TCI of NY Awards Environmental and Agriculture Scholarship to Valatie Student

GHENT, NY (11/01/2012)(readMedia)-- Ichabod Crane High School graduate Chris Korycinski of Valatie is the latest recipient of TCI of NY LLC's Environmental and Agriculture Scholarship.

Chris received a $1,000 scholarship from the Ghent-based company to help further his studies in dairy management at Morrisville State College's School of Agriculture and Natural Resources. The college is located in central New York and is a part of the State University of New York system.

Chris has worked full-time during the summer and part-time throughout the school year for the past three years at A. Ooms & Sons Inc., a dairy farm in Valatie. His work on the Ooms farm, considered a model for smaller-scale agricultural operations, led to his interest in pursuing studies in dairy management. At Morrisville, his education includes working in the state-of-the-art dairy complex that houses more than 200 milking cows.

TCI of NY established the scholarship in 2006, when it took ownership of the local site in Ghent, and has awarded $6,000 in scholarships to date. The scholarship is awarded annually to a local student studying environmental science or agriculture; TCI upholds a goal of educating students and raising awareness in the community about how the company recycles transformers and other electrical equipment in an environmentally safe way, as an alternative to disposal in landfills.

"We established this scholarship as another way to give back to the community where we work and live," said Brian Hemlock, vice president of operations and owner/partner. "As a company, we have always felt that it was important to help support students with an interest in the environment. Encouraging future generations to be responsible and protect the environment is one of our core values at TCI of NY."

Kathy Korycinski, Chris's mother, thanked TCI of NY for awarding the annual scholarship, thereby "making an investment that gives back to the local community and encourages students to return to Columbia County in jobs related to agriculture and the environment."

TCI of NY Supports Community

The company supports many other local non-profits and organizations, including the Taconic Hills Little League and West Ghent Fire Company. This past June, it was one of the sponsors of The Walk for Hospice in Albany. Over the past year, TCI of NY has helped residents in the Greene County town of Prattsville who suffered devastating losses from Hurricane Irene by donating supplies for a holiday gift basket fund-raising drive. The company also supports The Sylvia Center at Katchkie Farm, a garden-to-table program in Kinderhook that inspires young people to discover good nutrition on the farm and in the kitchen.

About TCI of NY

TCI of NY LLC partners with utilities, power producers and industrial companies to provide sustainable solutions for the environmentally safe disposal, recycling and retirement of oil-filled non-hazardous electrical equipment. Through its core recycling services, the company helps to reduce the total volume of aging transformers sent to landfills throughout the U.S.