Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation Awards $115,000 in Community Impact Grants

CLEVELAND, March 9, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Dominion Energy Ohio has presented $115,000 in grants to 12 winning community organizations in its 23rd annual Community Impact Awards competition, co-sponsored with Cleveland Magazine.

A panel of community judges chose the winners from among more than 70 entries, submitted by organizations throughout the region. The awards recognize non-profit organizations that make Ohio communities better places to live, learn, work and play. The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Energy Ohio's parent company, Dominion Energy Resources Inc., funds the Community Impact grants. The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation is dedicated to the economic, physical and social health of the communities the company serves.

"For more than two decades, our Community Impact Awards have honored area community and non-profit organizations that have made significant positive contributions in their respective communities, " said Jim Eck, vice president and general manager, Ohio and West Virginia Distribution. "This year's winning projects represent the best of Ohio's creativity and potential."

Since 1996, Dominion Energy Ohio, the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation and their predecessors have distributed more than $1.8 million in Community Impact Awards to Ohio organizations. This year's Community Impact Award winners are:

• Greater Stark County Urban League, Canton, received $10,000 for its State Tested Nursing Assistant Program. Thirty-two low-and-moderate income single parents combined Urban League financial literacy and job readiness programs with a state-approved nursing course and clinical experience. Participants then interviewed for jobs at area nursing homes.
• Cleveland 2030 District received $10,000 for its efforts in reducing environmental impacts of building construction and operations, in terms of reducing energy and water consumption and carbon dioxide emissions. In 2012, Cleveland was the second city in the United States to create such a district.
• Cuyahoga County Community College Foundation, Cleveland, received $10,000 for its Adult Diploma program at Cuyahoga Community College. The program enables Ohioans over age 22 to earn an actual high school diploma while earning additional in-demand workforce credentials.
• Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization, Cleveland received $10,000 for The Lofts at Lion Mills project, which transformed a vacant, abandoned building on Cleveland's West Side into 36 affordable housing units.
• Edwin's Leadership & Restaurant Institute, Cleveland, received $10,000 for its culinary industry training program, which helps train and prepare incarcerated adults for jobs upon their release. Along with the culinary training, the program also provides each participant a full-time case manager to help students with legal issues, child care, access to medical care and more.
• Global Ambassadors Language Academy, Cleveland received $10,000 for launching Ohio's first Mandarin and Spanish Immersion School. Students spend 70 percent of their day speaking Spanish or Mandarin. The school opened with kindergarten and first grade students, with plans to add an additional grade each year through eighth grade.
• University Hospitals Health System, Cleveland, received $10,000 for its Step Up to UH program, which helps recruit and train residents of adjacent high-poverty and high-unemployment neighborhoods to find entry-level jobs at UH.
• The Fine Arts Association of Willoughby received $10,000 for its Growing Strong Campaign, which raised funds to provide additional studio and classroom space and educational and performance programming, accessibility and additional growth. The organization serves 60,000 people annually and expects to serve an additional 25 percent with the additional facilities.
• Rocky Ridge Neighborhood Association, on Youngstown's West Side, received $10,000 for its Mill Creek Maple Syrup project. Working with the Mill Creek MetroParks system, the association tapped a grove of Maple trees in a neighboring section of the park. The project produced 400 bottles of maple syrup, generating nearly $17,000, with more than $11,300 donated to the park system.
• The Allen County Agricultural Society received $7,500 for its Grandstand Restoration and Painting Project, which revitalized the 1958-vintage focal point of the Allen County Fairgrounds. The facility host events year-round, including its namesake fair, which draws between 200,000 and 300,000 visitors.
• The Youngstown Edison Incubator Corporation received $7,500 for its Women in Entrepreneurship program. Training includes such topics as: transforming business ideas into reality; bringing existing firms to the market; and helping companies grow their businesses.

Lawn Life, Cleveland, received a $10,000 Workforce Development Award for helping at-risk teens and young people find jobs working on landscaping and home renovation and preservation crews at starting wages of $10 an hour. Hard workers who meet employment milestones are eligible for raises, while those who complete construction trade apprenticeships in the areas of carpentry, electrical work and plumbing, receive even more growth opportunities. 

About Dominion Energy
Dominion Energy is one of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, with a portfolio of approximately 26,000 megawatts of electric generation, 14,800 miles of natural gas transmission, gathering and storage pipeline, and 6,600 miles of electric transmission lines. Dominion Energy operates one of the nation's largest natural gas storage systems with approximately 1 trillion cubic feet of storage capacity and serves nearly 6 million utility and retail energy customers. For more information about Dominion Energy, visit the company's website at www.dominionenergy.com.

SOURCE Dominion Energy Ohio

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