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The Manteo Rotary Club has established a new scholarship fund, the Manteo Rotary Club Sonny Albarty Memorial Scholarship Fund, at the Outer Banks Community Foundation. The fund honors Roanoke Island native Jefferson “Sonny” Lee Albarty V, an avid outdoorsman and inspiration to many who died at 18 last July. The new scholarship fund will provide scholarships to graduating Manteo High School and Wanchese Christian Academy seniors, as well as Dare County home-schooled students with GED credentials.

Seeded with proceeds from Manteo Rotary’s October 2020 Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament and initial contributions from Albarty’s friends, family members and individual Rotarians, the endowment will grow over the years to provide academic assistance to local students for generations to come. Anyone can contribute to this fund by mailing a check to the Outer Banks Community Foundation or by donating online at obcf.org/donate and selecting the Manteo Rotary Club Sonny Albarty Memorial Scholarship Fund from the pull-down funds list.

“Sonny Albarty was a courageous young man and dedicated sportsman who left us too soon. Our club is proud to support the effort to build a memorial fund to support a scholarship in his name,” said Sandy Martin, co-president of the Manteo Rotary Club. “The criteria we will use to select Sonny Albarty scholarship recipients will reflect his love of the outdoors and a career based on that interest. The selection process involves interviews by a committee of Manteo Rotarians.”

The new scholarship fund is structured as a perpetual endowment, which means that the principal of the fund will remain invested, while the earnings will be awarded each year to selected Dare County students in the form of college scholarships. The fund is one of 57 scholarship endowments stewarded by the Outer Banks Community Foundation and one of six managed in partnership with Manteo Rotary, alongside the Percy W. & Elizabeth G. Meekins Scholarship Fund, Manteo Rotary Scholarship Fund, the F.C. Minton Fund, Jeannette U. McOwen Memorial Scholarship Fund and the Kellogg Cuthrell Scholarship Fund.

“We are honored to partner again with the Manteo Rotary Club in establishing a new scholarship fund that will provide scholarships for deserving Dare County students,” said Bob Muller, the Outer Banks Community Foundation’s interim executive director. “As the cost of college continues to rise, it is amazing to see generous leaders in our community step up to help our local students achieve their dreams and build their futures.”

Rotary joins leaders from all continents, cultures, and occupations to exchange ideas and take action for communities around the world. The Rotary Club of Manteo was chartered in 1937 and is one of over 35,000 Rotary clubs worldwide. The club conducts the Inshore Slam Fishing Tournament to raise funds for scholarships and other projects that benefit our community. Information about the tournament can be found at www.rockfishrodeo.org. Manteo Rotary meets at 6 p.m. monthly on the first and third Mondays (virtually for now) at The Hungry Pelican Restaurant in Manteo.

The Outer Banks Community Foundation manages 57 different scholarship programs and expects to award about $178,000 to local students in 2021. Scholarships range from one-time awards of $1,000 to four-year awards totaling $24,000. Manteo Rotary Club will handle the scholarship application and award processes for the new Sonny Albarty Memorial Scholarship.

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