Edison International Surprises Two Local High Schools With New Backpacks Filled With Essential School Supplies
Edison International invests in the future of local underserved students by supporting national nonprofit Kids In Need Foundation
January 23, 2015 /3BL Media/ - Edison International, the parent company of Southern California Edison (SCE), is funding the distribution of 530 free backpacks filled with school supplies to underserved senior students at Morningside High School and Inglewood High School. The funding for the supplies was made possible as a result of Edison International’s participation in CBS EcoMedia’s Education Ad program to promote the $1.2 million Edison Scholars Program.
EcoMedia’s national non-profit partner, the Kids In Need Foundation, provided the school supplies and backpacks through its School Ready Supplies Program.
Edison International’s support of the Kids In Need Foundation is a part of its commitment to supporting education in the communities it serves. The Edison Scholars Program supports minority, low-income and underrepresented students across SCE’s service territory by financing college studies in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM fields), and helping them develop skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the workforce of the future.
Since 2006, Edison International has awarded nearly $4 million in scholarships to 460 students. More than 1,400 high school seniors applied for the 2014 scholarships, a 92 percent increase over the previous school year. This year, Edison International will award 30 students scholarships valued at $40,000 each.
Representatives from Edison International participated in a special assembly today where they distributed backpacks to surprised seniors at Inglewood High School. They will also distribute backpacks to seniors at Morningside High School on Monday, Jan. 26. Eligible seniors at both schools are encouraged to apply for the Edison Scholars Program. Students can apply at www.scholarsapply.org/edisonscholars until February 1.
"Awareness that not all students go to school with a backpack full of school supplies is growing,” said Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids In Need Foundation. “Edison International is stepping up to break down this barrier that prevents many students from keeping pace with their classmates. We appreciate CBS EcoMedia's leadership in this area. They understand students' need for supplies, as well as the fact that with supplies, students' classroom behavior improves, grades go up, absenteeism goes down, and kids feel they have a better chance of achieving in the classroom because of this support."
“Our philosophy of giving is that all people should have opportunities to do well,” said Tammy Tumbling, director of Philanthropy and Community Investment at Southern California Edison. “For that reason, we are enthusiastic to be partnering with EcoMedia and the Kids In Need Foundation to provide these students with the necessary school supplies.”
“Edison International’s educational funding is encouraging students to pursue higher education in the STEM fields and investing in their future,” said Paul Polizzotto, president and founder of CBS EcoMedia. “We’re proud to partner with Edison International to provide local seniors the resources and encouragement they need to pursue a higher education.”
About Edison International
Edison International (NYSE:EIX), through its subsidiaries, is a generator and distributor of electric power and an investor in energy services and technologies, including renewable energy. Headquartered in Rosemead, Calif., Edison International is the parent company of Southern California Edison, one of the nation’s largest electric utilities.
About The Kids In Need Foundation
The Kids In Need Foundation is a national 501(c)(3) charitable organization founded in 1995. The Foundation’s mission is to prepare children to learn and succeed by providing free school supplies to students most in need. Its National Network of Resource Centers includes 34 facilities where teachers from low-income schools go to obtain free school supplies for their students. School supply giveaways in communities not served by Resource Centers are accommodated through the School Ready Supplies program, and students who have gone through natural disasters are helped to get back to their normal routines with new backpacks and supplies through the Second Responder® program. In addition, two Teacher Grant programs award preK-12 educators with funding to provide innovative learning experiences for students. The Kids In Need Foundation has distributed more than $668 million in school supplies since its founding, directly benefiting 4.2 million students and more than 120,000 teachers annually, and has awarded $1.6 million in grants to teachers. Kids In Need has earned the Gold GuideStar Exchange Seal, demonstrating its commitment to transparency, and has been given a 4-star rating from Charity Navigator, indicating that it operates in a fiscally responsible way and outperforms most other charities in America. For more information, visit www.kinf.org. Join Kids In Need Foundation on Twitter at twitter.com/kidsinneed and Facebook at facebook.com/kidsinneed.
About CBS EcoMedia Inc.
At EcoMedia, we’re propelled by the desire to create positive social change; that’s been our mission since we founded the company in 2002. In 2010, after successfully partnering with CBS on a wide range of environmental projects, EcoMedia became the newest addition to the CBS Corporation portfolio, exponentially scaling our reach across television, radio, interactive, publishing and outdoor media.
Through our patent-pending EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd programs, an innovative twist on traditional advertising, advertisers are able to support much-needed local projects which in turn creates jobs, saves taxpayer money and improves the quality of life in communities nationwide. In the process, we’re fundamentally altering the advertising landscape, elevating the ordinary, traditional commercial – and media, in general – into a catalyst for tangible, quantifiable social change. Please visit ecomediacbs.com, like us at facebook.com/EcoMediaCBS or follow us at Twitter.com/EcoMediaCBS.
By participating in EcoMedia’s EcoAd, WellnessAd and EducationAd advertising programs, EcoMedia’s advertisers agree to provide funding for projects we believe will have a beneficial effect upon the environment, health and/or education within local communities. EcoMedia’s advertising programs are not certification programs nor are the EcoAd, WellnessAd or EducationAd logos seals of approval. EcoMedia does not in any way certify, endorse or make any representations about EcoMedia program advertisers, their products or services.
