Foundation Announces Callanan Industries Student Support Fund
August 16, 2019
The Hudson Valley Community College Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of a new $25,000 Callanan Industries Student Support Fund. The fund is designed to help students enrolled in the college’s Civil Engineering, Construction, and Mechanical Engineering Technologies programs who experience unanticipated hardships that cause financial burden or who simply need additional support to complete the program. Recipients can use funds to purchase educational supplies, trade tools, or other necessary materials, or to help with additional expenses like licensing exam fees.
The first student to benefit from the newly-established fund will be Zechariah Squires. Zechariah is a proud United States military veteran who, after serving our country, returned to complete his education in Hudson Valley’s Construction Technology - Building Construction program. The Callahan Industries Student Support Fund will allow him to buy the tools he needs to complete the program successfully.
“All of us at Callanan Industries send our congratulations to Zechariah Squires, for serving our country and returning to complete his education at Hudson Valley,” said Callanan Industries President Don Fane. Fane, who served on the college’s Board of Trustees from 2003 to 2016, hopes that the fund will lead more students to pursue careers in the construction industry.
“Callanan has decided to keep our industry strong by starting a fund to support students who have chosen to pursue careers in construction technology and engineering,” said Fane. “Without these programs, our industry would be facing an even worse labor shortage than it is now. I cannot overstress the importance of well-trained students and the need for a qualified workforce, which Hudson Valley’s program provides. Many of my colleagues have been part of the construction industry for some time now, and all employ Hudson Valley graduates.”
Callanan Industries has been a supporter of the college since 1995, contributing to various scholarship funds and events and donating materials to the construction program. In 2014, they donated $45,000 in equipment and funds to establish the Callanan Industries, Inc. Construction Materials Lab at Hudson Valley for students in the Construction and Civil Engineering Technology programs.
“On behalf of the Foundation, I’d like to thank Don Fane and Callanan Industries for their generosity and commitment to Hudson Valley throughout the years,” said Hudson Valley Community College Executive Director of External and Government Affairs Regina LaGatta. “This company has been a longtime supporter of the college, and the establishment of this student support fund demonstrates that they remain wholeheartedly invested in our students’ success.”