CRANBERRY TWP — The Cranberry Township Community Chest’s 2015 Project of the Year continues to gain momentum as businesses and residents donate to the cause.

Officials with the Community Chest want to raise more than $500,000 for the project, which aims at training and retaining more volunteer firefighters across the county.

The project includes buying a $130,000 emergency training and educational trailer, as well as the creation of scholarships for students at the Butler County Community College who commit to being members for two years of a fire department.

Bruce Mazzoni, treasurer of the Community Chest, said Weber Insurance recently donated more than $1,857, bringing the total amount raised to $173,342.

Mazzoni said that’s an impressive number given the fact that the Community Chest hasn’t been soliciting donations from the public.

“We haven’t gone out to the public to market this,” he said. “This is all from people who’ve heard about it and are stepping up with their own efforts.”

Weber Insurance donated the money from a car cruise it sponsored. The company also will sponsor other car cruises at the Victory Family Church in Cranberry this month and in August.

According to Mazzoni, more money is on the way.

He will know next week how much money was raised during a golf outing at the township’s Community Days in July, an event in which half the proceeds go to the firefighter initiative.

In addition, Fun Fore All in Cranberry is donating $1 for every round of minigolf played between July 10 and the end of August, Mazzoni said.