Fitchburg, MA (August 2, 2004) - Unitil announced today that the 2004 Unitil Community Grant has been awarded to Mt. Wachusett Community College, to give 20 high school juniors and seniors of Latino descent who live in Fitchburg the opportunity to attend its Citizenship Academy at no cost.
"Every one of the more than one dozen applications for our grant program reflected outstanding, high-value community development ideas, "said Robert G. Schoenberger, Unitil CEO/President. "We commend all of the organizations for their innovative, community-based projects. Nevertheless, we felt the Citizenship Academy program proposed by Mount Wachusett Community College was truly compelling, as it reflects the goal of transforming the community by enabling young men and women to experience personal empowerment and to expand their community leadership."
The Citizenship Academy is a 14-week session of two courses that introduce high school juniors and seniors to the worlds of higher education, civic engagement, and community service. Students earn full college credit while they learn the basics of state and local government as well as ways to become engaged in their communities. Funding from the Community Grant will be used to enroll 20 high school juniors and seniors of Latino descent who live in Fitchburg at no cost to the participants.
"As part of the college's Decade of Civic Initiative, we have been working to involve our students in their communities and local government. As a result, MWCC students have devoted more than 4,000 hours of service to their communities," said MWCC President Daniel M. Asquino. "We are grateful that with Unitil's help we can now extend this initiative to high school students through the Citizenship Academy, which is designed to empower these students and give them a voice."
Unitil's $10,000 Community Grant looks to go beyond the traditional corporate giving by contributing to a specific project of a local nonprofit organization. This includes, but is not limited to, program planning and development, events and one-time programs, organizational development, small equipment to support key programs, and community and outreach programs. Last year the grant was awarded to the Cleghorn Neighborhood Center to increase their capability to provide educational resources to neighborhood children. The Community Grant program is part of Unitil's Community Development Program, which seeks to make a lasting positive impact by focusing the company's resources of time, effort, and donations into community service.
Unitil Corporation is a public utility holding company with subsidiaries providing electric service in New Hampshire, electric and gas service in Massachusetts and energy services throughout the Northeast. Its subsidiaries include Unitil Energy Systems, Inc., Fitchburg Gas and Electric Light Company, Unitil Power Corp., Unitil Realty Corp., Unitil Service Corp. and its unregulated business unit Unitil Resources, Inc. Usource L.L.C. is a subsidiary of Unitil Resources, Inc.
Contact:
Heather Hughes
hughes@unitil.com
Corporate Office
Liberty Lane West
Hampton, NH 03842-1720
800/999-6501
