H. Browning Spence Education Award
The H. Browning Spence Education Award was created to help area youth, who are preparing to exit or who have already exited the local foster care system, achieve their educational goals. The program was established in honor of JWB’s late Deputy Director Dr. H. Browning Spence to provide monetary awards to promising youth to help further their education. Each fall, hundreds join JWB to honor award recipients at the Annual KidsFirst Awards Luncheon. The 2025-2026 awardees will also be publicly recognized during the JWB Annual KidsFirst Awards Luncheon on Friday, October 23, 2026, from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM at The Coliseum, 535 4th Avenue North, St. Petersburg, FL.
The window for 2025 nominations is now closed; please check back in 2026.
Spence Education Winners
Congratulations to the 2024-2025 Spence Educations Award Winners!
- Jasmia Evans | 20 Years Old: Jasmia (not pictured above) is currently enrolled at Eastern Florida State College pursuing her associate’s degree in general studies. Her long-term goal is to transfer to a four-year university to complete her bachelor’s degree in psychology and social work.
- Gabriel Green | 20 Years Old: Gabriel (above, left) is attending Pinellas Technical College after being placed in foster care for a year and a half. He also owns and manages his own car detailing business.
- Sayuri Vargas-Hernandez | 21 Years Old: After enduring homelessness while in high school, Sayuri (above, right) is a senior at St. Leo College, pursuing her bachelor’s degree in management.
Sponsors
JWB would like to acknowledge our sponsors who make this award possible. Thanks to their generous support, each year three promising young adults receive a monetary award of $1,500 each.
- Julie Weintraub’s Hands Across the Bay
- Christine Spence
- Dixie Lee Spence
- Mary Catherine Spence
- Matt and Erin Spence
- Paul Tash
- Martin LePire
- Peggy Yates
- Dr. Starr Silver and Byron Kolitz