Through the generosity of Investors Bank as a division of Citizens Bank, Amazon, PSEG, AT&T, SHI International Corp., South Jersey Industries and NJM Insurance Group, the NJAC Foundation awarded a total of $89,750 in scholarships this year to deserving recipients, according to a news release.
This annual scholarship program rewards county vocational-technical school graduates who will attend a New Jersey public institution for their post-secondary education.
“These scholarships are for students who remain in the Garden State to continue learning at one of our state’s great institutions,” said John G. Donnadio, executive director of the New Jersey Association of Counties, a nonpartisan organization that helps individual county governments develop a unified, proactive voice. “We hope they also remain here after college to apply what they have learned, starting with their career-focused high school experience, to strengthen our workforce.”
Investors Bank has provided the most funding to date through grants totaling $241,000 since 2011. The company has supported nearly 300 county vocational-technical school graduates.
This year, Amazon doubled its grant award to $21,000 to fund one $1,000 scholarship for each of New Jersey’s 21 county vocational-technical school districts. The NJAC Foundation works with the New Jersey Council of County Vocational-Technical Schools, an organization that represents and connects the 21 districts, to collect nominations for student recipients through the district superintendents.
“We are happy to help facilitate these scholarships and grateful to the generous corporate donors and the NJAC Foundation for recognizing the many benefits of supporting county vocational-technical school students,” said NJCCVTS Executive Director Jackie Burke. “These students have demonstrated a focus and commitment to succeed both in college and their chosen career. They have already honed professional and technical skills that they will continue to develop and use to benefit their field and our state economy.”
Donors can refine the requirements of their scholarships to target recipients studying to enter their respective industry. The PSEG Foundation awarded the NJAC Foundation a grant of $12,000 for county vocational-technical school graduates who plan on studying environmental science, green design, green technology, alternative energy and other related subjects.
“As our nation grows increasingly proactive about protecting the environment for future generations, I’m thrilled that PSEG and the NJAC Foundation have once again partnered on this important and timely initiative to support county vocational-technical school graduates across the state,” commented NJAC Foundation President Heather Simmons.
With this year’s scholarships, the NJAC Foundation has now distributed nearly $600,000 to 880 county vocational-technical school graduates. Any company interested in providing a scholarship should contact Donnadio via email.