RUMFORD – A dozen years ago, a group of Local 900 members thought it was time to establish a scholarship fund to help children or spouses of employees go on to higher education.
When the Local 900 Scholarship Fund began, donations were taken for the paper workers union’s membership, and about $500 was awarded to two students.
This year, a record $14,400 was collected and 25 local students received between $500 and $1,000 to be used for any year of higher education, including a master’s program.
“This is the most we’ve given,” said Ron Hemingway, chairman of the scholarship committee and secretary of Local 900.
Giving has been made easier, too.
When the fund was started in 1993, union members were asked to donate cash. Now, with the cooperation of NewPage Corp., union members can have a specific amount of money taken out of their paychecks each week and put toward scholarships.
Hemingway said the committee is now trying to establish a perpetual fund that will raise a certain amount of funding each year.
All students who apply for a Local 900 scholarship must write an essay that is related to labor. Essay questions are generally different each year. Hemingway writes the questions, then someone from the University of Maine judges them. This year’s questions concerned health care and labor legislation, and the effects of the foreign trade agreements on labor.
Top scholarship winners, receiving $1,000 each, were Nicole Donahue and Richard Donahue, siblings from Dixfield. Nicole is studying nursing at the University of Maine. Richard is studying political science, also at the University of Maine. Both graduated from Dirigo High School.
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