Chamber Donation to Leave Legacy

OCEAN CITY- When the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce officially dedicated its headquarters on Route 50 as the Eunice Q. Sorin Visitor and Conference Center last Wednesday, the benefactor and the entire community benefited from the generous donation.

Sorin donated $500,000 to the Ocean City Chamber, much of which will be used to retire the debt on the organization’s main facility on Route 50 at Route 707 along with other enhancements. Sorin’s donation is just the latest in a long history of generous and charitable donations handed out by the popular philanthropist.

“We are so very fortunate to have Eunice in our community, and this generous donation will change the way the chamber operates forever and what the chamber can do for its membership,” said Ocean City Chamber Past President Todd Ferrante. “We are very excited about it and eternally grateful to Eunice.”

For decades, Sorin and her family owned and operated a hotel in Ocean City and she has been a fixture in the resort’s hospitality industry for years. In addition to the dedication of the building, the Chamber has created an annual scholarship in Sorin’s name, which will be granted to a student looking to pursue a college education in hospitality or a related field.

The dedication of the Chamber’s facility in Sorin’s name is just a small part of the benefactor’s return on her investment, which includes lifetime naming rights of the Greater Ocean City Chamber of Commerce Visitor and Conference Center with the benefactor’s name on the front and side of the building as well as large signage on the property facing Route 50.

Sorin will also have a pictorial history and museum detailing her lifetime achievements located on one of the interior main walls of the chamber’s visitor center. As many as 50,000 guests come through the chamber’s visitor center on Route 50 each year and an estimated 640,000 cars drive by the building each summer.

In addition, Sorin’s name will appear on the thousands of pieces of correspondence the chamber puts out each month on the letterhead for letters, faxes, emails and other communications. She will also have a large portrait or bust displayed in the visitor’s center and a dedication page on the chamber’s website featuring a pictorial history of her family and any other messages related to her philanthropic works.

Ferrante said the perks associated with Sorin’s generous donation represent small tokens of the Chamber’s appreciation.

“This financial gift will leave a lifetime legacy for her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren to be proud of,” he said.