By Tracy Correa Lopez
From scholarships for college-bound students to traveling all the way to Kenya to teach local villagers about the power of solar, PG&E gave back in a big way in 2017.
Helping ensure a more positive future for today’s youth is a huge part of PG&E’s commitment to local communities the company serves — it’s part of helping to ensure a better tomorrow for families and PG&E customers.
PG&E has a long history of supporting local students with college scholarships and internships. It’s just one way the company gave back in 2017
“Many PG&E Scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college. These scholarships will help the leaders and innovators of tomorrow achieve their education and career goals. We’re proud to invest in these promising students and to help build a better California,” said Dinyar Mistry, PG&E senior vice president, human resources and chief diversity officer.
Scholarship programs provided by PG&E are making it easier for student winners, who excel academically but may lack financial resources, to pay for college. The company’s Better Together STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) scholarships — a one-time award of $10,000 — and employee resource group scholarship programs are just a few of the community-minded, educational investments made by PG&E and its employees. The educational commitment also includes energy academies and internships in a half-dozen communities aimed at helping prepare high school students for future careers.
Other examples of how PG&E gave back in 2017 include:
- In February, PG&E — in partnership with We Care Solar — took six students to the East African country of Kenya as part of its Solar Suitcase program. During the 12-day service learning trip, students and teachers shared sustainable energy education with Kenyan youth and installed eight solar suitcase systems that the students helped build. An additional 39 solar suitcases were also deployed throughout the year. The program is part of PG&E Foundation’s Better Together Giving Program aimed at empowering young people to be the next generation of energy-smart environmental leaders.
- PG&E is also helping communities to make a difference through its Better Together Resilient Communities grants and named four recipients this year. The grant program, launched in 2016, is to help communities throughout PG&E’s 70,000-mile square service area to understand, plan for and respond to climate change risks — particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods where vulnerability is high and resources are slim. Winners announced in 2017 were: University of California, Merced, the Karuk Tribe of California, Ag Innovations and the Sierra Institute. The grant program was expanded from two to four winners, doubling PG&E’s investment in the program that awards $100,000 to winners every year for five years.
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- And giving back is not just limited to local communities that PG&E serves. In September, 125 PG&E workers traveled to Florida to help with restoration efforts following Hurricane Irma. But it wasn’t just electricity they helped restore, they helped restore a little bit of humanity too. Like helping a lost, wheelchair bound woman stranded in the middle of the road (with only one shoe) get to the safety of a hotel lobby. “We came out here to help people and not just turn on their power on, but to help them anyway you can,” said one of the lineman. Additionally, PG&E sent about a dozen employees to Puerto Rico in November and December to help with restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria.
- PG&E has also demonstrated a commitment to LGBT equality and provided financial support for the San Francisco Pride Parade and the National Center for Lesbian Rights. This is just some of the ongoing and demonstrated commitment that helped the company earn the title of one of the best places to work in the U.S. by the Human Rights Campaign.
- Giving back is something that’s part of PG&E’s culture. For example, employees located at Diablo Canyon Power Plant will have donated about $847,000 to local nonprofits and schools throughout the year as part of the company’s Campaign for the Community program. Through the annual giving program, employees and retirees can designate donation recipients and contribute amounts of their choosing through payroll deductions or one-time donations. PG&E then provides matching funding. Since 2000, the program has raised nearly $80 million benefitting schools and local nonprofit organizations in the communities where PG&E employees live and work in Northern and Central California.
Email Tracy Correa Lopez at tracy.lopez@pge.com.
