There are many constants in life. Some of them are pleasant like the sun shining, the sky being blue, and football season starting on time. Others are not as pleasant like the fact that there is always going to be a segment of the population that is in need of help in some way, shape or form.
The good thing about that is there will always be people like many in the self storage industry that will do what they can to help those less fortunate achieve their goals and get their basic needs met.
Many people want to pursue their education after high school, but don’t always have the means to do so. Supporting educational dreams is something that the self storage industry has been known to do. A number of facilities have their own scholarship programs.
The Self Storage Association Foundation, the non-for-profit division of the Self Storage Association, started awarding scholarships to benefit employees and family members in 2010. Recently they announced the winners of this year’s annual scholarships, and were proud to be able to assist them meet their educational goals.
“It is important to note that this scholarship program is geared to a broader group of people: needs-based rather than just scholastic, technical schools along with four-year degree schools. It is especially rewarding to help someone in true need to further their education,” said Phyllis McArthus, co-chair of the SSAF Board.
Along with helping people try to better themselves by furthering their education, a lot of self storage facilities have been known to pick people up at times they need it most like when natural disasters strike.
For example, Fort Knox Self Storage saw that many of the people in the Pennsylvania and New Jersey communities that they serve needed a place to store their belongings that were not damaged in the floods that happened when the East Coast was hit with a hurricane recently.
"We are your neighbors, our homes were affected as well, but the stores are safe and dry," said Colleen Hodgins, operations manager for Fort Knox Self Storage. "We are offering two months of free storage to anyone who needs to clean up, dry out and put their belongings in a safe place. This gives you the time to get your house back in order and prevent mold and mildew from occurring on your property."
Sources used:
“Giving Back to our Industry Through Education.” SSA Globe; September 2011.
“Free storage offered for flood victims' belongings.” Recordonline.com; 09 September 2011.