ILA Local 1408 Scholarship Fund golf tournament drives educational opportunities for Jacksonville students
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By Marcia Pledger
A day spent on a lush green course under the Florida sun seems like an average day for a golfer but proves to have a monumental impact on local high school and college students.
Held each spring, the annual International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1408 Scholarship Fund golf tournament attracted a record number of attendees at World Golf Village.
“We are thrilled to have had such an outstanding turnout this year and appreciate all of our golfers who participated,” said the Fund’s Executive Director Jadene Newborn Whaley (pictured second from right). “Higher participation means more money for scholarships to be awarded to students this year.”
The Fund was started in 1995 by JAXPORT Board Member and longtime longshoremen’s labor union leader Charles Spencer (pictured second from left) to help other families pay for college after experiencing his own struggles to pay for his children’s education.
Spencer moved cargo as a longshoreman on JAXPORT’s docks for decades and has dedicated his life’s work to causes in education and civil rights.
To date, the Fund has awarded more than $1.5 million in scholarships to over 1,000 students, including many first-generation college students. The Fund is supported annually by community and corporate sponsors, as well as the annual golf outing.
During the Fund’s 30th annual ceremony, Andrew Jackson High School graduate Jamaree Jenkins received the top scholarship.
Nicholas P. Rowe, Scholarship Fund board member and son of the Fund’s title sponsor Antoinette Rowe, said family members have been donating and playing in the golf outing for the last decade. For the last three years his family has served as the golf outing’s title sponsor.
“Charles Spencer – our chief, our captain – has a vision for the kids. For him it’s all about supporting the kids, and it’s a beautiful thing,” said Rowe co-owner of Central Bark Jacksonville, and a minority investor in the Jacksonville Iceman Hockey Team.
“We had 136 participants in the golf outing this year – the most we’ve ever had. It’s important to raise money for scholarships,” said Rowe. “So, anytime we’re able to outperform the year before, it’s a true blessing.”
While many of the golfers are members of the business community, this year was extra special. Several students from the Moore Myers Children’s Fund (MMCF) program joined in the tournament. The MMCF is a nonprofit that provides financial assistance to children to participate in golf programs that teach golf skills and help them build character.
“This scholarship fund resonates with what I do in terms of providing scholarships and opportunities for youth,” said Dr. Justine Redding, co-founder of MMCF. “I support them because they’re making a difference in the lives of children.”
Jacksonville Attorney Richard K. Jones, a lawyer for the ILA’s pension and welfare fund, helped Spencer set up the scholarship fund and has been reading applicant’s submission essays since the beginning.
“Charles came to me one day and said, I want to help students go to college,” Jones said. “This isn’t just for ILA members’ kids. It’s open to everyone. We send information to every high school [in the surrounding counties], and the applicants are outstanding young people who need financial help.”
Last year the Fund awarded a record $80,000 in scholarships to 34 local high school seniors and college students during a ceremony at Edward Waters University, marking the largest single-year award in the Fund’s 30-year history.
Students interested in applying for a scholarship through the Fund should visit ilascholarshipfund.org. Scholarships are awarded based on a range of criteria, including GPA, community service, and essays. Donations can also be made on the Fund’s website. Scholarship applications for 2026 are available until May 29.
“It’s a worthwhile cause,” Jones said. “We’ve had a number of scholarship winners who have graduated, started their careers in Jacksonville and then they come back to help us select scholarship recipients.”
