CINCINNATI, May 22, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy is
expanding its investment in local students and workforce
development by funding 36 education and training programs –
totaling nearly $600,000 – in
southwest Ohio and Northern Kentucky.
The grants, which are administered by the Duke Energy
Foundation, will benefit and enhance educational programs focused
on science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), childhood
reading proficiency and workforce development.
"Preparing the workforce of tomorrow begins right now," said
Jim Henning, president of Duke
Energy Ohio & Kentucky. "These
investments directly benefit local students of all ages and
backgrounds. And, in turn, we're helping our communities embrace
change and prepare for a future workforce that will look a lot
different than today."
Examples of this year's STEM, literacy and workforce development
grant recipients include:
- Greater Cincinnati STEM Collaborative – $30,000 to purchase bicycles and helmets for
students in the STEM Bicycle Club after-school program; enable
hundreds of diverse, low-income students to attend STEM summer
camps; and allow hundreds of middle school-age girls to attend
Greenlight for Girls Day Cincinnati, which provides engaging,
hands-on STEM workshops.
- Northern Kentucky University
Foundation – $50,000 for
scholarships for Northern Kentucky
middle school teachers to attend the Next Generation STEM Classroom
Project to learn how to best keep students engaged and interested
in STEM subjects.
- Cincinnati Public
Schools – $39,925 for
high-quality instruction, time-tested reading intervention
materials and more to reverse deficiencies in second-grade literacy
across the district – and help students reach literacy
proficiency.
- The Literacy Network of Greater
Cincinnati – $15,000 to
recruit, train and support volunteer reading tutors; supply books
to tutors to encourage their students to read at home; build Little
Free Libraries across the city; support the Children's Basic
Reading Program, which helps children who have profound reading
difficulties or symptoms of dyslexia; and underwrite the Winners
Walk Tall program, which provides character lessons to help
children develop healthy habits, a positive self-esteem, respect
and the ability to make good decisions.
- Northern Kentucky Cooperative for Educational Services –
$25,000 to connect high schools and
employers to prepare students for successful transitions to the
next chapters in their lives as well as their careers.
- Warren County Educational Service Center – $25,000 to expand career exploration
opportunities to students deemed at risk; develop and implement
various tiers of mentoring services with local businesses; and
provide opportunities for students to engage in innovative
programming designed to increase awareness of the top priority
areas of industry and develop formal and informal professional
mentoring relationships within their future career trades.
Click here for a complete list of the 36 STEM, literacy and
workforce development grants, which total $599,025.
Duke Energy Foundation
The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to
address the needs of communities where its customers live and work.
The foundation contributes more than $33
million annually in charitable gifts.
The foundation's education focus spans kindergarten to career –
particularly science, technology, engineering and math – as well as
early childhood literacy and workforce development. The foundation
also supports environmental projects and community impact
initiatives, including arts and culture.
Duke Energy employees and retirees actively contribute to their
communities as volunteers and leaders with a wide variety of
nonprofit organizations. Duke Energy is committed to building on
its legacy of community service. For more information, visit
duke-energy.com/foundation.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky's
operations provide electric service to about 850,000 residential,
commercial and industrial customers in a 3,000-square-mile service
area, and natural gas service to approximately 533,000
customers.
Duke Energy Ohio/Kentucky is a
subsidiary of Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK).
Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Duke Energy is one of the largest energy holding
companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees and a
generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is
transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy
grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas
infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and
communities it serves.
The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves
approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately
1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit
operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.
A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018
"World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's
Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at
duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news
releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke
Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Contact: Sally Thelen
513.287.2432 | @DE_SallyT
24-Hour Media Line: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy