Dec 22, 2002 3 min read

Reaching Educational Achievement with Community Help (REACH) announced that for the second consecutive year it has received nearly $70,000 from 19 local companies and individuals. The most recent contributor is Uniontown Newspapers Inc., publisher of the Herald-Standard, which made a $1,500 contribution.

REACH is the Fayette County education/business partnership directed by local businesses in collaboration with the six school districts in the county to help narrow the gap between the knowledge and skills attained by graduates and those needed in today’s high-tech workplace.

Five local companies – the PNC subsidiary, Hilliard Lions, Laurel Business Institute, Neubauer’s Flowers and Ohiopyle Prints – have helped the education partnership’s effort by electing to direct their tax dollars to REACH initiatives through the Educational Improvement Tax Credit Incentive Program (EITC), offered by the state Department of Community and Economic Development.

Leo Krantz, chairman of Fay-Penn Economic Development Council, which administers REACH, said of the EITC, “This program offers businesses the opportunity to put their tax dollars to work in Fayette County by electing to direct them to specific educational enhancement efforts that are part of REACH’s strategic plan. All it takes is the completion of a one-page form.”

“With this contribution, the Herald-Standard continues to demonstrate its commitment to REACH and Fayette County,” said Herald-Standard Publisher Val Laub, who has served as a business co-chairman for the initiative since its official organization in 2001.

“I believe the accomplishments of REACH to date speak for themselves. One such success is the Manufacturing Pathway Initiative (MPI) that the Herald-Standard actively participated in by sponsoring a high school intern this past summer. MPI is one example of an educational enhancement program that gives students real-world, hands-on experience in preparation for entry into the work force or post-secondary education upon graduation,’ he said.

Also contributing to the initiative are Robert E. and Eloise Eberly, Joseph A. Hardy III and Hardy Family Trust, Stahl’s Hotronix, Advanced Acoustics Concepts, Berkley Medical Resources, First National Bank of Pennsylvania, International Liner, Nemacolin Woodlands, United Defense, Verizon, Gerome Manufacturing, Jackson Farms, Laurel Caverns Geological Park, McMillen Engineering and the Westmoreland/Fayette Workforce Investment Board.

These contributions support curriculum enhancement in Fayette County schools such as MPI, Keys to Work, professional development for educators, public awareness programs and professional services from the International Center for Leadership in Education administered by REACH.

All contributions to REACH are tax deductible under Fay-Penn’s 501C-3 designation. To learn about REACH and the EITC, call Barb Gibel, education/work force development manager at 724-437-7913.