The Miles River Yacht Club Foundation will honor philanthropist and conservationist Jennifer Stanley of Oxford, Maryland with its sixth annual Distinguished Service Award on Sunday afternoon, May 3, at a gala Awards Reception at Oxford’s Tred Avon Yacht Club.
The Award honors individuals and organizations in the Chesapeake Bay region that have made a significant contribution to Chesapeake-focused environmental initiatives, conservation, youth-oriented maritime sports and education, exploration or art/literature.
Prior Award recipients have been Gary Jobson of Annapolis, President of the National Sailing Hall of Fame, past President of U.S. Sailing, Vice President of the International Sailing Federation, competitive yachtsman, award-winning yachting author and broadcaster; Marc Castelli of Chestertown, world-renowned maritime artist and advocate for the watermen; Matt Rutherford of Annapolis, the first person to sail single-handed non-stop around the Americas, and ocean researcher; Adam Werblow of St. Mary’s City, America’s winningest collegiate sailing coach at St. Mary’s College of Maryland; and Langley Shook of St. Michaels, President, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, one of America’s leading maritime educational institutions.
Jennifer Stanley, the MRYC Foundation’s 2015 Distinguished Service Award recipient
Jennifer Stanley has spent most of her life as a volunteer and philanthropist, educating children, and advancing environmental protection and conservation initiatives and awareness, much in the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
In 1982, she founded and then directed for 35 years the Oxford Kids Camp, Inc. to respond to a need for a summer program in her home community on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. She also founded and directed the After School Program at the Oxford Community Center for underprivileged children for the same number of years.
Together, she and her husband, Ted, established the Town Creek Foundation in 1982, and became leading advocates for environmental protection and preservation. Locally, she has supported the preservation of St. Paul’s Church Oxford, the Oxford Community Center and the Eastern Shore Land Conservancy’s new Eastern Shore Conservation Center in Easton.
Mrs. Stanley has served as a leader of many non-profits, including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, Eastern Shore Land Conservancy and Waterfowl Chesapeake. She presides over two foundations - Town Creek Foundation in Easton and the Robert Bowne Foundation in New York City. She holds an honorary Doctorate from her alma mater, the University of Vermont.
Sponsorships for this special event are available at the following levels: Patron $1,000; Host $500; and Sponsor $250. Individual tickets are $100. The net proceeds will be used to fund the MRYC Foundation’s signature “SOS: Sink or Swim” program in 2015.
The program seeks to assure that every Talbot County non-swimming child will become a swimmer. Last summer – its first of a five year program – SOS taught 275 young non-swimmers to swim. Its target in 2015 is 1,000 children.
Tickets may be ordered by calling 410-916-0473 or by writing Awards Reception, MRYC Foundation, 606A North Talbot Street, Suite 115, St. Michaels, MD 21663.
Founded in 2010, the MRYC Foundation has to date granted $158,694 to 23 non-profit organizations that provide water-based athletic, environmental/conservation or educational programs for children.
