In the spring of 2021, FSU freshman Joey DiPascale tragically lost his life in a car accident on Springhill Road. Joey had followed his sisters Bri (’19) and Lexi (’21) in attending Florida State University after graduating from Barron Collier High School in Naples. Although the DiPascale family faced the unimaginable, they chose to see Joey’s legacy live on through the creation of the Joey D Foundation and an endowed scholarship at FSU.

Joey’s mother, Jennifer Dipascale, established the Joey “Joey D” DiPascale Endowed Memorial Scholarship in Sport Management to provide deserving students the same opportunity her son once pursued. When creating the scholarship, Jennifer was inspired by Joey’s rich life. “After Joey’s accident, I was thinking a lot about his life, and I realized that although it was short, he was very fortunate,” she shared. “He got to do and see a lot that most people never will. We realized that not everyone is as fortunate as Joey, but everyone should have the same opportunities.”

The scholarship is designed to provide assistance to students from the Collier County area pursuing a degree in Sport Management. An avid sports fan, Joey planned to earn his degree at Florida State and continue on to law school. Through the “Joey D” scholarship, fellow students will have the same opportunity to pursue their education. The family’s recently established foundation—The Joey D Foundation—raises funds to support the scholarship directly. “There are many underserved students here [in Collier County] that deserve the same opportunity,” stated Jennifer. With an endowment, the principal is never spent, but the investment earnings are used to support the purpose in perpetuity, ensuring the scholarship will always be available.

In addition to the financial support that will continue Joey’s legacy, his personality and goodwill are what many carry with them. “We had so many people come to us and share how Joey helped them and impacted their lives,” Jennifer explained. “We always knew how special Joey was to us, but we didn’t know he was to so many others.”

When asked why she created the scholarship, Jennifer’s answer was simple. “We realized how much Joey would have continued to help others if he had more time, so we decided to do it for him,” she said. “We hope to create a lasting legacy in Joey’s honor and help as many people as possible.”

To learn more about the brief and beautiful life of Joey D and how the DiPascale family continues his legacy, please visit thejoeydfoundation.com.