OAKLAND, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced a donation of $1
million in college scholarships over the next five years, in conjunction
with the launch of the city’s Oakland Promise education initiative.
“Oakland Promise represents another great example of how we all can come
together to build a better Oakland through public and private sector
resources. PG&E stands 100 percent behind the effort to create career
pathways for young people in the communities we serve,” said PG&E
Corporation Chairman, CEO and President Tony Earley, who attended an
Oakland Promise lunch event today to announce the donation.
“This is the single most transformative thing we can do for Oakland and
its young people and we are fortunate to have committed partners like
PG&E making such a significant early investment in this effort. In a
district where 71 percent of students are low-income, ensuring that more
of our kids earn a college degree has the potential to interrupt
generational poverty. Today, we’re raising the bar for this entire
community by setting out an expectation for our children’s futures and
giving them the tools and the support to exceed those expectations,”
said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf.
The scholarships will be awarded annually to well-performing high school
students who seek to go to college at any level. PG&E’s donation
supports Oakland youth by investing in the educational opportunities and
training needed to find quality jobs. The scholarships will be managed
by the East Bay College Fund.
“We thank PG&E for taking the lead in demonstrating what a company can
do to change students’ lives. PG&E’s contribution to the Oakland Promise
will have a great impact on the future of Oakland,” said East Bay
College Fund Executive Director Diane Dodge.
PG&E has a long history of investing in Oakland’s economic success:
-
For more than 10 years, PG&E has partnered with the Cypress Mandela
Training Center, resulting in dozens of PG&E hires in construction
trades.
-
PG&E supported the “Greening of Oakland” initiative from 2007-2010,
which included efforts help local businesses become more energy
efficient.
-
Last year, PG&E awarded an Oakland
Technical High School graduate a full college scholarship.
-
Also last year, the utility brought solar
suitcases to Oakland classrooms, and will be sending two Oakland
students to Kenya next month to hand-deliver the sustainable energy
kits.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), and the PG&E Corporation Foundation strive to
power strong communities throughout Northern and Central California. In
2015, PG&E contributed $25 million to more than 1,600 charitable
organizations, including matching the generosity of employees and
retirees who donated $7.9 million and volunteered approximately 87,000
hours to company-supported events. Community investments are funded
entirely by the company’s shareholders. For more information, visit www.pge.com/community.
http://www.pgecurrents.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pacificgasandelectric
https://twitter.com/pge4me
http://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-gas-and-electric-company
http://www.youtube.com/user/pgevideo
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160128006294/en/
Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company