One group of very important financial contributors to Schooner Virginia is the members of the Virginia Society. These individuals are loyal donors who make annual gifts of $1000 or more. Some of these gifts come in the form of “in-kind” donations, which are services, such as accounting and legal. The remaining gifts come from annual cash contributions of at least $1000.

Many of our Virginia Society members have supported us annually since the inception of this project in 2001. These members have witnessed the vessel selection process, the design process, the building process, the christening, the commissioning and now,
the vessel’s third year of operation.

This year, Schooner Virginia will sail from Norfolk to Nova Scotia, making stops in Jacksonville, Florida, Charleston, South Carolina, and New England. Many of our members will make these passages aboard Virginia as part of our guest crew program,
and 82 teenagers will be aboard as Youth Sail Training students. More than one half of the Youth Sail Training students will be able to participate because Virginia Society members also provide scholarships for them. The scholarships are awarded to underserved teenagers who have the potential to succeed, but, sometimes, due to an adverse environment, success is hard to achieve. Youth Sail Training is often a life-changing experience. Having successfully faced the challenges of working together as a team to sail a tall ship, the students come away from the experience with a new sense of self-worth.

The VMHF (Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation), owner and operator of Schooner Virginia, is a registered non-profit organization. The Foundation’s purpose is to deliver valuable community services to citizens of the Commonwealth. Our mission is to enrich lives and build character by using the adventure of sailing a tall ship to domestic and international ports of call.  We train our crew, students, teachers, and guests to serve as goodwill ambassadors of Virginia aboard the Commonwealth’s maritime icon, the Pilot Schooner Virginia, while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and safety and by honoring the traditions of seafaring life.

The Foundation receives financial support from a variety of sources including the Commonwealth of Virginia and United States Department of Transportation. This support, in addition to money that comes in from operations such as guest crew passages, receptions, youth sail training, etc., does not fully support Schooner Virginia. We need you!

Please join the Schooner Virginia family and become a Virginia Society member.  Any check or in-kind donation for $1000 or more automatically makes you a member. You will be supporting a valued community service and you will be sustaining honorable maritime traditions.