ROSEVILLE – PRIDE Industries has expanded its scholarship program with three newly established scholarships for students with disabilities in New Jersey and California. The PRIDE Industries Scholarships are open to eligible students with disabilities who meet certain academic criteria and have employment aspirations that are supported by higher learning.
Through Sierra College Foundation, PRIDE is offering $2,500 in annual scholarship funds effective fall, 2011. Sierra College serves Placer County, where PRIDE Industries is headquartered and has extensive existing programs for people with disabilities. PRIDE has also made an initial four-year scholarship commitment at both Burlington County College and at Rutgers-Camden University in New Jersey effective with the 2011-2012 academic year. Both schools have a diverse pool of eligible students with disabilities and operate in close proximity to PRIDE Industries’ worksite at Fort Dix, NJ, part of the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst tri-military installation, where the organization provides base wide facilities support services.
Annually, PRIDE Industries will provide $2,500 in scholarship funds for students with disabilities at each educational institution, with an initial four-year commitment.
“We are grateful that PRIDE Industries has established this annual scholarship which will provide much-needed support for the students we serve,” said Rebecca Corbin, Executive Director of Burlington County College Foundation.
PRIDE Industries is a not-for-profit organization delivering manufacturing and service solutions to businesses and government agencies nationwide while creating meaningful jobs for people with disabilities. Through training and employment, PRIDE helps people develop the technical and work skills needed to obtain and sustain employment, become contributing members of their communities, and to live successfully independently.
Studies find that students with disabilities overall are less than half as likely as their peers to have attended college in the two years after high school. This lack of higher education creates additional employment obstacles for individuals with disabilities. The newly announced scholarships are in addition to PRIDE’s scholarship for students with disabilities at the University of Texas-El Paso (UTEP.) Established in 2010, the first-year recipient found employment on PRIDE’s facilities support services contract at Fort Bliss.
“We are proud to offer the PRIDE Industries Scholarship Program which advances opportunities for students with disabilities and further strengthens the communities we serve,” said Michael Ziegler, President and Chief Executive Officer, PRIDE Industries.
About PRIDE Industries:
PRIDE Industries is a nonprofit organization meeting the manufacturing, logistics and facilities service needs of business and government agencies nationwide while creating meaningful jobs for people with disabilities. Operating in 11 states and the nation’s capital, PRIDE employs more than 4,200 individuals, including more than 2,400 people with disabilities. Headquartered in Roseville, Ca. PRIDE ranks as the third largest manufacturing and service company in the greater Sacramento region.
PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.
