SoCalGas Supports NAACP College Scholarship Program with $75,000 Grant

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) today announced the company awarded $75,000 to three local branches of the NAACP for their college scholarship programs. The grants will support 15 college students, supplying them each with $5,000 scholarships for tuition, books, housing and other expenses. The grants will be awarded to students selected by the NAACP's San Fernando Valley, Pomona Valley and Riverside County branches. SoCalGas has been a community partner of the NAACP for over 20 years.

"SoCalGas is proud to partner with the NAACP to support students within the communities we serve," said Eugene "Mitch" Mitchell, vice president state government affairs and external affairs at SoCalGas. "Paying for tuition and other school-related necessities can be intimidating for many young people, so we are pleased to provide some financial relief for these deserving students, especially during a time when so many families are struggling."

"We are grateful to our community partners like SoCalGas who provide funding for our college scholarship program," said Dr. James Thomas, president of the NAACP San Fernando Valley. "This grant has enabled us to provide critical support for young people who are attending college and who may not be able to continue their education if it were not for the financial support of the NAACP and our community partners. Thank you, SoCalGas."

"Due to the Coronavirus, I am not able to use the computer lab at school. The programs I need for my electrical engineering courses are very demanding and my current computer cannot run them well. The scholarship award SoCalGas provided via the San Fernando Valley NAACP will help me get a better device in order to succeed in my studies," said AbdulKarim, student at California State University, Northridge.

"As the State Senator representing the 20^th State Senate District, I appreciate SoCalGas providing this funding to three NAACP branches in Southern California—including Pomona Valley in my district—for their college scholarship programs.  These scholarships for excellent students in our region will certainly help them succeed in college and beyond," stated Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino).

Each year the NAACP, through donations, provides scholarships to outstanding students.  Annually, the NAACP's Scholarship Committee to select the most outstanding individuals to receive these awards. The NAACP does not provide financial aid to individuals, only scholarships through this process and continues to mentor students throughout their time in college.

Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation with over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over two million activists. The organization's mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

SoCalGas' commitment to the communities it serves goes beyond providing customers with affordable, safe and reliable natural gas service. As a leader in the community, SoCalGas understands it has a responsibility to recognize racial injustices and assist in closing the gaps in social inequities. Last year, SoCalGas doubled our charitable spend among the Black communities we serve, in areas including educational resources to students from vulnerable communities, Black-owned businesses and supporting workforce training programs that could lead to jobs at SoCalGas.

About SoCalGas
Headquartered in Los Angeles, SoCalGas® is the largest gas distribution utility in the United States. SoCalGas delivers affordable, reliable, clean and increasingly renewable gas service to 21.8 million customers across 24,000 square miles of Central and Southern California, where more than 90 percent of residents use natural gas for heating, hot water, cooking, drying clothes or other uses. Gas delivered through the company's pipelines also plays a key role in providing electricity to Californians— about 45 percent of electric power generated in the state comes from gas-fired power plants.

SoCalGas' mission is to build the cleanest, safest and most innovative energy company in America, delivering affordable and increasingly renewable energy to its customers. In support of that mission, SoCalGas is committed to replacing 20 percent of its traditional natural gas supply with renewable natural gas (RNG) by 2030. Renewable natural gas is made from waste created by dairy farms, landfills and wastewater treatment plants. SoCalGas is also committed to investing in its gas delivery infrastructure while keeping bills affordable for our customers. From 2015 through 2019, the company invested nearly $7 billion to upgrade and modernize its pipeline system to enhance safety and reliability. SoCalGas is a subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), an energy services holding company based in San Diego. For more information visit socalgas.com/newsroom or connect with SoCalGas on Twitter (@SoCalGas), Instagram (@SoCalGas) and Facebook.  

About the NAACP
Founded in 1909 in response to the ongoing violence against Black people around the country, the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) is the largest and most pre-eminent civil rights organization in the nation. We have over 2,200 units and branches across the nation, along with well over 2M activists. Our mission is to secure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights in order to eliminate race-based discrimination and ensure the health and well-being of all persons.

SOURCE Southern California Gas Company

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