Wesley Community Center Increases Local Impact with $150,000 Grant from Green Mountain Energy Sun Club
HOUSTON, TX – November 15, 2017 – Wesley Community Center is increasing its capacity to support more Houstonians with the help of a sustainability grant from the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. The Sun Club selected Wesley to receive $150,000 for solar power, energy efficiency upgrades and resource conservation for its community center and food pantry facilities. Expected energy savings made possible by the sustainability improvements will have the potential to help Wesley provide an additional 6,000 meals each year.
“The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club is helping organizations that are making a real difference in our community to become more sustainable,” said Mark Parsons, president of Green Mountain Energy Sun Club. “Wesley Community Center focuses on strengthening local communities by directly supporting the people who live there. We’re proud to help them improve the lives of even more Houstonians.”
The sustainability grant from the Sun Club is funding a 12-kilowatt solar array, new high-efficiency air conditioning units and windows, LED lighting and spray foam insulation. Wesley’s community garden is also being equipped with a smart sprinkler system. The sustainability and energy efficiency upgrades will help reduce the nonprofit’s electricity and water usage, allowing the money saved to provide additional services for infants, children, adults and seniors seeking financial stability and a better life.
“On behalf of the staff and clients of Wesley, I want to thank the Green Mountain Energy Sun Club for this generous gift in support of our mission,” said Linda Flores Olson, president and CEO of Wesley Community Center. “Not only will these improvements help us reduce our environmental footprint, every penny we save will go directly to helping the individuals and families we serve, allowing us to further strengthen families and build neighborhoods.”
Serving the Northside neighborhood of Houston, Wesley engages children, families and seniors with a comprehensive array of programs and services along the circle of life – from early childhood education and out-of-school elementary and youth development programming to senior and social services and emergency assistance. By empowering individuals, Wesley creates opportunities for them to help themselves.
The Sun Club also works to empower others through solar and sustainability projects. To date, more than $6.5 million has been donated to nearly 100 nonprofits in Texas and the Northeast.
About Green Mountain Energy Sun Club
The Green Mountain Energy Sun Club is a nonprofit organization advancing sustainability for people and our planet by investing in communities in Texas and the Northeast. Since the program’s founding in 2002, the Sun Club® has donated more than $6.5 million to nearly 100 nonprofit organizations. As a 501 (c)(3) organization, the Sun Club focuses on projects related to renewable energy, energy efficiency and resource conservation. Contributions to the Sun Club come from Green Mountain Energy’s residential customers in Texas, as well as from Green Mountain, its employees and other Sun Club supporters.
About Wesley Community Center
Since 1904, Wesley Community Center has been committed to improving the quality of life for the community it serves, providing an array of programs which include early childhood education, out-of-school elementary and youth programming, senior and social services, and economic development services dedicated to helping low-income families achieve and maintain financial self-sufficiency and move up the economic ladder.
