PSS, NMTI get $284K worth of donations and scholarships

Students of the Public School System and the Northern Marianas Trade Institute were named major recipients of thousands of dollars worth of donations and scholarship from Tan Holdings as the company celebrates its 40th year of doing business in Micronesia.

Led by Tan Holdings board chair Dr. Tan Siu Lin, a total of $284,000 worth of donations and scholarship grants were presented to school administrators and education officials.

Four public schools on Tinian and Rota received sports equipment totaling $8,000. Tinian Elementary School, Tinian Junior and Senior High School, Sinapalo Elementary School, and Dr. Rita Hocog Inos Jr. & Sr. High School each got $2,000 worth of sports equipment.

NMTI founder and owner Anthony Pellegrino was presented with a $16,000 scholarship assistance that will assist 40 of the institute’s students in their school fees and training. The scholars will be selected at a later date.

Tan Holdings president Jerry Tan said the scholarship donation to the trades institute will become an annual tradition to demonstrate the company’s commitment to developing the local workforce.

Education Commissioner Rita A. Sablan, Board of Education chair Marylou S. Ada, along with secondary school principals, were presented with 5,000 pieces of laptop sleeves that will be given away to all junior and high school students in the CNMI. The donation is worth $100,000. According to Jerry Tan, the company decided to donate these laptop sleeves so that students will take care of the laptops given them by PSS.

PSS, using American Reinvestment and Recovery Act funds, procured thousands of laptops for its middle and high school students starting last school year.

Both Ada and Sablan said they are grateful of all the donations received by public schools yesterday from Tan Holdings.

“It’s really a great opportunity for PSS to receive this kind of support. On behalf of the 11,000 students at public schools, we express our sincere appreciation to Tan Holdings. I call this a wonderful opportunity because it’s really enriching the lives of students,” Sablan told Saipan Tribune yesterday.

Another donation was the “Baskets of Hope,” which contained assorted food items worth $400 each. The Tan family, with the help of PSS, will donate the baskets of goodies to 400 indigent families in the community. The total cost of this donation is $160,000.

The presentation of donations was witnessed by key leaders in government, including Gov. Benigno R. Fitial, CNMI Delegate Gregorio Kilili C. Sablan, Senate President Paul A. Manglona, and House Speaker Eli Cabrera.