Dominion supports a wide range of environmental, educational,
cultural, community development, and health and human services efforts
through the Dominion
Foundation. The Dominion
Educational Partnership is an educational grant fund to encourage
development of new programs to strengthen math and science skills.
The program began in 1986 and has grown each year. For
2007-08, Dominion will award partnership grants in a 10-state
area. Individual awards range from a few hundred dollars to $10,000.
The Dominion Foundation awarded $220,000 to 96 schools
and educational organizations in six states for the 2006-07 school year.
The most popular grants category is "Environmental Education," which
supports teachers with numerous learning activities from building butterfly
gardens to establishing oyster reefs.
A few examples are highlighted below.
Booker T. Washington Middle School in
Newport News was awarded $3,000 to engage students and parents in the “Bringing
the Bay Home” project. Students will experience field outings, guest
speakers and an extensive exploration of the James River. Additionally, parent
workshops will be held every nine weeks. In the spring, fifteen parents and
students will travel to the Port Isobel Island Study Center for a three-day
field immersion.
Geauga Park District Foundation was
awarded $2,000 to provide 5th grade students with binoculars for the “Nature
Scopes” program. Lead by Park Naturalists and parent volunteers, the
students will trek through national parks. With field guides in hand, they
will observe stream, field and forest habitats. In June all participants
will be honored at a “Nature Scopes” graduation.
Tuscarawas Carroll Harrison Educational Service
Center was awarded $3,500 to develop 7th and 8th grade
student Storm Chasers. Students will be challenged to investigate environmental
factors and their effect on weather, water tables and living functions.
They will work with local disaster preparedness officials to develop
an action plan for disaster response. The students will learn to track
storm behaviors and identify possible environmental risks.
Gilmer County Schools were awarded
$2,500 for a “Science Safari” in the West Virginia Hills. The
4th-7th grade winners of the Gilmer County Science Fair will travel to Cedar
Creek State Park, where they will engage in science exploration at four learning
stations. The students will receive colorful safari t-shirts to wear as they
participate in activities such as a “tree-quest scavenger hunt,” and
an owl pellet investigation. A team of journalism students from Gilmer County
High School will produce a Science Safari instructional DVD to show at Family
Science Night.
White Oak and D.F.
Walker Schools in Chowan and Edenton were awarded
$3,000 to address the math and science curriculum for students
in kindergarten-5th grade. An outdoor garden will be built
to teach students about the structure of plants. The grant
will also provide for a direct-instruction math program that
focuses on intense and repetitive sessions to teach the students
who are currently identified as autistic.
Western
Pennsylvania Conservancy
In partnership with the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy’s
Watershed Assistance Center a Watershed Mini Grants program was initiated
in 2004. Watershed protection is a growing area of community-based collaboration
and throughout Pennsylvania watershed groups are playing an increasingly
prominent role in environmental management.
In 2005, eighteen watershed groups were awarded $10,000
worth of grants to strengthen their important environmental stewardship
role in protecting our waterways and educating the public.
Educational
Video on Streams and Acidification
Students and civic organizations participated
in a joint venture project between Dominion and Trout Unlimited.
The partnership worked to create
a 10-minute video detailing the impact of acid rain on forests and
coldwater streams.
The educational video, titled "Battle
for the Brookie," also highlights Dominion’s efforts
to reduce emissions that contribute to acid rain.
In October
2006, more than 100 Girl Scouts gathered at Dominion's Innsbrook Technical
Center in Richmond for "It's Electric II" — a forum
for girls to interface with professional women in non-traditional fields.
At the daylong event, the girls learned how to use
electricity safely, how electric production impacts the environment,
energy conservation, and how meteorology influences a power company's
decision-making process.
The 11- to 17-year-olds also learned about
career opportunities.
As an interactive activity,
the girls powered a light bulb by riding a bicycle generator.
The event was sponsored and funded by a $5,000
grant from the Dominion Foundation. It was staffed by 45 volunteers from
area colleges and Dominion employees from all areas of the company.
Badge O-Ree for Boy
Scouts
Dominion's Millstone Power Station hosted more than 700 scouts from
the Connecticut
Rivers Council of the Boy Scouts of America on Jan. 27, 2007 for its annual
Badge O-Ree weekend in Waterford, Conn. Since 1995, Millstone has hosted this
annual event as a way to reach
out, assist and educate local youth.
During the weekend event, the
scouts used the facilities, learned from Dominion's technical
experts and worked to earn specialized merit badges. While some
of the scouts remained at Millstone for
activities, other groups were bused to the Waterford Ambulance Service, the
Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College to fulfill requirements for
specific merit badges.
The Dominion Foundation contributed $2,000 to help
fund the event. About 50 Millstone employees and retirees volunteered
to help the scouts learn and earn badges in topics such as chemistry, electricity, electronics,
wood carving, environmental science and citizenship.
Project Plant
It! is a community effort to educate
children, plant trees and improve the environment. It is a partnership
among Dominion and three school systems in Central Virginia, including
Chesterfield County Public Schools, Henrico County Public Schools and
Richmond Public Schools.
Through a pilot program,
as many as 10,000 third-grade students will learn about the value of
trees in our ecosystem and learn how to recognize and care for trees.
Project Plant It! will also enhance the classroom learning
experience and increase comprehension of Standards of Learning (SOL) content
by providing a hands-on experience to each child.
Third-graders will learn about the value of trees including
how they help to moderate climates, improve air quality, absorb carbon, harbor
wildlife, prevent soil erosion and reduce heating and cooling costs.
Dominion is a continued supporter of the National Aviary's
Education Programs which are designed around the philosophy that all visitors
should leave the Aviary with a new understanding of the bird world, and the
interdependent role of humans within the world's ecosystems.
A recent grant by Dominion was used to increase the quality
of the Aviary's daily Owl Encounters and Penguin Premiere program and will add
a great deal to the educational impact of the daily shows.
Additional Programs
Other examples of Dominion’s
involvement in environmental education are available by using the links below:
