2024 Annual Scholarship BBQ

We are pleased to announce that the Annual Barbecue for Scholarships hosted by the Florida Section for the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration (FLSME) will be held Saturday, August 31st, 2023 at the Bartow Civic Center. The social hour will begin at 5:00p.m. and the dinner at 6:00p.m. Mining industry representatives/ employees, industry support representatives/employees, members of the local community, and their families are invited to attend this annual event.

The annual Barbecue is a major fundraising activity for our Student Relations Program. During 2023, the Florida Section of SME provided eleven $1,000 Academic Scholarships to deserving high school seniors who plan to study technical related curriculums at Florida's Universities. FLSME awarded several $500-1,000 mini-grants to teachers who developed mining-based class curriculum. FLSME membership heavily supports science fairs in DeSoto, Polk and Hardee Counties by purchasing all science fair supplies that the students use for their projects and by providing judges for 1st thru 3rd place awards. At the collegiate level, we have funded a variety of activities for the University of Florida SME Student Chapter including providing transportation for student members to attend and participate in local and national events.  The USF student chapter of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) joined the volunteer staff at the Barbeque in 2023.  We look forward to their return and future involvement in the mining industry.

The Florida Section of SME has enjoyed community and industry support of this once-a-year fundraising activity for many years, although it was cancelled for three years due to the pandemic. The members of our Section are deeply grateful to all of the contributors who have made the Annual Barbecue so successful year after year. We are requesting donations to the Annual Barbecue and the Student Relations Program. Each contributor will receive at least two tickets to the barbecue and will be recognized as a contributor. Additional tickets may be purchased at a cost of $35. Tickets include appetizers, BBQ dinner, and beverages (open bar for 21+).  Children ages 12 and under eat free!