Ojai Valley Baseball League (OVBL) is committed to providing a program that allows every child to play baseball. Our mission is to offer an affordable program for our players and families while maintaining the financial health and sustainability of the league.

A limited numbers of scholarships are available based on the league's annual budget, community sponsorships received, and the overall number of registrations. Because scholarship funds are limited, scholarship applicants must meet certain financial criteria, as noted below, and certify that they qualify. Applicants may be asked to provide additional information to prove the player is eligible for a scholarship. Please do not ask for a scholarship if you have the ability to pay. 

In addition, families applying for a scholarship acknowledge that the league is run solely by volunteers and there is an expectation that parents of scholarship recipients will give back to OVBL any way they can, as detailed below.

To be eligible for a scholarship, the following information must be provided:

• An explanation of why you are requesting a scholarship 
  
• Documentation demonstrating an immediate hardship such as: medical issue, unemployment, most recent tax return or written documentation of an approved current participation in an assistance program such as: food stamps, SSI, Free/Reduced Lunch determination letter. etc. 
  

Application information will be kept completely confidential and only be reviewed by a small subcommittee of the Board of Directors. Information shall NOT be shared with anyone else.

Before submitting the scholarship request form to OVBL, parents and/or guardians should understand the following:

• The scholarship eligibility requirements 
• The scholarship review period turnaround time (notification of application status will be sent the first week in January) 
• Forms need to be completely filled out and submitted with supporting documents to our League President at
  gregshawnmiller@gmail.com.
  
• Contact the OVBL President or Secretary with any questions. 
  

IMPORTANT: If you are approved for a scholarship you will be expected to repay the league with one or a combination of the following:

• Volunteer 10 hours. There are many volunteer hour opportunities, including snack bar shifts, shirt shack shifts, field maintenance, etc. (The league will provide you with volunteer options.) 
  
• IMPORTANT *If you fail to uphold the above repay requirements you may not apply for a scholarship in the future.
  

FAQ's:

• The scholarship program was established to assist families of baseball with financial hardships. For players that meet the eligibility requirements, league fees for the season in question are paid fully or partially by OVBL. 
  
• Scholarships are neither permanent nor automatically renewed every year. Scholarships expire at the end of each season. Requests for scholarships must be made in each season. Applications must meet the scholarship eligibility requirements. 
  
• In financial hardship cases, a scholarship may be requested for each child in your family that wants to play baseball. The Scholarship Committee will examine the needs and make a decision on the scope (full or partial) of the scholarship award(s). 
  
• If you have been given a scholarship in the past or present that does not prevent future scholarship requests. The circumstances (financial hardships, etc) noted in the request are evaluated with every request (re-evaluated if it is a repeated request). The scholarship eligibility requirements still must be satisfied in all cases. 
  
• All scholarships are judged on their own merit. Depending on the circumstances, the scholarship award may be full or it may be partial. The committee will make the final determination. 
  
• If your child currently participates in any type of travel/club baseball team or is taking private baseball lessons of any sort they are not eligible for a scholarship. If a scholarship is granted and the league finds out they are involved in any of the above the scholarship will immediately be revoked and you will be expected to pay the league in full for the league fees.
  

Your child will not be placed on a team until your scholarship application is complete and submitted in full and THEN once approved the player registration will be complete. 

If you require further information, please contact OVBL President at gregshawnmiller@gmail.com.

OVBL Scholaorship Application.pdf

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