The OCWS Board of Directors is pleased to announce the 2021 Scholarship Awards to our eight OCWS colleges and universities totaling $5,830.01. Since 1996, the OCWS Scholarship Account has generated $712,511.

We are thankful for the support from our members, and especially the BOD this past year, making sure that our scholarship students, on and off campus, have a reason to celebrate after extreme wildfires and pandemic challenges.

2021 funding is only a fraction of last year mainly because we lost our COVID-cancelled events which generated donations and also membership dues extensions. The Chris Cunningham Endowment gets the Gold as the OCWS did not miss any opportunity for scholarship allocations this special 40th year.

Also, the CARES Act (Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Securities Act) from 2020 has been extended with specifics through 2021. The IRS now allows an above the line tax deduction toward charitable 501(c)(3) organizations, including the OCWS, for individuals up to the amount of $300 and $600 for those who file jointly. Please contact your tax professional for advice.

Members may officially make qualifying OCWS scholarship contributions on our website at the following link,
https://ocws.org/product/scholarship-donations/ with the option to designate a donation to all or individual colleges of your choice. After your selection and payment, you can print a receipt for your records.  

Any amount is appreciated!  With the promising gradual re-openings and your continued support, another valuable goal of our organization this year is to encourage additional funding toward our Scholarship Account for 2022.

Cheers to 40 Years of providing OCWS scholarship awards and enjoying each of the many more award-winning college wines!

– Leslie Hodowanec, Scholarship Chair