Sherman and Sherwin Riley at the New York Stock Exchange.

NEW YORK — On May 31, the Riley twins — Sherman and Sherwin — 2000 graduates of Suwannee High School, had the special privilege to visit the New York Stock Exchange.

The twins toured the stock trading floor and met most of the Wall Street stock traders. After 9/11, tours of the New York Stock Exchange closed to the public and even before 9/11 the stock trading floor was never open to the public. SherwinRiley is an advocate for personal finance and investing and was able to connect with a Wall Street connection to make this once in a lifetime opportunity come true.

Sherman and Sherwin Riley founded the Gary Edwards Foundation in 2012 after Resource Officer Gary Edwards passed away. The foundation seeks to honor the life and legacy of Gary Edwards through giving back to the community providing education initiatives to the youth.

This year the foundation will host its 7th annual event by chartering a bus from Suwannee County on June 28 that will focus on college campus tours at Florida State University and Florida Agriculture Mechanical University in Tallahassee. Prospective students will take campus tours to learn about the college or university’s facilities, as well as student life, culture on campus, academics and programs offered by the institutions. Students can register for this year’s event at www.garyedwardsday.com. This is a free event that will also provide lunch and snacks.

Gary Edwards Foundation’s events over the past years have included financial literacy sponsored by First Federal Bank of Florida, crime prevention sponsored by Chief Buddy Williams and the Live Oak Police Department, health awareness, law day, dressing for success, chivalry, sports camp, personal growth and a visit to the Johnson & Johnson Manufacturing Acuvue plant where students got a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) experience. The Riley twins look forward to its’ continued relationships established during their visit on Wall Street and hosting an annual event at the New York Stock Exchange and other landmark areas in New York in the future.

The foundation will like to thank all the sponsors for their contribution to this year’s event to include: First Federal Savings Bank, Do Good Media, Live Oak Diary Queen, Precision Dentistry of Live Oak, Mr. Robert and Susan Ford, Mary Taylor, Dr. Tommy and Athena Randolph, Chief Buddy and Amy Williams, Len Stapleton, and all anonymous donors for your contributions. The Gary Edwards Foundation is a 501c3 non-profit organization.