W.R. Hotchkiss founded Deluxe Check Printers in 1915. After his death, his daughter, Mrs. Lillian Hotchkiss Austin, established the scholarship program as a memorial. As a former schoolteacher, Mrs. Austin hoped to help further the education of dependents of Deluxe employees. Over time, the scholarship endowment has grown thanks to the additional funding of Deluxe retirees and their families.
Scholarship America spoke with Alex Goodwin, Foundation & Community Engagement Manager at Deluxe about the legacy of W.R. Hotchkiss and how scholarship programs can help companies like Deluxe thrive.
How does the W.R. Hotchkiss Foundation Scholarship Program complement your other educational and talent development initiatives?
This scholarship program complements the educational initiatives of Deluxe and the Deluxe Corporation Foundation, which are to provide grant funding and support to nonprofit organizations supporting youth education and financial literacy. With a direct focus on financial literacy to educate youth on how to budget and save money, our work teaches young people accountability with their finances and helps set the stage for them to achieve their financial goals.
Why does Deluxe feel it’s so important to invest in scholarships for the dependents of employees?
Students are our future leaders, and our investment in scholarships prepares young adults to make a contribution to society. Being able to ease some of the financial burden for our employees and their dependents could make all the difference in the world for their career path.
What impact does the W.R. Hotchkiss Foundation Scholarship Program have on your recruitment and retention efforts?
Being able to offer the W.R. Hotchkiss Foundation Scholarship Program to dependents of Deluxe employees benefits our recruitment efforts by showing our commitment and investment to education. Employees feel valued and supported by having the ability to participate in this program, aiding in overall retention.
How have your employees responded to this initiative?
I have heard from numerous parents over the years about how impactful the scholarship was for their student and how grateful they are to work for a company that offers this to their dependents.
What advice would you give to future applicants?
I would encourage every student who is eligible to apply, even if they have applied in previous years and did not receive a scholarship. The W.R. Hotchkiss Foundation awards scholarships to 25% of applicants, which is the maximum allowed by the IRS. The more students that apply, the more scholarships we are able to award.
Source link
All Materials on this website/blog are only for Learning & Educational purposes. It is strictly recommended to buy the products from the original owner/publisher of these products. Our intention is not to infringe any copyright policy. If you are the copyright holder of any of the content uploaded on this site and don’t want it to be here. Instead of taking any other action, please contact us. Your complaint would be honored, and the highlighted content will be removed instantly.