Deadline Approaching for $25,000 in Scholarships Offered by Peoples to 10 Maine High School Seniors

Part of the bank's 'Peoples Promise' program

The deadline is approaching for high school seniors to apply for one of 10 $2,500 scholarships being awarded by Peoples Heritage Bank this year as part of its nationally recognized "Peoples Promise" program created to help Maine youth.

The application deadline is March 22. Students can apply online at www.mesfoundation.com.

Scholarships of $2,500 will be awarded to 10 Maine high school seniors from throughout the state. Now in its fourth year, Peoples' scholarship program is designed to reward Maine students from low- to moderate-income households for academic excellence and help offset their higher education costs.

"We are committed to expanding the opportunities available to Maine youth by assisting them with the ever-increasing cost of education," said Michael W. McNamara, president and CEO of Peoples. "With this scholarship program, we hope to make a difference in the lives of young people in our state. It's another way to give back to the communities we serve."

Awards are based on financial need, academic achievement, involvement in school activities, community volunteer activity, work experience, and a required essay. Scholarship recipients will be announced in May. The recipients also are offered a three-month paid internship position with Peoples after their first year of post-secondary education.

Scholarship applications are available online at the web site of the MES Foundation, a not-for-profit organization which is administering the scholarship program for Peoples. The $2,500 scholarships will be awarded to 10 graduating high school seniors who will enroll in a post-secondary institution. Also, the recipients are offered a three-month paid internship position with Peoples after their first year of post-secondary education.

For more information or to obtain an application, go to www.mesfoundation.com, or call the MES Foundation at 1-800-922-6352.

When the program was launched in January of 1999, Peoples committed $250,000 in scholarships over a 10-year period as part of Peoples Promise. The program, which has been recognized nationally by the America's Promise Program as a significant "promise-maker," also includes a school outreach program whereby Peoples employees volunteer in classrooms throughout the year to teach sixth graders about economic concepts.

Additionally, Peoples' charitable giving is focused on organizations providing support to children, including the YMCA, YWCA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, March of Dimes and others. The annual Peoples Beach to Beacon 10k Road Race held in Cape Elizabeth also benefits a different children's charity each year. The 2002 race, set for August 3, will benefit Opportunity Farm in New Gloucester, a long-term, family-style residential facility for at-risk Maine youth.

Peoples Heritage Bank is a Maine-based bank with more than 60 branches throughout the state, four of which operate as Oxford Bank & Trust, a subsidiary of the bank. For additional information about Peoples, visit online at www.peoplesheritage.com.

'Peoples Promise' scholarships recipients in 2001 were:

Chelsea Feeney of Portland, Portland High School
Truc Huynh of Portland, Portland High School
Rachel Main of Brunswick, Brunswick High School
Sarah Jacobs of Bangor, John Bapst Memorial High School
Nicole Stinson of Milford, Orono High School
Ashley Pullen of Oakland, Messalonskee High School
Tristan Noyes of Caribou, Caribou High School
Sheena Pass of Coopers Mills, Erskine Academy
Scott Porter of Van Buren, Van Buren District Secondary School
Tristan Blanchard of Carroll Plantation, Lee Academy

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