News

Terracon Foundation Awards $127,700 in Grants

OLATHE, Kan. ­­– The Terracon Foundation is pleased to announce the award of $127,700 to grant recipients. The Foundation was established as the community investment arm of Terracon with a goal to reach out and become a real part of the lives of company employees and the communities where they live and work. Employees complete applications which are then reviewed and decided upon by a volunteer board of professionals.

“This past year we celebrated our 50^th year of business. We are especially thankful for the partnerships we have developed with clients that have allowed us to become a strong, prosperous company capable of giving back to our communities,” said David Gaboury, P.E., president and CEO of Terracon. “Through the Terracon Foundation and with guidance from our employees, we have been able to support a number of very deserving recipients.”

The Terracon Foundation also awards funds twice a year in the grant categories of community organizations and universities, a once-a-year grant to a national partner, and annually presents funds for scholarships supporting dependents of employees.

National Partner Grant

The Society of Women in Engineering (SWE) was the recipient of the 2015 national partner grant of $50,000. SWE is a not-for-profit educational and service organization that empowers women to succeed and advance in the field of engineering. The grant funds will be used to support the Collegiate Leadership Program which prepares female engineering students to become leaders in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). Specifically, funds will be used to host webinars during the 2015-2016 academic year, provide for 75 students to attend the Collegiate Leadership Institute in October 2016, and support the Leadership Coaching Committee.

Community Grants

Terracon awarded $52,700 in community grants to 20 local, nonprofit programs in which employees are actively engaged with an emphasis on education and the built and natural environment. Recipients include: Bicycle Cooperative of Fort Collins, Fort Collins, Colo.; Big Brothers Big Sisters of the Ozarks, Springfield, Mo.; Bonner Springs Elementary, Bonner Springs, Kan.; Bradley Central High School, Cleveland, Tenn.; Communities in Schools of San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas; Family Enrichment Center of Davenport, Davenport, Iowa; Foundation for the Edmonds School District, Lynnwood, Wash.; Great Parks Foundation, Cincinnati, Ohio; Greenspaces, Chattanooga, Tenn.; Houston Habitat for Humanity, Houston, Texas; The Literacy Lab, Kansas City, Mo.; Manara Academy, Irving, Texas; Martha Turner Reilly Parents and Teachers Association, Dallas, Texas; Niles Home for Children, Kansas City, Mo.; Salvation Army, Birmingham, Ala.; Science Pioneers, Kansas City, Mo.; Southern Arizona Environmental Management Society, Tucson, Ariz.; Systematic Tutoring Resulting in the Development of Essential Skills, Greenville, S.C.; University of New Hampshire, Manchester, N.H.; and WFR Construction Technology Career Academy, Knightdale, N.C.

University Grants

In an effort to support higher education, the Foundation also presented university grants to support graduate-level scholarships, fellowships, and programs in the areas of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The Foundation presented $25,000 to two universities: University of Illinois, Champaign, Ill., and the Virginia Tech Foundation, Blacksburg, Va.

For more information about the recent grant recipients and to learn more about the Terracon Foundation, visit terracon.com/about/foundation/terracon-foundation/.

Terracon is an employee-owned engineering consulting firm with more than 3,500 employees providing environmental, facilities, geotechnical, and materials services from more than 130 offices in 42 states nationwide. Terracon currently ranks 35th on Engineering News-Record’s list of Top 500 Design Firms. For additional information about Terracon, please visit www.terracon.com.

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