MCC News
MCC Foundation Honors Avangrid Foundation, RG&E for Making Anti-Poverty Program Possible (11/15/2018)
This evening, the Monroe Community College Foundation will present its 2018 Salute to Excellence award to the Avangrid Foundation and Rochester Gas & Electric Corporation (RG&E). The award recognizes the Avangrid Foundation and RG&E’s leadership investment in Single Stop at MCC, a program that helps students connect with free or low-cost resources on campus and in the local community in order to continue their education. Nicole Licata Grant, director of the Avangrid Foundation, will accept the award on Thursday, Nov. 15 before approximately 300 business and community leaders at the MCC Foundation’s 29th annual Salute to Excellence dinner at the Joseph A. Floreano Rochester Riverside Convention Center.
In 2016, the Avangrid Foundation and RG&E’s $250,000 investment enabled MCC to partner with Single Stop USA, a national nonprofit agency that helps people access a community “safety net” of free or low-cost resources and services. As its name implies, Single Stop at MCC helps students access an array of services through a single office located at MCC’s Downtown Campus. Delivered services include assistance with food benefits, transportation, child care subsidies, medical care and tax preparation. Eligible students receive the support they need to overcome challenges, complete their education, obtain good jobs and achieve financial self-sufficiency. MCC is the only college in Upstate New York to offer the program. Since 2013, the Avangrid Foundation, in partnership with RG&E has also invested more than $75,000 in support for scholarships for MCC students in addition to Single Stop.
“We know that the barriers to education are more than academics,” said Nicole Licata Grant. “The community of Greater Rochester is forward- thinking, and so it was natural for us to give our full support to this new model with a long-time partner, and it has demonstrated effectiveness in changing lives already.”
Since 2016, the Single Stop program at MCC has received more than 250 applications from students seeking access to an array of social, financial, and legal services.
“Through their philanthropy, Avangrid Foundation and RG&E have made a real difference in students’ lives,” says Gretchen Wood, CFRE, chief advancement officer and executive director of the MCC Foundation. “These efforts remove barriers to educational completion and empower students to break the cycle of poverty. We are pleased to present the 2018 Salute to Excellence to the Avangrid Foundation and RG&E in celebration of their support and leadership.”
Carl Taylor, president and chief executive officer of NYSEG and RG&E, serves as the honorary chair for the event. Sergio Esteban, chief executive officer, LaBella Associates, D.P.C. serves as chair of the MCC Foundation’s Governance Committee and as the event chair. Lead sponsors include Avangrid Foundation, Corning Incorporated Foundation and Democrat and Chronicle.
An honored Rochester tradition, the Salute to Excellence award reflects the recipient’s commitment to public higher education and the community. Past recipients of the Salute to Excellence award include Sandra Parker and Dutch Summers, JPMorgan Chase & Co., Greater Rochester Health Foundation, Xerox Foundation, Robin ’80 and Timothy ’80 Wentworth, and the Corning Incorporated Foundation.
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About AVANGRID: AVANGRID, Inc. (NYSE: AGR) is a leading, sustainable energy company with approximately $32 billion in assets and operations in 24 U.S. states. AVANGRID has two primary lines of business: Avangrid Networks and Avangrid Renewables. Avangrid Networks owns eight electric and natural gas utilities, serving 3.2 million customers in New York and New England. Avangrid Renewables owns and operates 7.1 gigawatts of electricity capacity, primarily through wind power, with a presence in 22 states across the United States. AVANGRID employs approximately 6,500 people. AVANGRID supports the U.N.’s Sustainable Development Goals, received a Climate Development Project climate score of “A-,” the top score received in the utilities sector, and has been recognized for two consecutive years by Ethical Boardroom as the North American utility with the “best corporate governance practices.” For more information, visit www.avangrid.com. About Avangrid Foundation: The Avangrid Foundation is an independent organization that funds philanthropic investments primarily in areas where AVANGRID and its subsidiaries operate. For more information, please visit the Avangrid Foundation section of our website: www.avangrid.com.
About RG&E: Rochester Gas and Electric Corporation (RG&E) is a subsidiary of AVANGRID, Inc. Established in 1848, RG&E operates approximately 8,800 miles of electric distribution lines and 1,100 miles of electric transmission lines. It also operates approximately 10,600 miles of natural gas distribution pipelines and 105 miles of gas transmission pipelines. It serves approximately 378,500 electricity customers and 313,000 natural gas customers in a nine-county region in New York surrounding the City of Rochester. For more information, visit www.rge.com.
The Monroe Community College Foundation seeks philanthropic investment to advance academic achievement, innovation, and the mission of excellence at the college.
Media Contact:
Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3024
ryule@monroecc.edu