Peoples Awards $25,000 in Scholarships to 10 Maine High School Students

Part of the bank's 'Peoples Promise' program

Ten Maine high school seniors who graduated in the spring of 2000 were awarded $2,500 each by Peoples Heritage Bank as part of the bank's annual "Peoples Promise" scholarship program to reward Maine students for academic excellence and help offset their higher education costs.

The students were recognized this week at an awards luncheon sponsored by the bank and featuring Joan Benoit Samuelson, the 1984 Olympic gold medal marathoner who serves as a spokesperson for the bank. The scholarships are being administered by the Maine Educational Services. Peoples Heritage Bank has pledged $250,000 to establish a 10-year scholarship fund to help young people in Maine attain marketable skills through education.

Students receiving the $2,500 scholarships were: Lauren Roche of Portland, a senior at Portland High School; Jonathan Bird of Standish, a senior at Bonny Eagle High School; Jonathan Bradstreet of Bridgewater, a senior at Central Aroostook High School; Heather Correll of Machias, a senior at Machias Memorial High School; Abby Gross of Stonington, a senior at Deer Isle-Stonington High School; Jasper Hotchkiss and William Hotchkiss III of Harborside, seniors at George Stevens Academy; Matthew Reading of Auburn, a senior at Edward Little High School; Jason Turcotte of Poland, a senior at Westbrook High School; and Tiffany Watson of Rockland, a senior at Rockland District High School.

"Peoples is committed to expanding the opportunities available to Maine youth," said Meg Dempsey, the Director of Public Affairs at Peoples Heritage Bank. "This scholarship program is one way we can give back to the communities we serve and help make a difference in the lives of young people in our state."

Scholarship recipients also are offered a three-month paid internship at Peoples Heritage Bank. The Peoples Promise 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 more than 400 hours in classrooms throughout the year to teach more than 1,000 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 and others. The annual Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K Road Race, held in Cape Elizabeth, also benefits a different children's charity each year. This year's race, which will be held on August 5, will benefit Turning Point Farm in New Gloucester.

Peoples Heritage Bank is a Maine-based bank with 69 branches throughout the state, five of which operate at Oxford Bank & Trust, a subsidiary of the bank.