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Community

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom shows its commitment to the communities we serve through the various community relations programs we maintain.

Civic Organizations

WCVT Contributions Committee

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom maintains a Contributions Committee consisting of employees, who review and assess requests from the community for financial support. For more information, contact Lorraine Keener at (802) 496-8379.

Download the Application

Employees volunteer to setup for the Vermont Special Olympics Summer Games.

Scholarships

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom provides a scholarship entitled the Eunice B. Farr Incentive Award to each public high school that students from our service area attend. This includes: CVU High School, Harwood Union High School, Mount Abraham Union High School, Vergennes, Middlebury Union High, and Mount Mansfield Union High School.

The criteria of the scholarship is as follows “the award should be presented to a graduating senior that plans subsequent education, be it college or trade school. The faculty should select an individual that has shown a steady improvement in his or her academics, but is not necessarily at the top of the class. The award is designed to benefit a hard working graduate that his or her instructors have found to demonstrate a sincere effort to improve grades/results and plans continuing education.”

WCVT lends a hand to Pick for Your Neighbor program at Boyer’s Orchard in Monkton.

FRS (The Foundation for Rural Service) Scholarships & Grants

The FRS is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Arlington, Va., that serves rural communities across the United States. Established in 1994 by the NTCA, which Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is a member of, the FRS educates the public about the benefits of a nationwide telecommunications network and promotes rural connectivity as an essential link in this network. FRS believes that rural communities—regardless of their size or location—deserve the same connection to the world as do residents of urban areas. FRS supports rural telcos by providing information, products and educational opportunities to increase their community involvement.

For more information and applications, visit the FRS website at www.frs.org or contact Lorraine M. Keener at 800-496-3391 or email lkeener@corp.wcvt.com.

FRS Grant Program

As part of its ongoing commitment to rural communities across the country, the Foundation for Rural Service provides annual grants for communities served by NTCA members. The goal of this program is to support local efforts to build and sustain a high quality of life in rural America. Grants will be concentrated in four major areas:

  • Business Development
  • Community Development
  • Education
  • Telecommunications

Grants can range from $250 to $5000 that go back in to rural communities, every year.

FRS grants will allow rural communities to take that first step towards a project or plan that can help better the lives of those around them – whether it is smart boards in schools, a Main Street beautification project, better agricultural equipment for farms, start-up money for young entrepreneurs, or basic computer classes. These funds help rural Americans invest in their communities in meaningful ways.

The Foundation will give priority to proposals that foster collaboration among different community agencies, and local government, reflect a comprehensive approach to community development, promote community participation and engagement, and make rural communities a better place to live and work.

Grant Information

FRS College Scholarship Program

WCVT is proud to partner with the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) College Scholarship Program. The foundation annually awards scholarships to an exceptional group of rural students for their first year of college or vocational school. FRS has awarded over $1 million in scholarships since its inception, empowering rural students throughout the country to advance their communities with invaluable skill sets and experiences. All applicants require sponsorship by an NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association member com­pany, which includes WCVT.

As your local telecommunications service provider, it’s our pleasure to offer this national scholarship program in our service area. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior and an active customer or whose parents or legal guardian are active customers of WCVT and reside full-time in the WCVT service area.

Application deadline is February 16, 2024. For more information and to apply online, visit the FRS website at www.frs.org or contact Lorraine M. Keener at 802-496-8379 or lkeener@corp.wcvt.com.

Scholarship Information

Employee hangs flag for Memorial Day celebration in Waitsfield.

FRS Youth Tour

High-School Students – Apply To Win A Trip To Washington DC! 

Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom in conjunction with the Foundation for Rural Service is sponsoring a contest for high school students to win what has been referred to by past attendees as a “trip of a lifetime”. One high school student will be selected to receive an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, D.C. to participate in the Foundation for Rural Service (FRS) Youth Tour,  June 2 – 6, 2025. Student will join more than 100 other high school students from rural communities all across the United States that are sponsored by their local telecommunications company to attend.

FRS is the foundation of NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association of which Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom is an active member. Since 1995, FRS has hosted the Youth Tour to thousands of high school students. The Youth Tour is a chance for students to visit our nation’s capital and learn about rural broadband, share their community’s story with key legislative, regulatory and government figures as well as a forum for them to meet and interact with their peers from other rural communities. For more information on the Foundation for Rural Service Youth Tour, visit: FRS Youth Tour.

To Qualify, Students and/or their Parents:

  • Must receive their telephone and/or high-speed Internet service from Waitsfield and Champlain Valley Telecom.
  • Participant MUST be high school student, age 16 or 17 at the time of the Youth Tour.
  • Must have parental authorization.

For more information:

Visit: FRS Youth Tour or contact Lorraine Keener at lkeener@corp.wcvt.com or call (802) 496-8379.

Important Dates:

  • October 31, 2024 – Registration Opens 
  • April 1, 2025 – Last Day to Register