Businessman establishes scholarship to help carpentry students

Greg Green, the chairman and chief executive officer of the regional telecommunication company OneEighty Networks, believes strongly in giving back to the community. That is why he recently established a scholarship to support carpentry students at North Idaho College.

As an entrepreneur, Green has established multiple successful businesses and said he believes that individuals and corporations have a responsibility to give back. His mission statement even states “… from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded and from the one whom has been entrusted with much, much will be asked…” Luke 12:48.

As part of his mission to give back, Green founded the Greg Green Foundation 15 years ago. One of the goals of the foundation is to provide scholarships to local high school students overcoming life-challenging circumstances.

“I believe people should dream big and have access to education and training to help them succeed,” said Green, a 1981 graduate of Coeur d’Alene High School. “Education is a key factor in any individual’s ability to maintain a comfortable lifestyle and earn a living for his or her family; I want to help those individuals get that start.”

The newly established scholarship at NIC is called the Vincent Award by the Greg Green Foundation, named in memory of Green’s grandparents, Vincent and Izzy Wolf. Green said his grandfather, a carpenter, was his inspiration when growing up in Coeur d’Alene.

The scholarship will support the local community by targeting high school students who have demonstrated a good work ethic and good interpersonal skills and are interested in carpentry.

The first Vincent Award will be awarded in 2007, however Green has committed to funding the scholarship for five years through the NIC Foundation for a total of $17,750.

Scholarship applications for the Vincent Award are available in the NIC Financial Aid Office in Lee-Kildow Hall on NIC’s main Coeur d’Alene campus or can be downloaded at http://www.nic.edu/ financialaid/Scholarships/ Application/scholapp.pdf.