Giving back to Catalina Island

What brings together a diverse group of boating enthusiasts to champion the cause of island youth? For members of the Mariners Outreach Foundation, it began with gratitude.

As members of Del Rey Yacht club we were enjoying frequent boating trips to Catalina Island and appreciated the hospitality and friendliness the people of the island gave us. During these visits, we recognized our good fortune, but we also discovered something troubling. We learned that the island students rarely experienced the mainland’s cultural richness that most California students take for granted. Budget cuts had eliminated ferry and bus transportation for school trips, effectively isolating these young minds from museums, science centers, and cultural venues just across the water.

This realization struck a chord. Many of us had already volunteered with programs bringing inner-city and at-risk youth from Los Angeles to Catalina Island. That caused us to see an opportunity to reverse the journey. We formed Mariners Outreach Foundation to assist Catalina Island’s students by funding educational field trips to the mainland.

To further assist Catalina’s students, we’re now funding college and trade school scholarships for deserving students who need financial assistance.  We also fund a tutoring program to assist students who have difficulties with their studies.

For us, it's about giving back to Catalina Island which has given us so much enjoyment. But more importantly, it's about ensuring that geography never limits a young person's horizon.