CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Township Community Chest’s 2015 Project of the Year is almost at its end after officials have raised more than $388,000 for the initiative to recruit and retain more volunteer firefighters in Butler County.

The fundraising campaign has been ongoing since July.

Part of that money has already gone to buy two emergency trailers for educational, training and recruitment purposes to be used by any fire department in the county.

Those trailers, which will be inscribed with the names of people who donated to the project, cost a total of $150,000 and are expected to arrive in the middle of June.

Bruce Mazzoni, treasurer of the Community Chest, said anyone who still wants their name on one of the trailers has until May 15 to donate.

Mazzoni expects to have a dedication ceremony for the trailers in July.

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

Mazzoni said he doesn’t yet have an exact number on how many scholarships will be given annually, but that number should be finalized soon.

Mazzoni, who is the chairman of Cranberry Township supervisors, also said that while the 2015 Project of the Year might not eliminate the problem of declining numbers of firefighters, it has at least brought attention to the problem.

“While the volunteer firefighter initiative does not solve all the challenges that face our volunteer fire companies, it at least put a spotlight on the issues, making many people aware of the problem with a focus on how we can increase our recruitment,” Mazzoni said.

He added that the scholarships and the emergency trailers have the potential to attract dozens of new firefighters.

Mazzoni thanked the people who worked hard to ensure the success of the project, and those who have donated.

“I know the board members of the Community Chest are honored to have made this the 2015 Project of the Year, and we are very pleased with the final results,” he said. “This was a great Butler County project and hopefully all of this will lead to many positive results.”

The most recent round of donations include gifts from Penn Power for $10,000, A.J. and Sigismunda Palumbo Charitable Trust for $5,000, Frank Shipley for $300, the Rev. and Mrs. James and Joyce Gascoine for $125, Dean Walters for $100, Janice Sabatine for $100, Charles and Nancy Schwab for $100, Christina Moyer for $50, David and Judy Miller for $50, Dan and Elaine Pucci for $50, Charles Gerdes for $25, the Bartholics for $25 and Terry Klein for $25.