By Valerie Christopher
Enquirer contributor

COLLEGE HILL - General Electric celebrated 75 years of volunteerism Thursday and the completion of 110 community service projects in 75 days by donating $180,000 to support children.

In a ceremony at Aiken High School in College Hill, the GE Foundation presented $80,000 to the school. It represented the final payment of a $250,000 grant in support of GE's College Bound program.

The program began in 1985 at Aiken, GE's partner in education, and has contributed to an increase in the number of graduates going on to college, from less than 5 percent to more than 60 percent.

The grant brings the GE Foundation's total support of Aiken to more than $1.5 million, said Paula Kollstedt, manager of public relations for GE Aircraft Engines.

The foundation also gave $100,000 toward a half-million dollar grant for efforts to enrich math excellence at Aiken and Chase Elementary in Northside.

More than 2,000 GE employees are part of the 5,000-member Greater Cincinnati GE Elfun Volunteers Chapter, the largest of 140 chapters worldwide.

These employees also marked the completion this week of 110 service projects in 75 days, thanks to 8,000 volunteer hours.

Among those projects:

• Refurbishing the Kids Helping Kids center.

• Building a playground at Sawyer Point as part of Cincinnati's "1,000 Hands" project.

• Painting a dining room at the Lincoln Heights Senior Center.

After learning of the GE gift, hundreds of Aiken students broke into applause.

"This school isn't rich, and it makes me happy to know that a powerful company cares," said senior Stephanie Simms, 17, of College Hill.