The Boothbay Sea and Science Center (BSSC) announced Monday, March 17 that the organization’s pending application for tax exempt status under section 501 (c)(3) has been approved by the IRS. All contributions made to the BSSC are deductible under section 170.

The Boothbay Sea and Science Center is also qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522. According to BSSC President Pauline Dion, the effective date of exemption is June 11, 2012 the date the center was incorporated as a domestic nonprofit.

“We are very pleased to share this fabulous news and are honored to have earned the privilege to be recognized as a public charity,” Dion said. “A very special thank you to the members of the Center’s Board of Directors and Advisory Board for their unwavering support and vote of confidence. In particular BSSC is most appreciative of the time and effort Scott Adams, BSSC secretary/treasurer, committed to seeing the application to its approval.”

This public charity designation allows BSSC to move forward with their applications for funding, critical financial support that is needed to acquire equipment, facilities, and support the scholarship fund. “Our Scholarship Fund is consistent with our mission and essential to ensuring affordable access to non-traditional sailors, promoting opportunities for outdoor recreation for underserved local and Midcoast youth,” Dion said. Last summer, BSSC awarded scholarships to more than 25 percent of the junior sailors attending the sailing programs thanks to the overwhelming generosity and support of the Boothbay Harbor Rotary Club — and for that the center is most grateful.

“Community support will enable young people to discover what has been found in generations of Mainers: self-confidence, self-reliance, responsibility and dependability along with an abiding wonder and respect for the marine ecosystem. Donations will enable the center to take a leap forward in expanding programs for our youth, programs dedicated to helping the Boothbay region and Midcoast Maine youth and adults discover their personal best,” Dion said.

Moving forward, BSSC’s fundraising efforts will focus on activities that include letter solicitations, social media campaigns and corporate sponsorships. According to Dion, in 2013, several area businesses such as Hodgdon Yachts, Boothbay Harbor Shipyard, Boothbay Harbor branch of the Bath Savings Bank, Ocean Point Marina and the Boothbay Region Boatyard, made in-kind donations that included the BSSC website, local community advertisement, waterfront facilities and equipment enabling the center to pilot its community sailing programs. “The ongoing support the Boothbay Sea and Science Center is receiving has transitioned our program from concept to reality and validated our commitment to establishing the center as a permanent community program serving the Boothbay Region and Midcoast Maine,” Dion said. This summer the BSSC will launch its inaugural educational collaboration with Bigelow and the Rozalia Project starting BSSC on the path to becoming a regional learning center for marine science, maritime history, seamanship, navigation, safety at sea, meteorology and boatbuilding.

The Boothbay Sea and Science Center is a community sailing and science education center offering affordable access to waterfront activities for Midcoast youth, adults and visitors through unique sailing programs and innovative experiential learning activities. The organization’s mission is to advance recreational sailing experiences and ocean sciences by minimizing economic and physical obstacles, and developing independence, self-confidence, teamwork and volunteerism among its students.

In addition, BSSC encourages the preservation of Maine’s maritime heritage by teaching traditional skills and promoting multiple aspects of the working waterfront through partnerships with area fishermen, shipyards and marinas. According to Eric Graves, BSSC vice president, “History is a fitting companion to BSSC’s education component. BSSC has sprung from strong community values that include inclusiveness, experiential learning, personal growth and environmental stewardship.”

BSSC’s goals also include enhancing and supporting the public school science curricula, and opening windows into vocational opportunities for area students in the fields of Marine Science, Maritime Engineering, and Environmental Studies by leveraging the region’s business and non-profit assets.

The organization recently published its first newsletter, highlighting the accomplishments of BSSC’s first year of operation: the newsletter can be viewed on the BSSC website at www.boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org, where readers can also subscribe. Many other announcements are forthcoming from BSSC, including the schedule of summer 2014 Community Sailing and Science Programs; a special Boat Maintenance and Repair course; and new program partnerships and collaborations.

For more information about the Boothbay Sea and Science Center, including a detailed wish list, please go to www.boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org, or inquire via email at info@boothbayseaandsciencecenter.org, and please be sure to like BSSC on Facebook.