Ritz-Carlton Gala to Raise Scholarship Money for Children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen

From a press release:

Marines and Navy Corpsmen make extraordinary sacrifices every day to protect our nation, yet all too often their families are weighed down with financial burdens like affording the cost of college.

The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, the Nation’s oldest and largest provider of need-based scholarships to military families, hosts its 32nd Annual West Coast Campaign Celebratory Gala on Saturday, Oct. 25 at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point to raise higher education scholarship funds for children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen.

This year, it’s estimated that the Orange County community will raise a record breaking amount of nearly $1 million. Last year’s efforts of $460,000 contributed to the Scholarship Foundation’s 2014-2015 academic year impact of over $6.6 million in the form of 2,200 scholarships for children of these brave men and women.

As the burden of grossly inflated college costs (rising 121 percent since 2002) weighs on these military families – whose average income is often outpaced by college expenses – the Scholarship Foundation works every day to ensure these students have a chance to pursue their higher-ed dreams and grow into the leaders their Marine parents have shaped them to be.

For the 2014-2015 academic year, 211 Marine children from and/or attending schools in California are able to pursue their dreams because of the Scholarship Foundation and their generous investors.

“These Marine children have grown up in a generation of war, with thousands facing the even more complex challenges of living with an injured parent, which often has a significant impact on a family’s income,” said Margaret B. Davis, president and CEO of the Scholarship Foundation.

“These children are truly born from bravery. As a country, we owe them our support.”

For the last 52 years, the Scholarship Foundation’s student recipients have demonstrated the character and tenacity of their military parents, as 50 percent of recipients are first-generation college students and 44 percent are pursuing majors in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) and health sciences.

Further, these students are graduating from four- year degree-granting institutions at a rate of 86 percent, compared to the national average of 40 percent. It is because of these students’ honor, courage and commitment qualities their Marine parent instilled in them, that the Scholarship Foundation has remained dedicated to granting every eligible student who applies a scholarship.

“I am profoundly appreciative of your gracious donation for my upcoming scholastic year. The caliber of your gesture will undeniably assist my academic career and has already uplifted my spirits. I will always carry this motivation through all my future events and endeavors,” said Andrew Coba, a four-time scholarship recipient, senior at San Diego State University, son of Captain Javier Coba USMC, and student speaker at the Gala.

The West Coast Campaign Celebratory Gala will be held at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point on Oct. 25. The turnout will include celebrities, dignitaries, and prominent members of the Orange County community, including long-time supporter of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation and emcee of the night David McCallum, best known for his role as Dr. Donald “Ducky” Mallard on the hit television series NCIS. U.S. Marine Corps Guest of Honor and speaker, Lieutenant General Terry Robling USMC (Ret.) will also attend the Gala.

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