Rondeau Family Creates Funds at Northwest Maritime Center and Jefferson Community Foundation

The family of Dylan Rondeau has chosen to honor his life by making two $100,000 gifts, one to Northwest Maritime Center and the other to Jefferson Community Foundation. The funds came from an insurance settlement.

Rondeau was passionate about boats and was employed in the maritime industry, earning his Able-Bodied Seaman certification and working toward his US Coast Guard 100-ton Captain’s License. He had sailed his family’s boat from Crescent City, CA, to Port Hadlock and lived aboard while working on the Peninsula. Sadly, Rondeau died from a tragic injury in April 2023, at the age of 22.

At the Northwest Maritime Center, the Rondeau family is creating the Dylan Rondeau Youth Maritime Fund to support programs that create pathways to maritime careers. “Dylan’s death was a tragedy. Turning that grief into opportunity for others is nothing short of inspiring,” said Jake Beattie, CEO of Northwest Maritime Center.

At Jefferson Community Foundation, the family is creating the Dylan Rondeau Sail Away Scholarship Fund that will provide scholarships to young people who are called by the ocean and seek to pursue education in the marine trades. “Dylan was a smart, self-motivated maritime worker who was just at the beginning of his career when he passed. We are honored to open this scholarship fund to help other young people start their careers,” said Siobhan Canty, CEO of Jefferson Community Foundation.

Applying for The Dylan Rondeau Sail Away Fund
The application period for the Sail Away Fund Scholarship opens on March 1, 2024, and information can be found then at www.WashBoard.org.

Sunset photo by Julian Laffin