Oceanside Yacht Club Youth Foundation Awarded Two Grants

OCEANSIDE— The Oceanside Yacht Club Foundation has received two grants to help their efforts of supporting youth sailing and maritime activities. The foundation was awarded $2,000 from the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County, West Marine Blue Futures Fund. The grant will be used for the foundation’s “On the Water” programs to provide boat parts, repairs, and fleet maintenance. The “On the Water” program has previously provided the Jr. Learn to Sail program at Oceanside Yacht Club with 10 new RS Tera’s and five Fj’s for their classes. The program also supports several other endeavors besides sailing, including kayaking and paddleboarding.

The second grant was awarded by the Community Enhancement Program from the County of San Diego and will be used for scholarships for youths interested in enrolling in youth learn to sail programs.

“Our thanks go out to the West Marine Blue Futures Fund of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz, as well as the County of San Diego for awarding us these grants,” said Ron Dreyer, president of the Oceanside Yacht Club Youth Foundation, in a March 29 released statement. “Our junior sailors will benefit greatly from this support. I also want to thank Linda Loftis, Joey Bertocchini, and others on the OYCYF Board of Directors who were responsible for gathering and submitting the necessary documents to obtain these grants.”

The OYCYF is a non-profit organization that was founded in 2017 for the purpose of supporting youth sailing and maritime activities that promote leadership, seamanship, and a culture that empowers youth to develop skills that last a lifetime. That includes replacing boats, providing classroom necessities, scholarships for older kids, and real-life sailing adventures.