Madisonville's Autoliv safety belt & air bag assembly plant announced April 14 their commitment to donate $100,000 to Madisonville Community College's Fulfilling the Promise Gifts Campaign.

The gift was announced by Plant Manager Jim Hart at the Madisonville-Hopkins County Chamber of Commerce office. The lead gift is the fifth such gift at this level received by the college for Fulfilling the Promise, and will be designated to the Quality Endowment, the campaign's number one funding priority. In recognition of this gift, the college's Workforce Development area will be renamed in honor of Autoliv.

In making the gift announcement, Hart, who along with Human Resources Manager Alison Sanderson has helped the college with planning and implementation of the overall five-county campaign, said that the college, and specifically the quality endowment, ensures fiscal resources for employee development and equipment purchases that directly benefit area manufacturers. "Our college has many strengths, and being a local college, they understand local employers' needs, especially our changing needs. Having a trained workforce simply makes our companies more profitable. I think the Quality Endowment strengthens the college's ability to serve us and other manufacturers, and interest from the endowment can be used to better prepare faculty, who can in turn provide better instruction and training."

The gift is the largest that MCC has received from a Hopkins County manufacturer since Alliance Laundry Systems provided a $50,000 gift to the college in 1997, during the Partners in Progress effort. MCC President Dr. Judy Rhoads sees Autoliv's generosity as not only providing a direct financial benefit, but also serves as a wonderful example for others as well. "If other friends of the college follow Autoliv's example, our Quality Endowment will continue to strengthen our academic programs, and scholarship opportunities will be more available to our credit students and those enrolled in our workforce development programs as well."

Joining Hart, Sanderson, and Rhoads at the announcement were: Steve Cox, Fulfilling the Promise Chairman; Danny Koon, Hopkins County Economic Development Director; Lisa Miller, Director of the Chamber of Commerce; John Peters, Campaign Manager; and Mike Davenport, MCC's Director of Community & Economic Development. The Fulfilling the Promise campaign will continue throughout 2004.