The Mariners Outreach Foundation has become a big supporter of Avalon School, providing scholarships and funding for student field trips, among other things. The Foundation held its General Membership meeting in Del Rey Yacht Club’s PV Room on May 14, where members of Avalon School represented the school and spoke on behalf of the foundation’s efforts.
Fifty-one Foundation members and non-members, along with three Avalon School administrators and two senior class students attended. L.A. County Supervisor Holly Mitchell’s deputy, Jessalyn Waldron, attended as a Foundation guest and presented them with a scroll in recognition of our activities.
Also attending was one of our Foundation’s 2021 scholarship awardees now enrolled in college. The three administrators from the school each spoke about the difficulties the school and Its students encountered during the pandemic. The two senior class students present spoke about how much they benefited from the field trips and science presentations that were arranged and funded through the Foundation.
“We are a better school because of the Mariner’s Foundation,” Hall said.
Both students said they plan to enroll in college after graduating from Avalon Schools in June. Serene Naluai, one of the 2021 scholarship awardees, is currently attending U.C. Santa Barbara. She took a train to L.A. to attend our meeting and to speak to us in person. Serene explained hew she works three jobs to pay for her tuition and living expenses. She said she would not have been able to enroll in college without the $3,000 scholarship the Mariners Outreach Foundation awarded her last year.
Steven Hoefs, another 2021 scholarship awardees could not attend in person but prepared a video presentation as an alternative. Steven made the Dean’s list during his first semester in college, receiving a 4.0 grade average. He hopes to transfer to USC soon. Another 2021 scholarship awardee, Nallely Pedroza, could not attend in person but provided a video as well.
She explained the difficulties she had while attending school in Avalon and said that without the $3,000 scholarship she received from the Foundation, she would not have been able to attend college.
A Q&A session was held after the speakers’ presentations. At its conclusion, each student was presented with a personalized trophy and a $200 speaker’s honorarium. All five of the students who spoke at the meeting were advised that they were each being granted a $2,000 scholarship from the Mariners Outreach Foundation.
Several Del Rey Yacht Club members and others who attended the meeting who previously were not Mariners Outreach Foundation members joined our Foundation at the conclusion of the meeting.
“Many thanks to our Foundation members who contributed the funds to cover the entire cost of the luncheon for all attendees,” Foundation President Richard Somers said.
