By Melanie Petrucci, Senior Community Reporter
Photo/submitted
Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury school administrators met with Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union (SFCU) President Jim Dupont and Marketing Manager Lisa Raabe Nov. 6 to unveil a new van that the school district was able to purchase due to SFCU’s sponsorship of the district’s Colonial Connections program.
“We are very proud to be able to support the school system and we think that this is a great venture,” Dupont said. “We are hoping after COVID they can really get some great use out of the van.”
When SFCU made this commitment over a year and a half ago, transportation was a key element to bridging Shrewsbury Public Schools with the business community.
“For a number of years school administrators talked about how having access to a van and how it would be beneficial in lots of ways for different student activities and opportunities and so having our partner, the Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union, through their very generous partnership, to provide this is really going to make a difference,” noted Superintendent Dr. Joseph Sawyer. “And we are really looking forward to once we are post-COVID and in more of a situation to be able to use it…We couldn’t be more grateful!”
The commitment was made through a $400,000 sponsorship, over the course of five years, to increase access through internships for experiential learning opportunities and exposure to career choices to help students develop independence after graduation.
As such, a critical component was transporting students to internship possibilities.
“I would like to thank the Shrewsbury Federal Credit Union for supporting our ongoing efforts to bring opportunities to students that bring them further to understanding what it is that they would like to do,” noted Assistant Superintendent Dr. Jane Lizotte. “Often times what gets in the way is transportation…This removes that obstacle.”
This partnership also provided funding for Lizotte’s position as assistant superintendent to facilitate the program in accordance with the district’s strategic goal: “Connected Learning for a Complex World.”
