California Water Service Group donates roughly $51,500 to seven local organizations in Visalia to help better the lives of residents
SAN JOSE, CALIF. – Local community organizations were given a total of $51,500 in donations from CalWater in order to make the lives of residents better in the city of Visalia.
On Feb. 22, the California Water Service Group (Group) announced it would be donating $1.57 million to community organizations, first responders and students in 2022. Among the recipients of these donations are seven local organizations in Visalia, including the Visalia Emergency Aid Council who received $11,000 in funding from the Group. This is part of the Group’s commitment to enhancing the quality of life for those it serves. The utility and its employees gave another $34,270 through an employee charitable donation-matching program.
“We are dedicated to making our communities a better place to live and work, and to supporting organizations that make a meaningful difference for those in our service areas,” the Group’s CEO Martin A. Kropelnicki said in a statement.
The local organizations who received funding from the donations are:
- Visalia Emergency Aid Council — $11,000
- Lions Club — $8,000
- Children’s Museum of the Sequoias — $5,000
- Downtown Visalians — $10,000
- United Way of Tulare County — $5,000
- Valley Oak SPCA — $5,000
- Kaweah Delta Hospital Foundation — $7,500
Director of communications Yvonne Kingman said that the VEAC received funding for their winter hunger relief program this year. The Children’s Museum funding will go towards constructing their new “wonderful water” exhibit, meanwhile Kaweah Delta’s funding will go towards their modernization campaign. The other organizations will be using the funding for their general uses and purpose.
“Knowing, also, that our employees are the backbone of our presence in these communities, through our matching program, we support the causes close to our team members’ hearts and augment their efforts to help their communities thrive,” Kropelnicki said.
Last year, the Group allocated 27% of its community giving efforts specifically to support at-risk, underserve, and disadvantaged communities. An additional 20% went to community improvement efforts across the utility’s service areas, 17% for educational grants, and 14% to support firefighters, police officers and first responders. The remainder of the donations assisted various initiatives, such as support for veterans, animal welfare and healthcare.
The other recipients of the donation funding include Garden Pathways, Salinas Public Recreation Unlimited, Maui Food Bank, Valencia Shelter for Victims of Domestic Violence and Gig Harbor Peninsula Fish Food Bank. According to the Group’s press release, all recipients share in their commitment to helping people live better lives.
Through its employee charitable donation-matching program, Group matches up to $250 per employee per calendar year. All contributions are part of the Group’s philanthropic giving program and do not affect customers’ rates.
