Media Contact: Susan Cox, (626) 302-2255
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Feb. 6, 2015 — Southern California Edison (SCE) will honor the Compton Unified School District, the Inglewood Unified School District, the Moreno Valley Black Chamber of Commerce and the Youth Action Project at its 13th annual Black History Month celebration today at SCE’s Energy Education Center in Irwindale.
A crowd of 300 is expected at the event, which honors the achievements of local African-American businesses and leaders, their contributions to economic growth, service to the community and participation in energy-efficiency programs.
“This celebration recognizes the importance of African-American contributions to our communities, our state and our nation,” said SCE President Pedro Pizarro. “SCE serves one of the most ethnically diverse regions of the country and serving our customers means embracing and incorporating diversity into everything we do.”
“Our partnerships with our business and community leaders are the foundation of the service we provide to our customers,” added Lisa Cagnolatti, vice president of SCE’s Business Customer Division. “Southern California Edison’s annual Black History Month event is an opportunity to show our appreciation to them and to the communities we serve.”
Bonnie Boswell, a reporter, producer, commentator and talk-show host, will serve as keynote speaker. She is executive producer of “The Powerbroker: Whitney Young’s Fight for Civil Rights,” a film about her uncle that first lady Michelle Obama presented at the White House during the 50th anniversary celebration of the March on Washington.
The Compton and Inglewood school districts will be honored with SCE’s Energy Efficiency Participation Award for energy conservation at their respective school sites. Their participation in the School Energy Efficiency Program has saved both school districts money on electricity consumption and helped create more comfortable learning environments for students.
Alvin Jenkins, director of Facilities for the Compton district, and Joe Dominguez, chief deputy superintendent for the Inglewood district, will accept the award for their school districts.
The Moreno Valley Black Chamber of Commerce is the recipient of SCE’s Diverse Business Enterprise Award for its commitment to the economic, civic, commercial, cultural, industrial and educational interests of the area. Linda Wright, president/CEO/founder of the chamber, will accept the award.
The Youth Action Project will receive SCE’s Community Partnership Award. It has successfully helped youth and young adults in the development of skills and habits needed to experience economic and social success. Since 2007, it has hired and trained more than 200 local college students, provided more than 90,000 work experience and community service hours and provided tutoring and mentoring to more than 1,000 high school students within the San Bernardino Unified School District.
Tremaine Mitchell, director of operations for the project, will accept the award.
Kyanne Parchment, a 2014 Edison Scholar who attends the University of California, Davis, will give a testimonial highlighting the difference her $40,000 scholarship has made in her life. The West Covina resident, who graduated from Henry J. Kaiser High School last year, is majoring in engineering and computer science.
This year’s event theme is “Giving Back” and the focus is “Celebrating Business and Community Partnerships.”
Chris Schauble, a co-anchor for the KTLA 5 Morning News, will serve as emcee.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
