LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California
Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the company awarded $75,000 to three local branches of the NAACP for
their college scholarship programs. The grants will support 15
college students, supplying them each with $5,000 scholarships for tuition, books, housing
and other expenses. The grants will be awarded to students selected
by the NAACP's San Fernando Valley, Pomona Valley and Riverside County branches. SoCalGas has been a
community partner of the NAACP for over 20 years.
"SoCalGas is proud to partner with the NAACP to support students
within the communities we serve," said Eugene "Mitch" Mitchell,
vice president state government affairs and external affairs at
SoCalGas. "Paying for tuition and other school-related necessities
can be intimidating for many young people, so we are pleased to
provide some financial relief for these deserving students,
especially during a time when so many families are struggling."
"We are grateful to our community partners like SoCalGas who
provide funding for our college scholarship program," said Dr.
James Thomas, president of the NAACP
San Fernando Valley. "This grant has enabled us to provide critical
support for young people who are attending college and who may not
be able to continue their education if it were not for the
financial support of the NAACP and our community partners. Thank
you, SoCalGas."
"Due to the Coronavirus, I am not able to use the computer lab
at school. The programs I need for my electrical engineering
courses are very demanding and my current computer cannot run them
well. The scholarship award SoCalGas provided via the San Fernando
Valley NAACP will help me get a better device in order to succeed
in my studies," said AbdulKarim, student at California State University, Northridge.
"As the State Senator representing the 20th State
Senate District, I appreciate SoCalGas providing this funding to
three NAACP branches in Southern California—including Pomona Valley
in my district—for their college scholarship programs. These
scholarships for excellent students in our region will certainly
help them succeed in college and beyond," stated Senator
Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino).
Each year the NAACP, through donations, provides scholarships to
outstanding students. Annually, the NAACP's Scholarship
Committee to select the most outstanding individuals to receive
these awards. The NAACP does not provide financial aid to
individuals, only scholarships through this process and continues
to mentor students throughout their time in college.
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against
Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most
pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation with over 2,200
units and branches across the nation, along with well over two
million activists. The organization's mission is to secure the
political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in
order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health
and well-being of all persons.
SoCalGas' commitment to the communities it serves goes beyond
providing customers with affordable, safe and reliable natural gas
service. As a leader in the community, SoCalGas understands it has
a responsibility to recognize racial injustices and assist in
closing the gaps in social inequities. Last year, SoCalGas doubled
our charitable spend among the Black communities we serve, in areas
including educational resources to students from vulnerable
communities, Black-owned businesses and supporting workforce
training programs that could lead to jobs at SoCalGas.
About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los
Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution
utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers
affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service
to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of
Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of
residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying
clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's
pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to
Californians— about 45 percent of electric power
generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.
SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most
innovative energy company in America, delivering affordable and
increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that
mission, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its
traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by
2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by
dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is
also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure
while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2015 through
2019, the company invested nearly $7 billion to upgrade
and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and
reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra
Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based
in San Diego. For more information
visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas
on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas)
and Facebook.
About the NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black
people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent
civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units
and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the
political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in
order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health
and well-being of all persons.
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SOURCE Southern California Gas Company