The following is a submission from the Police Athletic League. You can support their work at the September 9th poker tournament/fundraiser. Get more details, here.
The Police Activities League (PAL) hosted its annual Chris Carrey PAL Education Scholarship Fund recognition ceremony on the evening of Wednesday, July 9, 2025, at St. Monica’s Grand Pavilion in Santa Monica.
Santa Monica PAL youth, including one junior and six graduating seniors, were honored with personal recognition and individual scholarship funds totaling $33,500. Each recipient received a scholarship ranging from $3,500 to $7,000, and was honored with a special commendation from Senator Ben Allen.
More than 100 community stakeholders, supporters, and families joined together to celebrate the student recipients at the outdoor event with special thanks to Councilmembers Natalya Zernitskaya and Barry Snell, along with Police Chief Ramon Batista, for their presence and continued support of PAL’s mission.
Now in its 23rd year, more than 130 scholarships totaling more than $440,000 have been awarded to PAL youth in the Santa Monica community. Many recipients are the first in their families to attend college making these awards even more meaningful. PAL is incredibly proud of its youth and grateful to all the donors and supporters who make these life-changing opportunities possible.
The Chris Carrey PAL Education Fund was created through a joint gift from Ed Simmons and Standard Parking and Neil and Karen Carrey. Since 2002, the fund provides scholarships for post-high school education expenses to PAL members who meet required criteria, shows financial need, successfully completes an application package, and is selected by the Chris Carrey PAL Education Fund Committee.
Two of this year’s honorees have participated in PAL programs for more than a decade, a testament to their dedication and growth. Six graduating seniors shared their inspiring stories and college plans, which include CSU Northridge, UC Santa Cruz, and Santa Monica College, among others. Each scholarship recipient was awarded an amount from $3,500 to $7,500 including Branden Banks, Lupita Leon, Joshua Lesley, Esteban Nunez, Emily Rodriguez, Audry Ventura Vargas and Zoe Ventura Vargas.
“Now in its 23rd year, this annual celebration continues to thrive thanks to the unwavering generosity of individuals and businesses—especially Ed Simmons and Metropolis, and longtime supporters Neil and Karen Carrey,” said Eula Fritz, Director of the Santa Monica Police Activities League. “Their commitment plays a vital role in opening doors for our PAL youth, many of whom rely on this support to pursue their educational goals and build brighter futures.”
The PAL Scholarship awards are in memoriam to Chris Carrey, who lived in Santa Monica for all 16½ years of his life. He was an excellent student, having attended school in the Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District. Chris was very active in youth sports and especially excelled in tennis. He also played the bass guitar. However, most of all Chris wanted to become a chef. Chris performed his community service at PAL. He would have been proud of the PAL kids going on for additional education after high school. He would have also been proud that scholarships to help PAL kids with education are being awarded in his name.
