The South Baldwin Education Foundation, Inc. (SBEF) was formed in 1987 to be South Baldwin County’s vehicle to improve advanced education opportunities for graduates of the area’s public high schools. In 1987, a committee of members of the Foley Optimist Club set in motion a dream to grow an organization that would make college scholarships for local students a priority for the community, and make it much easier to accomplish this goal. Foley Optimist Club became the first scholarship sponsor and was soon joined by other community businesses, civic organizations and foundations as sponsors. For twenty years, scholarship sponsors have grown to more than thirty organizations including a number of memorial and honorary sponsors. Eligibility has been expanded to cover Foley, Robertsdale and Gulf Shores High School Seniors and Alumni, and a Graduate Scholarship program.