In an effort to bring recognition towards the importance of trade schools, officials from Riverside City College revealed on April 21 it has received a donation of a new printing press, valued at $1 million.
The new machinery replaces an outdated 50-year-old model and came from Janet Steiner, former CEO of Corona-based Thoro Packaging, a printing, folding, and manufacturing company founded in 1967.
Steiner said through her donation, she hopes to create a “ripple effect,” for others to follow her path in promoting trades, donating equipment, or offering scholarships.
“I am a firm believer that not all high schoolers are geared for a four-year college and that trades are a great alternative,” she told The Epoch Times.
The donated machine can print up to 15,000 pages per hour, and will be used by students in the school’s applied digital marketing division to learn digital workflow, automation, packaging, and print production.
According to Patrick Scullin, director of the school’s printing graphics program, the new machine is for students taking advanced commercial printing classes, which gives students hands-on experience.
Scullin said contrary to public opinion, printing is still a stable career.
“There’s this myth that printing is dead, but it’s not. It’s in multiple different areas. You’ve got signs and banners, packaging and posters. Everything you buy is printed. So we try to give students a complete experience,” he said.
Steiner said her desire for such philanthropy began five years ago when she sold her company, wanting to “give back to something that has made my life so great,” she said.
Some students said they had been eagerly awaiting the new machine.
“I started the program two years ago, but I actually waited to take my advanced classes until the new press showed up,” Iris Meriat, 32, a student enrolled in the applied digital marketing program and Riverside resident, told The Epoch Times.
Aaron Hayes, 32, said he is looking forward to learning how to print his own business cards on the new printing press, and the donation only elevates the program.
“I’m learning from industry experts who have been doing this for over 20 plus years, so they know what they’re talking about,” he told The Epoch Times.
And Rafael Herrera, 20, one of the program’s current students, said he never imagined working on a printing press.
“I would just say for people considering taking different avenues that you’re not expecting, just seize the opportunity if it presents itself,” he said.
Plans for more equipment donations from Steiner are already in the works, with a digital cutting system—which cuts, folds, and creases paper—worth about $125,000 coming to the school soon.
The printing press’s manufacturer, Georgia-based Heidelberg USA, also announced last October it will offer $5,000 scholarships for the next five years to students wanting to learn in the college’s program.
Riverside City College Interim President FeRita Carter thanked both after the donation was announced at a gathering that brought a crowd of over 100 industry experts, students, and staff.
“Thank you to Jan Steiner and Heidelberg USA for all that you do. … We hope that your labor and love create a ripple effect and demonstrate how heartfelt philanthropy can change our students’ lives as well as change their future,” she said.
