The Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation held its annual west coast gala at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point late last month, having more than doubled last year’s fundraising total.
The October 25 gala, which was attended by 300 guests, celebrated the $1m raised during this year’s campaign; a little more than twice last year’s total of approximately $460,000. This year, 211 scholarships were handed out to college-bound students throughout California for career training or post-high school education for children of Marines and Navy Corpsmen.
Each year, brochure printers are no doubt called upon by numerous organizations to help explain the qualifications and application process for their scholarships.
Among the gala’s speakers was Andrew Coba, who knows firsthand what the money donated to the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundations can mean. His father Javier was a Marine caption and served at Camp Pendleton from 2010 through 2013. Andrew himself served as a student ambassador and tutor while attending Mira Costa College. He then moved on to San Diego State University, where he currently studies civil engineering.
Each year, from January 1 through March 1, applications are accepted. Special focus is given to those in financial need as well as those with one or more parents who died or were wounded in action. Children of a Marine killed in action after September 11, 2001 may receive as much as $30,000 over a four-year period from The Heroes Tribute Scholarship Program for Children of the Fallen.
