Boat donations benefiting Orange Coast College‘s Sailing and Marine Programs help students set sail toward a bright future.
The holidays are all about giving back—and what better way to give back than by donating yachts or boats for educational purposes? At the Orange Coast College (OCC) Waterfront Campus, there’s a marina with space for up to 50 boats, which are used as an incredible resource for students in OCC’s Sailing and Marine Programs.
“Our fleet is composed of sailboats and powerboats, many of them have been donated to us and some of them have been purchased from funds we’ve generated through donations,” Sarah Hirsch, director of OCC Waterfront Campus, says.
“We have a really great group of boats for students to learn on. Our largest boat is a recent donation, a 96-foot motor yacht that we’re able to bring students on board to teach them about yacht operation, it’s a pretty incredible teaching tool.”
The students learning at OCC Waterfront Campus come from all walks of life and all over geographically, either taking classes on beginning sailing or power boating, or working toward a one-year certificate or two-year associate’s degree in professional mariner training. Not only are the yachts great to use for students for on-hand learning, it provides an enticing opportunity for the donor as well.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: ROAM GENERATION | BUSINESS ON DECK OF A 47-FOOT YACHT
“We have a really great group of boats for students to learn on. Our largest boat is a recent donation, a 96-foot motor yacht that we're able to bring students on board to teach them about yacht operation, it's a pretty incredible teaching tool.”
“For donors, they’re able to take a tax deduction for their vessel and we always work with each donor to make sure that their donation goals are met, that they understand the donation process and that we’re taking good care of their boat,” Hirsch says. “50 percent of our program budget is paid for via boat donations, grants and private giving and the other 50 percent is from income we generate from fees for our courses, but we really rely on the donations that we receive to be able to keep our prices low for our students who want to take boating classes.”
“We couldn’t be located in a better place to have community support for what we do,” she added.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: TRAVEL TO ANTARCTICA ON A PRIVATE YACHT EXPEDITION WITH PELORUS
If you wish to discuss donating your yacht, boat, sails, or equipment, or to discuss a monetary gift to support professional mariner training, please reach out to Sarah Hirsch, Director of Waterfront Campus at 949-258-7091, or Doug Bennett, Executive Director of OCC Foundation.
©2023 ICONIC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
