CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Township Community Chest has raised a total of $377,960 so far for its 2015 Project of the Year.

The chest has a goal of raising $500,000 for the project, which is an initiative to recruit and retain more volunteer firefighters in Butler County.

That money includes buying two emergency trailers that will be shared by each fire department in the county.

Those trailers, which have been ordered and should arrive by the end of May, will be for training, recruitment and educational purposes.

Bruce Mazzoni, treasurer of the Community Chest, said he is in process of putting the final touches on the design of the trailers.

Every person who donated to the firefighter initiative will have their name put on one of the two trailers, Mazzoni said, although anyone wanting to be on a trailer will have to donate by May 1.

“I do expect donations to continue after that,” Mazzoni said. “We’re dealing with some people who realize they won’t get their name on the trailer, but it’s not a big issue for them.”

The Community Chest will continue to solicit donations after that date. Anyone wanting to donate can visit the chest’s website at www.ctcchest.org.

Mazzoni expects to have an official dedication ceremony for the trailers in late May or early June.

The rest of the money will go to establishing 18 scholarships at Butler County Community College. Anyone who pledges two years of service to a volunteer fire department will be eligible for a scholarship.

The most recent round of donations includes a $5,000 gift from Victory Family Church, a $375 donation from Bruce Hezlep, $125 from Joseph Boguslawski and Sunbeam Travel, $100 from Cliff and Kerrie Moll, $50 from Jennifer and Chris Mager and Evelyn Borden and $25 from Bill and Jan Shaffer and Thomas Otway.