SBVC Foundation awarded 25000 SoCal Climate Champions Grant

By: San Bernardino Valley College

Community Writer

Photo Courtesy of:

San Bernardino Valley College

Photo Description:

Sarita Figuero from SoCalGas presenting a check for the $25,000 SoCal Climate Champions Grant to SBVC President Dr. Linda Fontanilla and SBVC Heavy/Medium Duty Truck Technology Program students. Also pictured, from left to right, are Allison Dourigan from SoCalGas, Dean of Applied Technology, Transportation, and Culinary Arts Vanessa Thomas, Heavy/Medium Duty Truck Technology Chair Berchman Melancon, Foundation Director Mike Layne, and SBVC Foundation President Justin Martinez.
SoCalGas awarded a $25,000 grant to San Bernardino Valley College's (SBVC) Clean Energy/EV Tech Program earlier this year.   The natural gas utility company awarded the SoCal Climate Champions Grant to the SBVC Foundation in September 2023. The grant will aid in the purchase of additional training modules and classroom tools for a second lab section, supporting the growing interest and enrollment in the college's CNG/Clean Energy Training Expansion program.   The Climate Champions grants are highly competitive. This year, just 13 nonprofit organizations received awards. Each institution is involved with programs, projects, and research that address climate solutions in Southern California communities, and working toward a clean energy future.    "The San Bernardino Valley College Foundation is proud to partner with SoCalGas to provide meaningful community climate solutions," said SBVC Foundation Director Mike Layne. "The innovations catalyzed by the SoCal Climate Champions Grant awards will make all our communities in Southern California more sustainable and resilient."   SoCalGas Chief Strategy and Sustainability Officer Jawaad Malik called the grant recipients "trailblazers" and said the utility is "proud to support projects that brings our communities closer to meeting California's net-zero emissions goals."   Over the past decade, SBVC has been at the forefront of efforts to prepare the future workforce for careers in operating and maintaining clean energy and zero-emission vehicle heavy- and medium-duty trucks.   Layne said he is "grateful" to SoCalGas for the important funding that will support SBVC.   "SoCalGas is leveraging the power of our community college and its people to deliver an innovative climate and workforce solution for the region, while creating pathways to thriving wage jobs for our most marginalized students," he said