BRUNSWICK — Teens to Trails, a nonprofit organization connecting Maine teens with outdoor experiences, has opened applications for the 2025 Sara’s Scholarship.

This annual award honors the life of Sara Leone, a passionate lover of the outdoors, and offers a life-changing opportunity for Maine high school freshmen and sophomores to embark on an immersive outdoor adventure, according to a news release from Connor Huggins with Teens to Trails.

Since its founding in 2006, Sara’s Scholarship has provided students the opportunity to experience the transformative power of nature. This year, five students will receive fully funded summer outdoor experiences. Recipients can choose from backpacking, fly fishing, canoeing, and sea kayaking excursions offered by three of Maine’s adventure programs: Chewonki, Trout Unlimited, and Rippleffect.

Leone, daughter of Teens to Trails founders Carol and Bob Leone, had a deep love for the outdoors. Her experiences in nature helped her develop self-confidence, positively impacting her socially and academically. After her death in a car accident at the age of 15, her family and friends established the scholarship to inspire young people to connect with the natural beauty of Maine, just as she had.

The scholarship aims to foster personal growth, inspire a love of the outdoors, and build confidence through an immersive, challenging outdoor experience. New this year, Teens to Trails has partnered with Trout Unlimited to offer two students free access to the Maine Trout Camp — an opportunity for those interested in learning about fly fishing, fly tying, resource sustainability, the effects of climate change, the importance of native fish, and leadership in these areas.

Sara’s Scholarship is open to freshmen and sophomores at Maine high schools who are registered with Teens to Trails. Applications are due by Friday, March 7, and the recipient will be announced in late March.

For more information visit teenstotrails.org.

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