The Fort Pierce Yacht Club Foundation Board of Trustees presented checks to local Fort Pierce organizations during the Fort Pierce Yacht Club Foundations 2024 Awards Ceremony on May 7th, 2024.

The Fort Pierce Yacht Club (FPYC) was established in 1980 as an ALL VOLUNTEER organization. There are no paid staff members, all the work is done by volunteer members. The FPYC Foundation was established in 2019 as the charitable arm of the FPYC.

This year’s award ceremony is exceptional because the most that has ever been raised by the Foundation was $7,500, and that was just last year. This year, the committee set an ambitious goal of $25,000 and, through a member giving campaign and the success of the On the Water Poker Run Charity event held on April 27, 2024, this amazing goal was met!

The Fort Pierce Yacht Club Foundation recognized several outstanding organizations in our community during the awards ceremony.

1.     Fort Pierce Police Department Courageous Kids Program -- providing support and guidance for the youth of the community

2.     Project Lift -- rebuilding the lives of young men and women

3.     Boys and Girls Clubs of St. Lucie -- providing swimming lessons for two clubs located in Fort Pierce

4.     The Manatee Center (MOEC) -- dedicated to environmental awareness and education of the Indian River Lagoon

5.     The Original Florida Highwaymen Museum -- celebrating the wonderful landscape artists of the Lincoln Park area of Fort Pierce

6.     Treasure Coast Youth Sailing Foundation -- teaching valuable life skills as well as boating skills to our youth

7.     Stella Maris’ Wesley’s Island Eco Camp -- providing youth in Fort Pierce the opportunity so spend time on the water and learn more about the eco system of the Indian River Lagoon

8.     And a special joint financial award to Treasure Coast Youth Sailing and FPPD’s Courageous Kids

CHART YOUR COURSE, a Maritime and Marine Career Expo for 100 St. Lucie Public School students and 9 Project LIFT students, is hosted by the Fort Pierce Yacht Club Foundation. A collaborative effort by many industry individuals who will generously share their knowledge and skills in specific fields and provide a positive attitude which is exactly what made our first event in 2023 a resounding success.

In 2024, nineteen companies, large and small, all from Fort Pierce and St. Lucie County were on hand to talk with the students about who they are, what they do, the types of jobs their company offer, and the wide range of educational experience required from none to master’s and doctorates, and equally important, the attitudes they need to bring to the workplace. Through demonstrations, presentations, exhibits and old-fashioned face-to-face conversation, the students learned a lot. From a dive tank complete with a diver inside to a drone display, to captains on boats on the Fort Pierce Yacht Club dock, the range of jobs were endless.

We also had 45 volunteers from the Fort Pierce Yacht Club to provide the helping hands needed for the coordination of the event. 

The key to this all coming together for the students was in the panel discussion focus, “How to Get There.” Discussed was the educational path of what courses the students need to take and the schooling options necessary, if any.

Moderated by Justin Beard, Executive Director of the Marine Industries Association of the Treasure Coast, the panel included Captain Don Welch, an instructor from Chapman School of Seamanship; Charles Vallance, Strategic Developer from UESI, Inc.; Petty Officer Jacob Snyder from the US Coast Guard; and Joshua Revord, the Director of the Department of Port, Inlet & Ports for St. Lucie County. The panel discussion, along with supportive handouts from the participants, gave the students the tools to discover the right career path that can help them achieve the goal of getting their dream job.

Thank you to all our participants!

Thank you to all the sponsors of 007 Casino Royale, the 2024 Fundraiser for the 2025 Chart Your Course!

This video about the 2024 Chart Your Course was created by the St. Lucie Public Schools.