MECHANICVILLE — The employee-funded DeCrescente Scholarship Fund has awarded $12,000 in scholarships to 24 children of DDC employees for the fall 2022 semester. Established in 1995, the scholarship fund has given more than $480,000 in financial assistance to DeCrescente Distributing Company employees and their children since its inception almost 30 years ago.
“We are so proud of everything our scholarship recipients have accomplished already, and as they continue to pursue their dreams in higher education, we hope that our scholarship award can provide some financial relief for the cost of tuition and textbooks,” said Michael O’Malley, DeCrescente’s Vice President of Beer Sales & Marketing and member of the DeCrescente Scholarship Fund Committee.
Over the years, the scholarship fund has transitioned from company funded to now being 100 percent funded by employees through voluntary payroll deductions. Currently, about 160 DDC employees contribute to the fund. Candidates can apply for the award every semester they attend college, but they must meet certain eligibility criteria, including attending school full-time and meeting GPA requirements. The $12,000 allocation is the first of two awards that will be granted for the 2022-23 academic year, with the next rollout coming ahead of the spring 2023 semester.
