said the number of scholarship requests this year is triple the amount she usually sees every spring.

“We’re still feeling the residual effects of the pandemic,” said King. “There is always a need. The cost of a college education continues to be stifling, and everything is going up in our economy, from food and shelter to books and supplies, all the things college students need. It’s important that we step up and embrace the community by providing scholarship opportunities to students whose dreams are to earn an education.”

The program was founded by Charles Spencer, who has served Jacksonville’s port community in positions of increasing responsibility with the ILA for the last six decades. Since its inception in 1995, the ILA 1408 scholarship program has awarded more than 1,000 scholarships totaling more than a million dollars. Last year, the Fund awarded a record $46,500 in scholarships.

ILA Local 1408 is a local chapter of the International Longshoremen’s Association, AFL-CIO, the largest union of maritime workers in North America, representing upwards of 65,000 longshoremen on the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts, Great Lakes, major U.S. rivers, Puerto Rico and Eastern Canada.

Local 1408 helps connect more than 1,100 men and women with jobs at JAXPORT. Opportunities for these members continue to grow along with the port.