Peoples to Award $25,000 in Scholarships to 10 Maine High School Seniors

Part of the bank's 'Peoples Promise' program

High school seniors headed to college this fall may now apply online for scholarships awarded each year by Peoples Heritage Bank as part of the bank’s nationally recognized “Peoples Promise” program created to help Maine youth.

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

For more information or to obtain an application, go to www.mesfoundation.com, or call the MES Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that is administering the scholarship program for Peoples, at 1-800-922-6352.

“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 who aspire to attain a college degree.”

Awards are based on financial need, academic achievement, involvement in school activities, community volunteer activity, work experience, and a required essay. The application deadline is April 15. Scholarship recipients will be announced in June.

Scholarship applications are available online at the web site of the MES Foundation. 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 an optional three-month paid internship position with Peoples after their first year of post-secondary education.

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.

Also part of the bank’s initiative is sponsorship of the annual Groundhog Job Shadow Day, organized by Junior Achievement. The event, to be held February 2, allows students to see what a real job is like.

Additionally, Peoples’ charitable giving is focused on organizations providing support to children, including 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.

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.

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