OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City Yacht Club Foundation is offering a handful of funding and scholarship opportunities for children and students who show interest in maritime activities or education.
The foundation was established to promote and support sailing and sailing competition in the community, as well as to support maritime-related activities.
The foundation is a nonprofit that is a separate legal entity whose mission is to provide opportunities for the Ocean City Yacht Club to foster local excellence in amateur maritime activities and competitions. The foundation was established in 1901 and is a staple in the community.
While the foundation offers many different types of funding programs for local children and students, two of the largest funding opportunities are the sailing and maritime educational scholarships.
The scholarships are available to year-round or summer residents of Ocean City and the surrounding communities. The point of these scholarships is to inform and excite the younger generation.
Since 2020, the foundation has awarded nine Youth Sailing Scholarship awards and past recipients are still actively participating at the OCYC in various ways.
The Youth Sailing Scholarship is a needs-based scholarship for children age 5 to 18. The awarded scholarship can be used for membership, sailing lessons or equipment.
The foundation says it hopes the sailing scholarships “provide an opportunity to expose youth to sailing and spark a lifelong passion for the sport.”
With a long history of sailing under its belt, the foundation expressed that it is a great way for young people to develop life skills and lifelong friendships.
They hope the recipients acknowledge this and take advantage of the opportunities that will be awarded to them.
The Maritime Education Scholarship awards the recipients with $1,000 that can be used to help fund post-high school career preparatory programs in maritime-related education. The foundation hopes these scholarships help support students in achieving their future career goals.
Applications for both scholarships can be found on the OCYC Foundation’s website. The Youth Sailing Scholarship’s deadline is April 1 and applications must be emailed to OCYCFS@ocyc.org or mailed to the foundation, P.O. Box 1892, Ocean City.
Other scholarships and funding programs available through the OCYC Foundation can be found at ocyc.org/foundation.
By DELANEY CRAWFORD/Special to the Sentinel