Grant award provides learning lab scholarships for area high school students
Recently, Colorado Mesa University was announced as a 2020 beneficiary of the Colorado Energy Foundation. The Colorado Energy Foundation works with a diverse cohort of nonprofit partners who, through their work, reduce the systemic barriers to equity and provide access to opportunity for Coloradans.
Western Colorado Community College, a division of CMU, received the grant, which will support delivering technology and providing advanced mechatronics training to rural and underserved communities. The Mobile Learning Lab was made possible by a generous gift of nearly half a million dollars from the Sturm Family and ANB Bank.
“Colorado’s oil and natural gas industry has a long history of supporting local nonprofits throughout the state,” said Colorado Oil & Gas Association President and CEO Dan Haley. “By leveraging the collective resources of the Colorado Energy Foundation through an enhanced strategic plan, these efforts will be amplified to further cultivate relationships and support these organizations that serve Colorado families and communities.”
Western Colorado Community College and the Mobile Learning Lab have served and provided trainings in a variety of western Colorado communities including Glenwood Springs, Grand Junction, Montrose and Parachute. The training is meant to provide rural communities with the skills and manufacturing knowledge base to compete in a global job market dominated by mechatronics technologies. The funds provided by the Colorado Energy Foundation will provide scholarships to western Colorado high school students seeking Mechatronics training.
The Colorado Energy Foundation was incorporated in 2019 as a 501(c)(3) supporting organization of the Colorado Oil & Gas Association. According to the Colorado Energy Foundation, the organization seeks to amplify existing philanthropic efforts of the oil and gas industry in Colorado in addition to WCCC and CMU it works with Energy Outreach Colorado, Habitat for Humanity of Colorado, Oilfield Helping Hands and Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado.