Don Diego and the Del Mar Fairgrounds will continue their partnership to provide scholarships to local high school students.

The Del Mar Fairgrounds Board of Directors has approved a two-year Memorandum of Understanding with the Don Diego Scholarship Fund to ensure both parties continue to work together on the fund’s mission of awarding scholarships to local students. The approval was adopted at a meeting of the Board of Directors on 14 February.

“We want to continue our relationship with the 22nd district,” said Steve Shewmaker, chairman of the board of directors of the Don Diego Foundation and former board member of Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The Don Diego Scholarship Foundation, founded in 1986, has provided $1.3 million in scholarships to 236 San Diego County high school students who participate in the annual San Diego County Fair and other events at state fairgrounds. Over the past five years, the company has generated more than $200,000 in total revenue, according to annual disclosures available from nonprofit ProPublica.

Don Diego offers scholarships in six categories: Zable Foundation 4-H, FFA, Worker, Exhibitor/Participant, Livestock Auction, and Vocational Education.

The foundation’s signature event is its annual gala, which serves as a significant part of its fundraising. It is also known for its traditional brick-making program, which allows people to commemorate a person or event on a specially designed brick that is placed in Mexico City Plaza at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

The MoU includes the terms of a strategic fundraising plan, support for the Brick Legacy Program, and a link to the Don Diego Scholarship Foundation website at the Del Mar Fairgrounds.

“Our shared goal is to continue to support the next generation of leaders and provide them with the materials to succeed, go to university and get an education,” said Ashley Colburn McCaughan, executive director of the foundation and recipient of the 2005 Don Diego Award.

Colburn McCaughan replaced Chana Mannen, Don Diego’s longtime chief executive, who retired last summer. Mannen, a New Mexico native who moved to Del Mar with her husband Frank, also served as Deputy General Manager of the Del Mar Fairgrounds until 2012.

Del Mar Fair board member Lisa Burkett also sits on the Don Diego board of directors.

“The quality of the students we get is amazing,” Burkett said. “I can’t tell you how it gives a very warm feeling about the future.”

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