FORT MYERS, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2023) — Scott Fischer Charities proudly presented the Paul Sands Memorial Real Estate Investment Society (REIS) Scholarship Fund at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) with a check for $29,500 to encourage and support students interested in commercial real estate and related professions. The funds were raised through the generosity of sponsors and golfers at the 26th Annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog Invitational golf tournament organized each year by Scott Fischer and Lisa Sands who have carried on the tournament in memory of Paul and his impact on the community. Scott Fischer and Lisa Sands presented the check to Dr. Shelton Weeks, Dr. Matthew Sheep, and Angela Kunkle at the FGCU Foundation Office on January 6, 2023.
“We are so humbled each year to be able to help young people in our community through the continued generosity of Slaw Dog Invitational sponsors and golfers,” said Fischer, founder of Scott Fischer Charities and owner of Scott Fischer Enterprises. “Paul was passionate about his career and helping young people in our community and I am proud to provide this donation on behalf of our golfers and sponsors in Paul’s honor.”
Paul Sands was a local rainmaker with an award-winning career in commercial real estate whose passing in 2010 was a huge loss to Southwest Florida. Fischer and Lisa Sands have carried on the invitational tournament in memory of Paul and his legacy impact on the community. What started on a whim as two close friends reflecting on the upcoming holidays after a round of golf has grown into one of the most highly anticipated annual charity golf tournaments in the area.
Fischer is a founding member of the Board of Directors for Blessings in a Backpack Southwest Florida and Paul Sands was passionate about the Real Estate Investment Society (REIS) Scholarship Fund at Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU), playing a key part in its growth. These two organizations have become the annual fundraising recipients of the invitational. This year, Valerie’s House also benefited from the proceeds.
The first Slaw Dog Invitational raised $5,000, and in 2021 it raised a record $106,000 in celebration of its 25th anniversary. David and Charlyn Veracka, representing the entire Rockstar Harley-Davidson family, upped the game by making a donation of $50,000 for three consecutive years. A total of $78,000 was raised at the 26th Annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog Invitational, held on December 14, 2022, at the Cypress Lake Country Club.
Scott Fischer Charities
Scott Fischer Charities is a 501(c)(3) organization founded by Scott Fischer in 2007 out of his passion for his community. The organization has raised and donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to support causes and organizations such as Blessings in a Backpack of Southwest Florida, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Any Soldier, REIS Scholarship Fund, Junior Achievement, United Way, PACE Center for Girls and countless other groups supporting veterans, children and the disabled.
About the Annual Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog Invitational
The Paul Sands Memorial Slaw Dog Invitational is an annual golf tournament held every December at the beautiful Cypress Lake Golf Club in Fort Myers to benefit youth charities in Southwest Florida. Paul Sands, a prominent community figure and successful commercial real estate broker with a love for slaw dogs, initiated the tournament with a desire to help local youth around the holidays. Today, his dear friends Scott Fischer and Lisa Sands continue the event in his memory. It has since grown to be one of the most impactful and highly anticipated tournaments in the area, raising nearly $400,000 since its inception in 1996. For more information or to become a sponsor of the Slaw Dog Invitational, visit https://www.sfe-us.com/slaw-