CHEBOYGAN – An affiliate of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan, the Straits Area Community Foundation, announced the availability of a new scholarship fund which will provide an educational opportunity for students pursuing an education and career in the maritime field.

The Raymond Plaunt Maritime Memorial Scholarship, reflecting a growing trend among new scholarship funds being established at the Community Foundation, is an award open not only to graduating seniors, but also to non-traditional students and those who have served in the military.

This scholarship fund was established in February 2016 in memory of Raymond A. Plaunt. At the young age of 12, Plaunt began working on boats with his father, transporting passengers and supplies to Bois Blanc Island, several miles off Cheboygan County’s shoreline in Lake Huron. A lifelong resident of Bois Blanc Island, he spent his life working on the Great Lakes as the boat captain and owner of his family business, Plaunt Transportation.

The Raymond Plaunt Maritime Memorial Scholarship was created by friends, family and colleagues to honor his legacy and his love of northern Michigan’s lakes and its maritime industry.

This scholarship is open to students graduating from any high school or anyone interested in maritime studies. Reflecting the background of the scholarship’s creation, preference will be given to anyone from northern Michigan who is currently working in the maritime field on the Great Lakes or anyone from northern Michigan who served in the Navy, Marines or Coast Guard, and wants to return to school to pursue maritime studies.

Applicants may visit www.sacf.net to review additional requirements and complete an application. The deadline for this and all scholarships through SACF is April 3.

The Straits Area Community Foundation is a charitable organization committed to providing people who care about the future of our area with unique and effective ways of supporting their community now, and for generations to come. Led by a volunteer board of local citizens, the foundation oversees a group of permanent endowment funds from a wide range of donors.

Gifts of all sizes from individuals, families and corporations are invested in a balanced, well-managed portfolio to build endowments, enabling support for students and local community nonprofits now and forever. SACF is an affiliate of the Community Foundation for Northeast Michigan.