BRAINTREE — The Hundred Club of Massachusetts is excited to announce that the organization has been awarded a $50,000 grant from the Withstandley Family Charitable Foundation.
The funds will help to extend The Hundred Club’s long tradition of providing scholarships for the children of fallen firefighters and police officers lost in the line-of-duty. The Withstandley Family Charitable Foundation’s leadership gift will directly benefit the survivors of lost first responders hailing from Worcester County.
For more than 65 years, The Hundred Club of Massachusetts has been the only statewide organization solely dedicated to supporting the families of fallen first responders. When tragedy strikes, The Hundred Club provides immediate relief and stands by these families for life.
Education is one of the most powerful ways the Club fulfills that promise to the families of lost first responders.
Each year, the Club awards up to $8,000 per student in annual scholarships to the children of first responders who have lost their lives in the line of duty, helping them pursue college, trade, or vocational programs.
“These scholarships open doors, ease financial burdens, and send a powerful message: the ultimate sacrifice they have made in losing a parent will never be forgotten,” said Hundred Club Executive Director Tracie A. Hines.
Currently, The Hundred Club has no dedicated source of funds to support scholarships for the students they support. The organization works hard to raise those funds each year.
“In future years, as we widen our base of support and increase our annual revenue through increased membership revenue, grants, and corporate sponsorships, we hope to also add scholarships for those children who have lost a parent in a non-line-of-duty loss, as well,” said Hines.
The current scholarship program provides between $80,000 $100,000 to support 10 to 12 students who are pursuing higher education or vocational training programs.
“As families face rising educational costs that far outpace survivor benefits, the cost of higher education has been slipping out of reach for many middle-income families in Massachusetts,” said Hines. “At the same time, occupational cancer, suicide, and other health crises connected to service are claiming more lives each year. The Hundred Club has always believed that when one falls, we all stand up. With partnerships like this incredible gift from the Withstandley Family Charitable Foundation, we’ll pledge to continue standing for the families of fallen first responders — working to turn grief into hope, sacrifice into opportunity, and loss into a legacy of resilience.”
For more information about sponsorship opportunities, visit: Ways to Give | The 100 Club of Massachusetts.
About The Hundred Club of Massachusetts
No police officer or firefighter who dies — whether in the line of duty or not — should ever be forgotten. Since 1959, the Hundred Club of Massachusetts has been the state’s wholly dedicated charity supporting the families of our fallen heroes. The Hundred Club gives an unequivocal and unconditional promise to police officers and firefighters in Massachusetts that in the event they lose their life we will remain with their families, compassionately caring for them for the rest of their lives, ensuring that their sacrifice is never forgotten. The Hundred Club of Mass., Inc. is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization.
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