MarineMax Daytona said the company and the New Smyrna Beach (Fla.) Billfish Invitational teamed up to award $1,000 scholarships to two seniors at New Smyrna Beach High School.
Each year the tournament raises money to provide scholarships to students at the high school who show an interest in fishing and conservation. This year, as a sponsor of the billfish tournament, MarineMax Daytona store manager Kimberly Machnik presented the scholarships at Senior Night ceremonies to Julia Jones and Kathryn Losnes.
“It is always a thrill to present these scholarships to bright young students who have a penchant for fishing and concern about the sustainability of our precious aquatic resources,” said Jon Zeller, the New Smyrna Billfish Invitational tournament director, who accompanied Machnik at the presentation. “During the last 15 years our tournaments have raised over $145,000 for the New Smyrna Beach High School scholarship awards program, and I am pretty proud of that.”
“New Smyrna Beach is my hometown and I enjoy contributing to the benefit of New Smyrna and the surrounding communities,” Machnik said in a statement. “It was an honor to present the scholarships to these exceptional students at New Smyrna Beach High School, and I look forward to future opportunities to be a part of our unique community.”
The 15th annual New Smyrna Beach Billfish Invitational will be held Sept. 25-28. The presenting sponsors for the event are MarineMax and the Bonnier Group, publishers of Saltwater Sportsman, Sport Fishing and Marlin magazines.
