WEST PALM BEACH – Urban Youth Impact’s Miranda Stackhouse of West Palm Beach was honored with the Sun Life Rising Star Award at a special presentation at the program’s offices.

Stackhouse was one of four students surprised with a $5,000 scholarship by representatives of the Sun Life Rising Star Awards program.

The event featured appearances by Miami Dolphins players and cheerleaders, as well as Jeanette Sparano, Rising Star Awards judge and wife of Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano.

The Sun Life Rising Star Awards program is the educational cornerstone program of the Miami Dolphins Foundation.

As part of the program, Sun Life Financial awarded a total of $220,000 in scholarships and grants to four nonprofit organizations in the South Florida area for their commitment to providing academic opportunities to at-risk youth, and to an exemplary student nominated by each organization.

The nonprofits are College Summit, HANDY Inc., Urban Youth Impact and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lee County.

Each organization will receive a $50,000 grant, along with training, materials and the curriculum infrastructure necessary to develop and provide financial education for the youth in its program.

The program will give away more than $1,000,000 in grants and scholarships in South Florida and six other cities and regions this year, according to a statement from the organization.