Welch's National Announces Scholarship Honoring Former Chairman

CONCORD, Mass., June 28, 2006

Welch’s announced today that it will make a $50,000 contribution to endow a scholarship for the sons and daughters of grape growers and employees in Washington state.

The scholarship, which will be endowed through contributions over the next five years, will be named the National/Welch’s Fred Kilian Memorial Scholarship. Kilian, a grape grower who served as the president of National Grape and chairman of the Welch’s board, was an ardent supporter of education. A resident of Outlook, Wash., Kilian served on the Sunnyside School Board of Education from 1981-2004 and was a proud recipient of the Sunnyside School District Wall of Fame. He passed away in the fall of 2004 at the age of 64.

The scholarship will be administered by the Community Foundation of North Central Washington. Criteria for the awarding of the scholarship include a student’s GPA, community involvement, recommendations and attendance at a post-secondary institution.

The sons and daughters of members of the National Grape Cooperative and employees of Welch’s will receive first preference in being awarded the scholarship. There will be one $1,000 scholarship awarded, beginning in 2007, and continuing through 2009. Once the scholarship is fully endowed, beginning in 2010, two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded annually.

"Welch’s and National have a long tradition of supporting the communities where their employees and growers live and work," noted Dan Dillon, Welch’s president and CEO. "No one valued community involvement and education more than Fred. This is certainly a wonderful way to honor his memory."

Randy Graham, president of the National Grape Cooperative echoed Dillon’s sentiments. "Fred was passionately devoted to his family, to growing grapes and to education. This scholarship would make him feel very proud, and we’re proud to be able to name it after such an outstanding person as Fred."

The Community Foundation of North Central Washington will publicize more information about the scholarship next year and will distribute information about the scholarship to area schools and guidance counselors.

Welch’s, the National Grape Cooperative’s processing and marketing subsidiary, is the world’s leading provider of Concord and Niagara grape-based products, including grape juice and jelly.  The company also produces a variety of other fruit-based products, including 100% juices and juice cocktails in the following forms: bottled, refrigerated, single-serve, and frozen and shelf-stable concentrates.  National Grape has some 1,300 grower-owners in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Washington state and the province of Ontario, Canada, and is headquartered in Westfield, N.Y.

National’s website can be found at: http://www.nationalgrape.com

For more information, contact:
The Community Foundation of North Central Washington
Telephone: 509-663-7716
Website: http://www.cfncw.org

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