County Park Friends is seeking donations from the public for an effort to raise $30,000 for access scholarships for local youth to participate in Santa Cruz County parks and recreation programs.
“All kids in Santa Cruz County should experience park programs in our beautiful outdoors. However, many families cannot afford the fees and too many youth miss out on formative experiences such as swim lessons, pool guards or sports camps,” the organization said in a release.
It’s trying to raise $30,000 for the “Help Kids Play Scholarships” program by December and is accepting tax-deductible donations online.
Applications for scholarships are open to the public in February and March each year, and last year’s interest exceeded available funding.
Last year, the program awarded scholarships to 140 youth from 104 eligible families, including 89 awards for County Parks’ Learn to Swim Program and 24 awards for a full session of pool guards. Other awards covered sports, nature and other programming offered by Santa Cruz County Parks.
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