Kerry Higgs (Rotary Club), Noel Sheehy (BOCES Principal) & Jack Bares (Bares Circle Solutions)

(10/10/2008)
Local Organizations
Help Deserving
BOCES Students

The spirit and generosity within Ellicottville continues to shine as two local foundations continue to make a difference. The Rotary Club of Ellicottville and Circle Solution’s Tool Circle program have joined together to aid local BOCES students in the Automotive Tech program located at the BOCES center in Ellicottville.

The Auto Tech program is of the highest caliber and requires that students train with the same types of tools used in the industry. Realizing the importance of having the right tools to learn, and understanding that some families may have a difficult time purchasing the tools, the Rotary Club and Circle Solutions have decided to award tool sets to 2 deserving students each year.

The first recipient will be an incoming student or first year student in the Auto Tech program. The starter set will include a toolbox filled with screwdrivers, ratchet wrenches, pliers and combination wrenches, all of which are necessary to begin the program. The set will be awarded to a deserving student within the first few weeks of school.

The second recipient will be a graduating senior from the program. This recipient will receive a more complex toolset, filled with many of the tools needed to embark on a career. The student will be awarded in June of each year during the BOCES Ellicottville graduation ceremony.

The Ellicottville BOCES center will make the final determination for each recipient based on merit, financial need and overall commitment to the program. The Auto Tech program is a State Education Department Approved Career and Technical Education Program. The curriculum has passed rigorous reviews by representatives of the industry, community and component schools.

The Rotary Foundation for Youth is a public charity non-profit foundation with 501(c)3 status, which was established to enhance the lives of the young people in our area. The major fundraiser for this charity is the “Michael Kerns Starz for Youth Ball” which was held on Friday, October 3rd.