Evening Boat Cruise to Fund Scholarships

Contributors will head out to sea next Friday as the San Fernando Valley Opportunity Through Education Scholarship Fund holds an evening boat cruise to help reach its goal of more than tripling its scholarship awards this year.

“It’s going to be a party cruise,” said Patricia Franco, founder and president of the scholarship fund.

“This is the first time we have done a boat cruise. It’s something different, not your traditional banquet fund-raiser.”

Since its founding in 1995, the organization has presented scholarships worth about $15,000 to Valley college and vocational school students.

This year, with the help of sponsors and a more aggressive fund-raising campaign, Franco said she hoped to push the total to $50,000.

Unlike other scholarship funds that reward the top high school seniors, Franco established her organization to reach out to students who might not otherwise continue their educations.

To be eligible, high school seniors are not required to have top grades, but must graduate with a C average or higher.

They must also live in the San Fernando Valley and have a record of being involved in community service, Franco said.

The next recipients will be named in the spring, Franco said.

Tickets for the cruise are $40.

A pre-cruise reception will begin at 8:30 p.m., and the boat will sail from Los Alamitos Bay in Long Beach at 9 p.m.

For ticket information, call the scholarship fund at (818) 787-3040.