ROCHESTER, NY, 2014-5-28 — /EPR Retail News/ — Wegmans Food Markets has announced that the Wegmans Employee Scholarship Program will award college tuition assistance to 1,766 new recipients for the upcoming academic year. Wegmans expects to pay out more than $4.91 million in tuition assistance to both new and returning scholarship recipients during the 2014/2015 school year.
Click here to view the list of this year’s scholarship recipients organized by area and store.
Since the program began in 1984, more than 30,000 Wegmans employees have been awarded scholarships totaling $95 million. The first class of Wegmans scholarship recipients in the 1984/1985 academic year included 241 employees with scholarships totaling $280,000.
“My grandfather established this long-standing tradition with the aim of helping young people succeed,” says Wegmans President Colleen Wegman. “The program has grown considerably, and we’re proud to continue helping our people reach their academic and career goals.”
All Wegmans stores will offer a free cake celebration for employees and customers on Saturday June 7, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in recognition of scholarship recipients and graduates.
Part-time employee scholarship recipients are eligible to receive up to $1,500 a year for four years (a maximum of $6,000), and full-time employees can receive up to $2,200 a year for four years (up to $8,800 total). No limit is placed on the number of scholarships awarded each year and no restrictions are made on a student’s course of study. Recipients may choose any area of study from an accredited college and enter any field they desire upon graduation. Many scholarship winners, however, have stayed with Wegmans after college, continuing career growth within the company.
To receive a scholarship, Wegmans employees must meet work-performance criteria. Eligibility is also based on a minimum number of work hours over a specified time period. Scholarship applications are evaluated by a team from Wegmans.
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Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. is an 84-store supermarket chain with stores in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland, and Massachusetts. The family-owned company, founded in 1916, is recognized as an industry leader and innovator. Wegmans has been named one of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For’ by FORTUNE magazine for 17 consecutive years. In 2014, Wegmans ranked #12 on the list.
Contact Information:
Jo Natale, director of media relations 585-429-3627
Evelyn Carter, consumer affairs manager (Syracuse media only), 315-546-1110
Michele Mehaffy, consumer affairs manager (Buffalo media only), 716-685-8170