"We truly appreciate the economic impact that
Harbor Freight Tools has in our service area and your giving back to the
community by your generous contribution to the college," said Dean Chapman. "We appreciate your
employees who worked to load the trucks and deliver the tools to us!
Thank you Harbor Freight team for giving us 'Christmas in August!'"
Thanks to the $100,000
gift of tools and equipment from Harbor Freight Tools and Eric Smidt, CEO, hundreds of students at
NETC, Marlboro
County School District, Dillon County Technology
Center, Marion County Academy of Careers and Technology and AMI Kids
Sand Hills will benefit from higher quality industrial education
programs. The donation, in addition to promoting creativity and
innovation, will encourage students to turn their passions into
paychecks.
"Vocational training in public schools has been
neglected and underfunded for far too long," said Eric Smidt, CEO of Harbor Freight Tools.
"We want to help our public schools train the next generation of
plumbers, carpenters, electricians and mechanics. With our tools in
these South
Carolina classrooms, we can help thousands of
students work their way toward meaningful, higher paying careers."
After the delivery to the Marion County Academy
for Careers and Technology (ACT), Director Darrell
Jameson said, "On behalf of the students and staff, we
thank Harbor Freight Tools for their generous donation of tools and
supplies. They will be used to further instruction in the Automotive
Technology Program, the Automotive Collision Repair Technology Program,
and the Construction Trades Program. We truly believe that partnerships
like this will have a lasting impact on the lives of the students and
encourage them to do their best in school when provided with excellent
equipment."
Harbor Freight invited the schools' career
education instructors to compile "wish" lists. And the lists were
long—they asked for and received more than 470 items. All will be put to
good use in the industrial education programs for careers in
manufacturing, electronics and many other fields.
