For Immediate Release: December 1, 2017

Tucson, Ariz. – UniSource Energy Services (UES) has awarded $82,500 in grants this fall to nonprofit organizations that support educational opportunities for children, protect our environment and provide critical services to residents across Arizona.

UES’ Community Impact Grants will help provide hot meals and food boxes to limited-income families during the holiday season, give children hands-on opportunities to learn about science and conservation, and help support victims of domestic violence, child abuse and other crimes.

“Our Community Impact Grants support charitable projects that make real, meaningful improvements in the quality of life in communities across Arizona,” said David G. Hutchens, UES’ President and CEO.

UES Community Impact Grants are awarded for programs with measurable results that help vulnerable populations in communities where UES provides natural gas and electric service. More than 30 recipients were chosen by UES employee volunteers and other stakeholders this fall through a competitive process that attracted more than 60 applications. Winners were chosen based on program effectiveness and sustainability, applicants’ organizational capabilities and other criteria.

The 2017 UES Community Impact Grants include:

Coconino County

• $2,500 to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff for Step Up Mentoring. In collaboration with Coconino County Juvenile Court, Step Up matches mentors with approximately 150 court-involved youth.
• $2,500 to Coconino County’s Financial Literacy and Empowerment program, which provides personal finance education to families involved in the justice system.
• $2,500 to Flagstaff Shelter Services for its Rapid Rehousing Program, which helps cover the cost of application fees, security deposits and first month’s rent for individuals transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing.
• $2,500 to Housing Solutions of Northern Arizona for Empowering Victims & Changing Lives with Sharon Manor, which will use funds to pay for safe housing and professional staffing to help more than 100 local homeless domestic violence victims and their children.
• $2,500 to Northland Family Help Center  to provide homeless and abused youth with shelter, toiletries, clothing, bedding, transportation, school supplies, cleaning supplies and food.
• $2,500 to Victim Witness Services, which provides counseling and support to victims of sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse and survivors of suicide or homicide.

Mohave County

• $2,500 to Arizona Youth Partnership in Kingman for its street outreach programs. The programs help address basic needs such as food, water, clothing, toiletries, transportation, medical and dental care and behavioral health services for hundreds of at-risk youth.
• $3,500 to the Boys and Girls Club of Kingman for its After School Nutrition Program, which encourages better academic performance by providing healthy meals and snacks to club members.
• $2,500 to Cornerstone Mission Project Inc. in Kingman to support services at two emergency shelters that also provide job training and life skills classes.
• $3,000 to the Jerry Ambrose Veterans Council, a volunteer-run organization in Lake Havasu City that helps veterans overcome mobility issues and provides assistance with living expenses, medications and transportation.
• $2,500 to the Kingman Academy of Learning for its First Robotics Team 60, a community robotics club with members from several schools in the Kingman area.
• $2,500 to Kingman Aid to Abused People, which provides sexual abuse and domestic violence prevention programs to children, teens and seniors.
• $2,500 to the Kingman Area Food Bank to help buy groceries for needy families, seniors and homeless people.
• $1,500 to the Kingman Mohave Lions Club to help pay for eye exams and eyeglasses for limited-income residents.
• $5,000 to River Cities United Way for the Kids Bright and Healthy program, which assists youth from limited-income families with vision and dental care, extracurricular activity participation fees, shoes and clothing and transportation.
• $2,500 to Special Olympics Arizona Inc. for its Unified Champion Schools program to provide sports supplies and activities at several local schools, and transportation to competitions.
• $1,000 to Workplace, Education, and Literacy Coalition of Mohave County, which provides free tutoring services to children and adults. Grant funds will help to pay for workbooks, equipment and other supplies.

Navajo County

• $2,500 to American Red Cross for its Home Fire Campaign in Navajo County, which provides free smoke alarms to limited income residents.
• $3,000 to Girl Scouts-Arizona Cactus Pine Council to cover the costs of membership dues, afterschool activities and summer leadership development programs for girls who live on the Navajo Nation.
• $3,000 to White Mountain Association for Victims of Domestic Violence to cover costs of providing emergency shelter, food, medication, travel expenses and outreach for women and children affected by domestic violence.

Santa Cruz County

• $2,500 to the Arizona Theatre Company for its Theatre On the Go – Shakespeare in The 21st Century project. The program will give about 250 Rio Rico and Nogales high school students an opportunity to learn about the basics of theater production and stage a performance while discussing social and community issues.
• $2,500 to Child & Family Resources, Inc. for the First Steps child abuse prevention program, which will provide parenting support and education to approximately 50 prenatal and postnatal parents in under-served, rural communities.
• $3,000 to the Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, which provides emergency food boxes to families, seniors, homeless people and others in need of assistance.
• $1,000 to the Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona. The funds will enable more than three dozen elementary school students to attend a 24-week after-school leadership development program that focuses on science, technology, engineering and math.
• $1,000 to the Rich River Athletics Club to help pay for elementary school cross country and track meets that serve hundreds of local students.
• $5,000 to Santa Cruz Training Programs for its Transition to Employment program, which provides job training and employment support to youth with cognitive and physical disabilities.

Yavapai County

• $2,500 to the American Red Cross for its Home Fire Campaign, in which volunteers go door-to-door to distribute fire safety education materials, help families develop fire escape plans and install free smoke alarms.
• $1,000 to Cornucopia Community Advocates for outreach activities to promote its Community Platform software, which provides comprehensive listings for social services in Yavapai County including food banks, homeless relief, domestic violence support, emergency financial assistance, foster care and child abuse prevention services.
• $1,000 to the Environmental Education Center for its Verde Watershed Environmental Education Program, which educates students about water conservation and stewardship of the Verde River.
• $1,000 to Local First Arizona Foundation for its Science Happens Here program, which provides elementary students living in rural areas opportunities to engage in hands-on science, technology, engineering and math activities in partnership with local businesses.
• $1,000 to Old Town Mission for its Offering Hope programs, which will provide hot meals and food boxes to hundreds of families and individuals during the holiday season.
• $2,500 to Prescott Area Shelter Services to continue providing emergency shelter and transportation for homeless women and women with children, and to help these women move into their own homes.
• $3,500 to the United States Veterans Initiative for its Feeding Our Homeless and Hungry Veterans program, which provides meals to veterans who are homeless and living in transitional housing. Funding also will support the Culinary U Program for veterans who would like to enter the food service industry.
• $2,500 to Yavapai Casa for Kids Foundation, which prepares young adults in foster care to live on their own by teaching interpersonal and daily living skills, money and household management and job interview skills.

UES Community Impact Grants, like the company’s other community investments, are funded from corporate resources, not customers’ rates. The grants are just part of UES’ award-winning community service efforts, which include direct contributions, in-kind services and volunteer support for local nonprofit groups.

UES provides electric service to approximately 95,000 customers in Mohave and Santa Cruz counties. The company also provides natural gas to approximately 154,000 customers in northern and southern Arizona. For more information, visit uesaz.com. UES and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis, a leader in the North American regulated electric and gas utility industry. For more information, visit fortisinc.com.

News Media Contact: Joseph Barrios, (520) 884-3725, jbarrios@uesaz.com