By Melanie Petrucci, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – For the fourth year, Central One Federal Credit union has donated $20,000 to the Shrewsbury High School (SHS) Athletic Department.
Surrounded by student athletes, Central One’s Assistant Vice President of Retail David Kaiser along with Brent Arnold, marketing manager, and Joan Day, branch manager, presented a check Sept. 27 to Dr. Joseph Sawyer, superintendent of Shrewsbury Public Schools, Assistant Principal P.J. O’Connell, and Jason Costa, director of athletics.
Sawyer expressed his thanks to Central One.
“We continue to be very grateful for the support that Central One provides our athletic program and being a student athlete is a really important way for students to develop leadership skills, life skills,” he said. “In order for us to have the kind of quality program that we want for our students, we need the resources and for Central One to step up with another $20,000 donation is extremely helpful to us to fulfill our mission.”
“We are very fortunate to have a great partnership with Central One and without them we wouldn’t be able to do a lot of what happens here at SHS,” added O’Connell.
Kaiser noted that Central One has a tradition and history of giving back to the school systems.
“We believe very strongly in financial education and think that giving our kids that foundation to go forth and do wonderful things in their lives is important,” he said.
Day explained that Central One has a branch at SHS that promotes financial literacy.
“I work very hands on with the students here… To me, it’s just rewarding to see the growth and what the students become by their senior year.”
Student athletes Joanie Laramee and Autumn Dauksz shared what being a part of the athletic program means to them.
“Shrewsbury athletics has had a huge impact on not only my high school career but my entire life,” Laramee said. “My family and I have always been involved and it is just something that when you come to school it makes you feel like a bigger part of that community.”
“Shrewsbury athletics has taught me how to be a leader and be a captain and it’s just a great sense of community,” added Dauksz.
“We are so grateful for each year that Central One has helped us out and $80,000 over the past four years has been a big boost to our kids and our program and allows us to do what’s not covered in our budget,” Costa noted.
Central One Federal Credit Union has branches in Shrewsbury, Westborough, Northborough and Auburn, as well as school branches in both Shrewsbury and Westborough high schools.
For more information on Central One, visit www.centralfcu.com. For more information on SHS’s teams this fall, visit http://schools.shrewsburyma.gov/high/athletics/?fDD=66-0.