To make a donation, email scholarship@okcyouthhockey.com

Zach had a pair of skates on his feet when he was only two years old, and his passion for hockey never wavered.  Playing organized hockey was a constant in Zach’s life, and his favorite thing to do.  From youth hockey, to high school hockey, to adult league hockey, Zach was always ready for the ice.  It wasn’t until his life was taken from him when he was 20 years old in a tragic car accident that he physically left the ice.  

His parents, Cindy and Alan, wanted to do something meaningful to keep their son’s memory alive in the hockey community by making a donation in the hopes that another player could play the game Zach loved. An anonymous matching donation was made, and the Oklahoma City Youth Hockey Association Zach Tays Memorial Scholarship (ZTMSF) began.

The Oklahoma City Youth Hockey Association maintains this scholarship in memory of Zach. The scholarships help make hockey affordable for everyone. More than 24 youth hockey players in the Oklahoma City area have received scholarships to help pay their league fees in memory of Zach since 2009.

Program Description

The ZTMSF is a need-based program and the only scholarship program available for OKCYHA activities and programs.

The ZTMSF is funded by private donations and fundraisers to include, but not be limited to, an annual golf tournament.

Confidentiality

The ZTMSF application process is confidential.  Applicants are assigned a code to be used during the entire scholarship process. Names of applicants and parents are only made known to the Scholarship Coordinator and the OKCYHA Treasurer as part of the program.

Application Deadlines

Application deadlines for 2022-2023 are August 30th, 2022 for the Travel Program. House Program dates will be announced soon. Although application deadlines are posted prior to the beginning of each travel and house season, applications may be submitted to the committee at any time based on need.

Application Submission

The committee will only consider complete applications, with all supporting documents. Applications are considered in the order they are received and can be submitted by USPS or through email.

Distribution of Funds

Funds are awarded through the OKCYHA financial payment system. No actual cash or checks are distributed.

ZTMSF funds will only be applicable to fees, not hockey equipment, apparel or travel expenses.

Scholarship Amounts

The committee determines scholarship amounts each season based on funds available, expected number of applicants, and in which program the applicant is participating. Preference is also given to the house programs in terms of number of scholarships. Fewer scholarships are portioned to the OKCYHA travel program as the individual scholarship amounts are higher; for example, a travel scholarship may be $400/year and house scholarships may be $175.

A family maximum scholarship amount will be calculated, regardless of number of children in an individual family, based on funds available and will not exceed more than 20% of total funds available in any given hockey season.

Reserve Funds

A reserve of 10% of total ZTMSF funds are held for applications that may be submitted after the beginning of a given season. This reserve gives the committee the ability to help families that experience a hardship. For example, the committee may award all available funds at the beginning of a season and when a player’s family experiences a hardship during a season, such as a layoff, the ZTMSF would have funds to award to keep that player on the ice for the remainder of the season. Reserve funds will be carried over to the next season if not used.

Program Structure

The ZTMSF is a separate but related entity to OKCYHA. All funds go through the OKCYHA financial payment system; however, there is no oversight by OKCYHA in the organization or function of the ZTMSF.

All ZTMSF funds are “designated” funds and therefore cannot be used to fund other OKCYHA activities or programs.

The ZTMSF committee will be comprised of:

• 1 Scholarship Coordinator (non-voting except in the event of a tie)
• OKCYHA Treasurer (voting)
• Cindy and Alan Tays (1 vote)

Between 2 and 5 additional voting members that may include OKCHYA parents and members of the community.

A minimum of 3 voting members must be in attendance to have a meeting, review scholarship applications or make changes to the program. Scholarship amounts, applications and program changes must be approved by a majority of committee members in attendance to award funds.

The Scholarship Coordinator will serve as a liaison between the ZTMSF and OKCYHA. As the ZTMSF is a separate entity, the liaison will keep the OKCYHA executive board informed of any program activities and/or changes.

The 2023-24 scholarship application is attached.