Donations are part of the FirstEnergy
Foundation's annual holiday philanthropic campaign
GREENSBURG, Penn., Jan. 3, 2024
/PRNewswire/ -- The FirstEnergy Foundation has granted surprise
"Gifts of the Season" totaling $60,000 to eight local Pennsylvania nonprofits that are working to
make lives better in communities served by FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE:
FE) subsidiaries Met-Ed, Penelec and West Penn Power.
Photos of the Gifts of the Season being presented to
organizations by FirstEnergy representatives are available
for download
on Flickr.
Scott Wyman, President of
FirstEnergy's Pennsylvania Operations: "We're proud to support
these organizations because their missions align with our
commitment to diverse, equitable and inclusive communities where
everyone feels safe, valued, included and respected. The winners
were chosen by FirstEnergy External Affairs employees who
identified organizations in their local areas that do extraordinary
work to strengthen the community and enhance the lives of
vulnerable and underserved populations."
The recipients of this year's gifts are organizations that
provide support services to underserved and vulnerable individuals
of all ages across Pennsylvania.
They include:
Met-Ed recipients
- Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania ($6,667) – Easterseals Eastern Pennsylvania
provides services to more than 3,600 children and adults with
physical and cognitive disabilities, autism, and other social,
sensory and developmental delays. Easterseals operates an
outpatient facility with therapy and specialty medical clinics in
Reading, but the majority of
programs and services are delivered in the communities where
individuals in need reside, including Berks, Lehigh, Monroe, Northampton and Pike counties within the Met-Ed footprint. The
agency's services and support help ensure children and adults with
disabilities can live, learn, work and play in their
communities.
- The Vision Resource Center of Berks County ($6,667) – Founded in 1929 by the Reading
Lions Club, the center provides services to prevent blindness and
enables about 600 blind and visually impaired Berks County residents to lead independent and
productive lives in their communities. The agency provides free
annual vision screenings for more than 2,000 children, conducts
monthly social events and information sessions and assists with
employment opportunities.
- The York Jewish Community Center ($6,667) – The donation will help the York
Jewish Community Center (JCC) expand its Center for Learn and Play
(CLP). The center is designed to meet the needs of children 3- to
12-years old diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who reside in
York County. The center will
feature a naturalistic play-based environment supervised by a
board-certified behavior analyst to assist these children. Research
shows an increasing prevalence of neurodiversity, with one in 36
children now identified with autism. The JCC is open to all people,
regardless of religious, financial or ethnic background.
Penelec recipients
- The Abuse and Rape Crisis Center of Bradford County ($6,667) – The Abuse and Rape Crisis Center
(ARCC) provides free emergency shelter for abused women and their
children and pets in the Towanda
area and throughout Bradford
County. The center provides clothing for victims who flee
abusive relationships with nothing and works with other
organizations to deliver job training and educational skills. ARCC
also offers counseling and other client services to victims and
survivors of domestic abuse, including men and transgender
individuals. The center serves about 300 individuals annually.
- The Arc of Crawford County
($6,667) – The Arc promotes and
protects the rights of people with intellectual and developmental
disabilities and actively supports their full inclusion in the
community throughout their lifetimes. The Arc provides day programs
including in-home support and employment. It operates a drop-in
center on Chestnut Street in Meadville for adults to socialize and enjoy
activities with peers. It also offers the OASIS club for adults
with intellectual disabilities to explore the community with one
another on supervised outings to the movies, Erie Zoo, baseball
games, bowling and more.
- The University of
Pittsburgh-Johnstown LGBTQIA+ Resource Center ($6,667) – The LGBTQIA+ Resource Center
strives to ensure a welcoming and safe environment in which all
members of the campus community are treated with respect and
compassion. The university's Office of Equity and Community
Engagement offers resources and support to raise awareness, provide
education and empower students who identify as members or allies of
the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, nonbinary and queer
communities. Faculty, staff, students, alumni, perspective students
or friends are all welcome.
West Penn Power recipients
- Always B. Smiling ($10,000) – Always B. Smiling works to create
smiles for children, teens and young adults with disabilities and
health challenges who live in Allegheny and Washington counties. The organization provides
support services to patients and their families during their stay
at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. It also funds activities such as
bowling, biking and trips to pumpkin farms to help children
discover joy in simple things.
- Central Pennsylvania Food Bank MilitaryShare ($10,000) – The Central Pennsylvania Food
Bank provides nutritious and nourishing food to veterans and their
families through its MilitaryShare program. MilitaryShare
distributes food at 28 armories in 27 counties, serving 45,000
people. The gift will help fund MilitaryShare distributions in
Franklin County.
The "Gifts of the Season" initiative was created in 2016 to
support programs and nonprofit organizations that align with
FirstEnergy's core value of diversity, equity and inclusion. Since
its inception, the campaign has awarded more than $700,000 to nonprofit organizations that work to
strengthen communities through a diverse lens. To be considered for
a gift, the entity must be a first-time FirstEnergy Foundation
grant recipient, and the entity or at least 51% of its work must
fall under one or more of the following diverse categories:
- Service disabled/veteran-owned business enterprise
- Disability-owned business enterprise
- Minority business enterprise
- Lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/queer-owned business
- Woman business enterprise
Photos of FirstEnergy's annual "Gifts of the Season" check
presentations are being shared on social media using the
hashtag #GiftsofFE.
The FirstEnergy Foundation is funded solely by FirstEnergy Corp.
and provides support to tax-exempt nonprofits, including health and
human services agencies, educational organizations, cultural and
arts programs and institutions, and civic groups in areas served by
FirstEnergy's 10 electric operating companies and in areas where
the company conducts business.
Met-Ed serves approximately 587,000 customers within 3,300
square miles of eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. Follow Met-Ed on X, formerly
known as Twitter, @Met Ed and on Facebook at
facebook.com/MetEdElectric.
Penelec serves approximately 588,000 customers within 17,600
square miles of northern and central Pennsylvania. Follow Penelec on X @Penelec and
on Facebook at facebook.com/PenelecElectric.
West Penn Power serves approximately 737,000 customers in 24
counties within central and southwestern Pennsylvania. Follow West Penn Power on
Twitter @W_Penn_Power and on Facebook at
www.facebook.com/WestPennPower.
FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and
operational excellence. Its 10 electric distribution companies form
one of the nation's largest investor-owned electric systems,
serving customers in Ohio,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West
Virginia, Maryland and
New York. The company's
transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of
transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic
regions. Visit FirstEnergy online at
www.firstenergycorp.com and follow FirstEnergy on Twitter
@FirstEnergyCorp.
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SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.