Crown Holdings Inc. (crowncork.com), a leading supplier of metal packaging products worldwide, has selected 97 recipients for the 2016 John F. Connelly Scholarship Fund. The fund, established in 1992 to mark Crown’s centennial anniversary, provides one-year post-secondary educational scholarships to the children of Crown employees around the world. Over the last 25 years, the program has attracted approximately 18,500 applicants and has awarded over $3.8 million dollars to 1,873 children.

This year’s winners were chosen from 685 applications, representing 110 Crown locations in 25 countries. Thirty-four recipients are from Europe, 33 are from the U.S. and Canada, 12 are from Latin America, nine are from Asia and nine are from the Middle East.

John F. Connelly, who served as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Crown for 33 years, was instrumental in steering the Company through challenging financial times and had an indelible impact on shaping its business. Connelly was well known for his commitment and loyalty to the Crown corporate family, encouraged self-improvement and provided numerous opportunities for employee growth.

“Supporting post-secondary education for the children of Crown employees around the world is a fitting way to honor the legacy of a key leader in our corporate history,” says Fred Leh, director, human resources, CROWN Beverage Packaging North America. “The scholarship fund is also a lasting example of our commitment to support the communities in which we operate and the future workforce. Crown offers its congratulations to all of the 2016 scholarship recipients, as well as all of the applicants for their outstanding academic achievements.”