Annual Charity Event to Benefit Local Students in Need of College Assistance

The Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship will hold its annual “Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship Celebration” on Saturday, Oct. 4 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., at the Sunroad Resort Marina, at 955 Harbor Island Drive.

Supporters, sponsors, and the public are invited to join together to help raise dollars to support scholarships for local students in need of college funds.

The festive event will entertain guests with delicious hors d’oeuvres, fine wines, craft beer, and auction items filled with exciting opportunities.

Guests will also enjoy the upbeat, live dance music of local band Steal Dawn. Last year, the foundation awarded $7,000 in scholarships. This year’s goal is to raise more than $10,000 to support local youth.

The Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship Foundation was launched by Carmel Valley resident and local high school teacher, Staci Ortiz-Davis, who won the title of Mrs. California International, 2014, last August.

As California’s representative, she championed her passion of education throughout her reign and continues to do so.

“My 98-year-old grandmother, Josie Pearl, died in 2011,” said Ortiz-Davis, “and was a depression-era child who was forced to drop out of school and work the family farm to make ends meet. For her, education was a privilege, not a right, so I started the Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship to ensure students today don’t suffer the same fate.”

Its inaugural year, the Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship awarded $3,000 to a Torrey Pines High School student who is now attending Johnson and Wales University in Florida.

Tickets to the event are $45 before October 3 and $50 at the door. For more information, or to purchase tickets, please visit www.josiepearlscholarship.org and “Like” The Josie Pearl Memorial Scholarship on Facebook for regular updates. The foundation is also on Twitter: @josiepearl2013