The South Jersey Chamber Foundation, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals, and Pocono Environmental Education Center Will Each Receive $10,000 Grants
(Wyomissing, Pa.) – PennEast Pipeline Company today announced that four community organizations – the South Jersey Chamber Foundation, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, Pocono Environmental Education Center, and Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals – will be the latest recipients of $10,000 grants that will support individual projects aimed at promoting science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education across New Jersey and Pennsylvania.
The grants were awarded through PennEast’s Powering STEM Education Initiative, which has invested more than $170,000 to more than a dozen schools and nonprofit organizations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania to enhance access to STEM educational opportunities. Combined with its Community Connector Grant Program, PennEast has provided more than $770,000 in grants to local nonprofit organizations, first responders and STEM programs.
“PennEast is devoted to investing in organizations like the South Jersey Chamber Foundation, Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, Pocono Environmental Education Center, and Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals, which are promoting access to hands-on experiences in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics for New Jersey and Pennsylvania residents,” said Pam Witmer of PennEast Pipeline Company. “Through this program to date, we have invested more than $170,000 in local organizations across New Jersey and Pennsylvania and look forward to continuing to work with each of these organizations to increase access to STEM educational opportunities throughout the region.”
In New Jersey, the South Jersey Chamber Foundation was awarded $10,000 to support its South Jersey Summer Institute for Educators (SJSI). In its 27th year, the program exposes teachers to businesses throughout the region that focus on STEM, providing each educator with an opportunity to see first-hand the application of what they are teaching in an actual work environment. Teachers are then able incorporate this knowledge into their daily lessons to better prepare students with the skills they need to pursue STEM-related careers. The South Jersey Chamber Foundation will utilize PennEast’s award to pay for transportation costs and supplies for educators attending the South Jersey Summer Institute for Educators in July 2018.
“Thanks to PennEast, we are able to continue providing South Jersey Summer Institute for Educators, a three-week intensive program that will help educate our future workforce for a 21st century education and career,” said Debra P. DiLorenzo, President & CEO, South Jersey Chamber Foundation. “Through our program, we are exposing educators to the world of STEM so that they understand the skills local employers look for in the workforce. Educators can then take what they’ve learned back to their respective classrooms, ensuring students meet workforce demands.”
Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania (GSHPA), which is composed of 17,000 girls across 30 counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania, also understands the importance of STEM education in the 21st century. Through their Girls Go STEM program, GSHPA has expanded classroom learning by providing hands-on STEM programs to girls of all socio-economic backgrounds and learning abilities. PennEast’s $10,000 award will help support GSHPA’s Girls Go STEM programming, funding three STEM Expos throughout 2018, as well as a mobile STEM laboratory and other onsite programs that will serve girls across Luzerne and Carbon counties.
“Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania is so very grateful for the grant awarded by PennEast Pipeline Company to expand our Girls Go STEM programming, particularly in the northeastern locations of our service area,” said Ellen M. Kyzer, President & CEO of GSHPA. “This vital program provides girls access to the power of the STEM fields through hands-on learning activities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Not only will this program enable new learning about STEM, it also becomes the foundation for creating the next generation of female leaders in industries that demand higher level technical knowledge.”
Additionally, the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC) will utilize the PennEast grant to expand PEEC’s STEM program. PEEC’s STEM Program, which serves fourth through eighth graders, will use PennEast’s grant to provide 200-300 additional students with access to STEM enrichment opportunities for the 2017-2018 academic year in Lambertville, New Jersey, and across communities, such as Nazareth, Upper Nazareth, Kintnersville, and Pittston, in Pennsylvania.
“We are excited to use the PennEast Powering STEM Grant to expand STEM enrichment opportunities to students across New Jersey and Pennsylvania,” said Jeffrey Rosalsky, Executive Director of PEEC. “STEM education is a critical part of workforce development, and we are committed to creating more educational opportunities for our future workforce.”
Similarly, Pennsylvania Association of Environment Professionals (PAEP), which seeks to promote environmental education and professional development opportunities for members, will use the grant to implement an Energize Environmental Education Campaign to fund field trips and classroom visits by environmental industry professionals for classrooms in underfunded school districts throughout Pennsylvania.
“It is so important for our young people to be exposed to STEM education and career opportunities at an early age,” said Eric Rosina, President of PAEP. “The Energize Environmental Education Campaign furthers our organizational goals to promote environmental education by providing field trips and classroom visits which aid real world applicability to our work. We look forward to using this PennEast Powering STEM Grant to reach underfunded schools and students across Pennsylvania.”
Established in February 2017, the PennEast Powering STEM Grant Program has invested more than $170,000 in 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations, afterschool, summer and youth development programs and educational institutions across New Jersey and Pennsylvania to enhance the study of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
For additional information on the PennEast Powering STEM Grant Program and eligibility requirements, please visit http://penneastpipeline.com/powering-stem/. For additional information on the South Jersey Chamber Foundation, visit http://www.chambersnj.com/; Girl Scouts in the Heart of Pennsylvania, visit http://www.gshpa.org/; Pocono Environmental Education Center, visit http://www.peec.org/; and Pennsylvania Association of Environmental Professionals, visit https://www.paep.org/.
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About PennEast Pipeline Company
Representing an approximately $1 billion investment, the 120-mile, primarily 36-inch, underground PennEast Pipeline will reduce energy costs and support thousands of jobs with clean-burning, American energy. The PennEast Pipeline will originate in Dallas, Luzerne County, in northeastern Pennsylvania, and terminate at Transco’s pipeline interconnection near Pennington, Mercer County, New Jersey.
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