Three organizations to receive funding that
will focus on STEM education in BC and Alberta
VANCOUVER, BC, June 20,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Renewable energy
company Drax has announced that three Canadian non-profits
will receive $260,000 through the
fourth round of donations from the Drax Foundation. The latest
round of funding will go to programs that promote STEM education,
reaching over 3,000 children and adults and prioritizing
underserved groups, which include The MindFuel Foundation,
Scientists in School and The Exploration Place.
"These organizations invigorate the communities they work in and
have lasting impacts on the people and areas they serve," said
Sandy Sung, Community Manager for
Drax Canada. "We are guided by
the needs and expertise of our non-profit partners, and that's why
we prioritize funding for some of their harder-to-fundraise for
areas of work."
All three non-profits work to better their communities through
targeted programing, education, and supporting Indigenous
communities in and around the areas where Drax has operations.
MindFuel, which will receive $80,000, works to increase STEM skills in BC and
Alberta schools with a focus on
reaching indigenous youth in rural areas.
"I'd like to thank the Drax Foundation for its generous support
for STEM education and innovation and advancing equity and access
to related programming, which resonates with MindFuel's mission,"
said Cassy Weber, CEO at the
MindFuel Foundation. "In our recent 10-year study regarding
youth innovation programming, we learned that 67% of respondents
have created or been part of a team that has created an innovation
in their professional career, and, critically, 75% attribute
participation in a MindFuel program as key to their success."
"This partnership with Drax will help us engage more rural and
Indigenous youth and significantly strengthen our combined work in
building a future that's inclusive," said Weber.
Scientists in School, which will receive $100,000, also aims to improve access to STEM
education for underserved populations in BC and Alberta.
"I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the Drax
Foundation and their support which is a catalyst for Scientists in
School's evolution as a national charity shaping the STEM
skills and futures of over 350,000 youth annually," said
Cindy Adams, Executive Director
at Scientists in School. "The Drax Foundation has significantly
enhanced our ability to reach children and youth in rural or
otherwise under-served communities in BC and Alberta and enabled us to leverage this growth
so we can reach thousands more in the coming years."
"Together, we are building a strong foundation in science
education for children across Canada, vital for Canada's strength
in research and innovation, and we are grateful to the Drax
Foundation for being a part of our mission to ignite children's
curiosity about the world around them," said Adams.
The Exploration Space will receive $80,000 to fund their STEM program in Northern
BC, reaching First Nations children and other rural
communities.
"Thanks to the generous support of the Drax Foundation in 2023,
we were able to offer free school programs to over 6,000 students
across Northern BC. With continued funding in 2024, we can expand
this initiative, further increasing accessibility to STEAM
education for students from Kindergarten through Grade 12," said
Robyn Curtis, VP Development and
Partnerships at The Exploration Place.
"This support is essential in breaking down financial and travel
barriers, ensuring that all students in our region have access to
high-quality, hands-on learning experiences. Our goal is to inspire
and equip the next generation with the skills needed to navigate
and thrive in an ever-evolving world, and funding from the Drax
Foundation is key to helping us achieve this goal," said
Curtis.
Launched in March 2023, the Drax
Foundation funds initiatives that support education and skills
development in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), as
well as those that improve green spaces, enhance biodiversity and
support Indigenous communities within the communities Drax
operations. To learn more about the Drax Foundation and
community projects that Drax has previously funded, visit
https://drax.com/ca/news/.
Previous organizations that have received funds from
the Drax Foundation include Actua, the Nature Trust of BC and
SCWIST.
About Drax
Drax Group's purpose is to enable a zero carbon, lower cost energy
future and in 2019 announced a world-leading ambition to be carbon
negative by 2030, using bioenergy with carbon capture and storage
(BECCS) technology. Drax's around 3,000 employees operate across
three principal areas of activity – electricity generation,
electricity sales to business customers and compressed wood pellet
production and supply to third parties. For more information, visit
http://www.drax.com/ca
Pellet production and supply
The Group has 18 operational pellet plants and developments with
nameplate production capacity of around five million tons a
year. Drax is targeting eight million tons of production
capacity by 2030, which will require the development of over three
million tons of new biomass pellet production capacity. The pellets
are produced using materials sourced from sustainably managed
working forests and are supplied to third party customers in
Europe and Asia for the generation of renewable
power.
Drax's pellet plants supply biomass used at its own power
station in North Yorkshire,
England to generate flexible, renewable power for the UK's
homes and businesses, and also to customers in Europe and Asia.
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SOURCE Drax Group