Corning Donations Help Repair Damaged School
September 2009
Hundreds of school children in a remote Western China community are now able to sleep soundly and safely, thanks to Corning’s donations to rebuild a dormitory badly damaged during the 2008 Sichuan Province earthquake. Corning has also pledged contributions toward a new science lab at the school.
Corning China leaders invited students and staff from the Yangling School to Corning Cable Systems’ Chengdu plant last month for a ceremony to celebrate the opening of the new dormitory. For many of the school children, it was their first trip to a large city – and the plant visit gave them a glimpse of opportunities they might have in the future.
Corning’s involvement with Yangling School began last year as Western China began to dig out from under the rubble of the devastating 7.9-magnitude earthquake. Yangling School, located about 400 kilometers from Chengdu, has served its surrounding county for nearly 100 years – and the dormitory is an essential part of school operations, since rural children often live many miles away and only return home on weekends.
Because of its remote location, the school ran into difficulties receiving government funding for rebuilding its damaged facilities. Through partnership with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation, Corning designated RMB 666,000 (almost $98,000 USD) to rebuild the dormitory. Construction began in April and the dorm was ready to accommodate 500 students when the fall semester began last month.
At the Chegndu plant ceremony, Corning presented the school with another donation of RMB 50,000 (about $7,000 USD) to help establish a school science lab. The company plans an ongoing commitment to Yangling students with lab equipment and other donations in the future.
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