FITCHBURG, Mass. - For more than 70 years, Sterilite Corporation's household storage products have helped make everyday life easier. Now, through a generous, $2 million donation from the Townsend-based company, financing a college education will become easier for students at Mount Wachusett Community College and Fitchburg State College.
Sterilite will donate $1 million on behalf of each college to the Community Foundation of North Central Massachusetts to provide financial assistance to students through scholarships and other support services. Support for financial aid to students will begin to flow to each college in September 2010.
"These gifts are the result of hundreds of Sterilite employees working daily, contributing to the success that enables Sterilite to support the outstanding programs of Mount Wachusett and Fitchburg State,” noted Al Stone, chairman of Sterilite Corporation. “Some of these employees are alumni of these fine schools, which are so essential to the welfare of our region. My thanks go out to all of these employees and to the colleges for the role they played in enabling Sterilite to make these gifts."
"To be the recipient of so generous a gift would be a thrill at any time," said Fitchburg State College President Robert V. Antonucci. "But perhaps never before in this institution's 115-year history has it been more critical that we receive private support to replace dwindling state funds and retain the access to a quality education that has been our hallmark. Moreover, this gift will have a major impact on our current $10 million Capital Campaign. We are deeply thankful to Sterilite for their longtime support of public education."
Added MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino "We are extremely grateful to Sterilite Corporation for its generosity, support and vision. They truly recognize how difficult funding a college education can be for many families, particularly during this time of economic crisis, and the role
the two colleges play in serving the community and the Commonwealth by providing an educated workforce."
At Mount Wachusett Community College, the contribution will establish the Sterilite Scholarship and Student Access Fund. Students in good academic standing will be eligible to receive financial assistance to cover the cost of tuition, fees, books and emergency stipends. Similarly, the Sterilite Scholars Fund for Fitchburg State College will provide financial assistance to students who demonstrate both need and good academic standing. Each college will administer its respective scholarship fund.
Sterilite Corporation was founded in 1939 as a partnership between Saul and Edward Stone and Earl Tupper. The company currently operates six plants across the United States and is the world's largest manufacturer of plastic housewares. |
