Oct. 9, 2003
Students in a South Los
Angeles non-profit community development program now have regular transportation
to their classroom and construction job sites thanks to a dynamic partnership
between the South Coast Air Quality Management District and General Motors
Corp., with assistance from Clean Energy.
At a construction site in
south Los Angeles today, Los Angeles City Councilman Bernard Parks and Los
Angeles County Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke participated in a ceremony
dedicating a brand new 10-passenger van to We Care Community Enrichment
Corporation. AQMD and GM donated the van, and Clean Energy of Seal Beach will
provide compressed natural gas fuel for the vehicle.
The big, white bi-fuel
Chevrolet has two separate fueling systems and can run on gasoline or
clean-burning natural gas – meaning it can do its share of reducing air
pollution in one of the region's smoggiest areas while helping young students
learn new job and life skills.
Los Angeles County
Supervisor Yvonne Brathwaite Burke said, “Through the donation of this van, We
Care Community Enrichment Corp. will be able to reach more people throughout our
community and provide them with the education and skills necessary to improve
their lives.”
Councilman Parks, whose
district includes the We Care office and much of the area the organization
serves, worked with AQMD to arrange the donation.
“My job is to help empower
the residents of my district,” he said. “I am very happy that I was able to play
a role in helping this great organization better serve our community.”
“This is a great day for
Los Angeles,” said Dr. William Burke, AQMD’s Governing Board Chairman. “Through
this donation, AQMD and General Motors will be able to clean the air, while at
the same time helping dozens of individuals gain the skills necessary to become
self-reliant and successful.”
“GM's clean-air
partnership with the AQMD is a great example of the collaboration needed to
facilitate the use of automotive technologies in ways that improve the lives of
those in our local communities,” said Ken Stewart, GM's marketing director of
new ventures. “By donating this clean air van, we can help organizations such
as We Care touch more people and improve more lives.”
We Care Community
Enrichment Corporation was founded by Wayne L. Clark to help transition
individuals from unemployment and public assistance to lasting, unsubsidized
employment. The organization pursues its mission by providing education and
vocational training in the construction building trades to individuals
throughout the community.
Wayne Clark said, “With
this van, more of our students will be able to travel to job sites and learn
firsthand the construction skills that they are taught in our classrooms. This
hands-on experience will have a significant impact on their education, and will
make them much more appealing to potential employers in the future.”
When driven on compressed
natural gas, the van reduces smog-forming emissions. Wondries Chevrolet of
Alhambra facilitated delivery of the 2003 Chevrolet Express 2500 bi-fuel van.
Today's donation is the
eighth clean-air van that GM has given to Southland non-profit organizations as
part of its Clean Air Partnership with AQMD. As a result of its partnership, GM
has taken other air quality measures, including helping reduce diesel school bus
emissions that impact children’s health.
AQMD is the air pollution
agency for Orange County and major potions of Los Angeles, San Bernardino and
Riverside Counties.
Clean Energy, based in
Seal Beach, is the nation’s largest provider of vehicular natural gas (CNG and
LNG).
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