For the past 33 years, high-achieving Newport-Mesa graduating high school students have been the recipients of scholarship grants presented by the Balboa Bay Club. An auxiliary known as the “1221 Club” (named for the Coast Highway address of the Club) in addition to significant fundraising from the Club’s Annual Men’s Smoker and Auction, has raised and donated more than $2 million to date, considered the largest private scholarship available in the community.
This graduating season, 24 young men and women accepted grants totaling more than $200,000 at a dinner reception and awards presentation held May 13 in the grand ballroom of Balboa Bay Resort. Some 400 guests, mostly family, friends, teachers and counselors of the scholars, stood with rousing ovation as each student accepted an award and shared a bit of their journey.
John Wortmann, Chairman of the Board of Governors for Balboa Bay Club, served as master of ceremonies. With a pride-filled introduction, he offered insight into the accomplishment and the diversity of the students.
“In this group we have swim team, soccer team, marching band, volleyball, basketball, track, tennis, crew, water polo, sailing and football student athletes,” said Wortmann. “They are captains, all League 1st team, MVPs. Many have endured family turmoil, endured tragedy, and have been raised by single parents. We have first generation Americans from all over the globe, 4.76 GPAs, ACT 35s, 1470 SATs, straight As, 10+ AP classes, Capstone Scholars, and students that never had anything but an A, ever, in school. All that plus some students with up to 700 hours of community service.”…