FROM LEFT TO RIGHT … Crystle Hagler, HR/LR Director, GM Defiance; Eric Retcher, Chairperson, UAW Local 211; Niki Moser, Spangler Candy Company; Ben Sabins, President, UAW Local 211; Robbin Wilcox, NSCC; Jani Tisovic, NSCC; John Mansel-Pleydell; Derrick Parson, Plant Director, GM Defiance; Abbey Wolfrum, United Way of Defiance County; Mary Boyd, Global Supply Chain Manager, GM Defiance. PHOTO PROVIDED
Press Release – Archbold, Ohio – Northwest State Community College (NSCC) has been selected as a $25,000 recipient of General Motors’ 2026 Community Impact Grants (CIG). The award was presented recently by GM Defiance on behalf of GM Corporate Citizenship as part of a collective $100,000 grant supporting local nonprofits dedicated to STEAM education and road safety initiatives.
Through the CIG program, facility leaders at GM Defiance select area organizations to help meet critical local needs, expand access to educational resources, and strengthen the surrounding region.
“We are proud to use our Community Impact Grants to support nonprofit organizations that create meaningful opportunities for people and families in our community,” said Derrick Parson, plant director at GM Defiance. “GM has called Defiance home for more than 78 years, and we are honored to help advance the work that keeps this community strong and vibrant.”
“We are deeply grateful to the GM Community Impact grant for their generous support,” said Robbin Wilcox, Executive Director of the NSCC Foundation, “This grant will enable us to offer hands-on learning experiences, and opportunities that engage youth and families in STEAM education in our community.”
Building the Future will expand NSCC’s growing STEAM outreach through hands-on summer camps, We Are STEM events for high school students, and a community STEAM event for youth and families. Building the Future addresses this need by providing accessible, hands-on opportunities for youth to experience robotics, engineering, technology, and problem-solving in engaging ways. NSCC shares the 2026 funding honors alongside the United Way of Defiance County and the Advanced Manufacturing Consortium.
Now in its 16th year, GM’s CIG program is distributing $5 million across 42 hometown manufacturing communities nationwide in 2026. Since 2021, GM has awarded $360,000 in community impact grants directly to Defiance-area nonprofits.
Northwest State Community College is an accredited two-year, state-assisted institution of higher education that has served northwest Ohio since 1969. Northwest State is committed to providing a quality, affordable education with personal attention and small class sizes. The College offers associate degrees with numerous transfer options, short-term certificate programs, and workforce training programs designed to meet the needs of local businesses and industries. For more information, visit NorthwestState.edu or call 419.267.5511.