Nataly Castano and Kristin Domenech, two graduating seniors from Lawrence High School, had huge smiles on their faces during the annual awards ceremony at Temple Emanuel in Andover.  Each student received a $3,000 scholarship from the Daniel A. Edelstein Scholarship Fund.  Henkel helped make their college dreams possible with a donation to the scholarship fund from the Henkel Smile program, which supports the volunteer projects of Henkel employees and retirees.  Domenech is planning to attend Lesley University in the fall, while Castano is headed to the Massachusetts School of Art.

Henkel retiree Joel Edelstein founded the scholarship fund in 1996 as a continuing memorial to his son, Daniel A. Edelstein, who died in the midst of his college career. The fund offers financial assistance to worthy college-bound high school seniors from Lawrence, Massachusetts.  Financial need and superior academic performance are the primary criteria for selection. Sixteen students have received scholarships since the fund was established. 

In 2007, the Henkel Smile program is funding 64 employee and retiree volunteer projects in North America with donations totaling $234,000.   Henkel sets aside over $1 million annually to support volunteer projects for children and young people all over the word.  Since 2001, the Henkel Smile program has assisted more than 45,000 children in 105 countries. In the U.S., 179 projects have been funded for children with a total sum of $965,477.

The projects initiated by employees and retirees cover a wide range of themes and all the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations, which are to be achieved by the year 2015. Through the Henkel Smile program, Henkel makes many important contributions that go beyond its business interests, helping to achieve these goals.

For example, 43 percent of the volunteer projects are aimed at improving primary education through projects that help finance school attendance. Additionally, 21 percent of the children’s projects contribute to overcoming poverty and hunger.  They include projects to help street children and orphans, provide meals, and improve drinking water wells and plants.