PHOTO GALLERY — Port Arthur LNG grants $40K to local nonprofits committed to health and safety
Published 12:42 am Thursday, August 25, 2022
Pictured are the seven groups that received Safe Communities Initiative grants and two that received safety awards. (Monique Batson/The News)
Debbie Perkins of the United Board of Missions, left, hugs Iman Garrett-Price of Sempra Infrastructure ahead of Tuesday evening’s Safe Communities Initiative grant awards reception. (Monique Batson/The News)
Seated from left: Lamar State College President Betty Reynard, Mayor Thurman Bartie and Councilwoman Ingrid Holmes watch the Safe Communities Initiative grant awards reception. Councilwoman Charlotte Moses, not pictured, was also in attendance. (Monique Batson/The News)
From left: Brandon Bartie and Simeon Queen with Grace Hub, Inc. receive a grant from Iman Garrett-Price, community outreach and events advisor for Sempra Infrastructure. (Monique Batson/The News)
From left: Councilwoman Ingrid Holmes and Gift of Life founder Regina Rogers accept a safety award on behalf of Gift of Life from Sempra Infrastructure Director of External Affairs Kelly Prasser and Sempra Infrastructure Community Outreach and Events Advisor Iman Garrett-Price. (Monique Batson/The News)
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Seven local non-profits were honored this week for their commitment to health and safety as recipients of the Safe Communities Initiative grant awards.
In addition, two were recognized for outstanding work in safety.
“Of course we know that a happy community is a healthy community, and a healthy community is a safe community,” said Sempra Infrastructure Community Outreach and Events Advisor Iman Garrett-Price. “So it’s really, really important to us to support our health and safety partners in Port Arthur and across Southeast Texas.”
Sempra is the parent company of Port Arthur LNG, which on Tuesday at the Lamar State College Port Arthur’s Umphrey Industrial Technology Center awarded a collective $40,000 in grants.
Debbie Perkins, United Board of Missions executive director, said funds received this week help those struggling to pay for medications.
“This is for our newly-founded (prescription) program through Gulf Coast Health Clinic, and it will help us assist people that need help with their pharmacy needs, such as diabetics and that type of thing,” Perkins said.
As for the YMCA of Southeast Texas, grant money will go towards a new program that tracks exercise intensity.
“We’re doing a health initiative using technology to track and motivate participants,” said CEO Kevin Pearson. “It tracks the intensity of workouts. It doesn’t tell us what they’re doing; it doesn’t tell us where they’re doing it. It just tells us, ‘you’re heart rate got up here.’”
Pearson said the program will be geared to three groups — teenagers, parents and seniors — and each group receives 15 trackers.
Sempra Infrastructure Director of External Affairs Kelly Prasser said this is the first time the company awarded grants specifically in health and safety.
“At Sempra, we’re committed to safety,” she said. “We live it every day. It’s the No. 1 priority at our company.”
Following the Road for the Future Texas 87 Relocation project, which lasted just more than two years and included rebuilding approximately 3.5 miles of highway, the company received the National Safety Council’s Perfect Safety Award for 1.7 million work hours without a loss-time accident.
In addition, Prasser said, since 2000, Sempra and Port Arthur LNG have invested nearly $600,000 into Southeast Texas organizations working for the betterment of the community.
Those that received Safe Communities Initiative grants were:
- Christus Southeast Texas Foundation
- Crime Stoppers of Southeast Texas
- Grace Hub Inc.
- Southeast Texas Food Bank
- Southeast Texas Veterans 4 Veterans
- United Board of Missions
- YMCA of Southeast Texas
Additional Safety Awards for 2022 went to:
- Inspire, Encourage, Achieve
- Gift of Life
