They’ve long used the slogan “Great Futures Start Here,” and that promise just got a substantial boost from the men and women of the Cook Nuclear Plant at Bridgman in the form of a $120,000 gift to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor.
The Clubs announced this morning a $120,000 donation from Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Plant for a three-year commitment to expand the clubs’ Academic Success program. Indiana Michigan Power’s Cook Plant is committed to its customers and improving lives in the local community.
Funding from Cook supports a full time Academic Success Coach at the Club’s Fettig Youth Campus for the next three years. That position will help create and track individualized academic achievement plans for K-8 grade members.
Brian Saxton is Chief Executive Officer at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor. He says, “Getting our youngest members committed to their education during their elementary years sets the foundation for them to become life-long learners,” and adds, “We understand the impact a caring adult relationship makes on young people. We are very grateful I&M Cook Nuclear Plant made a very generous, long-term gift that enables us to extend our relationship with our members’ parents, teachers, and school principals to further enhance their capabilities for academic proficiency and future college and job readiness.”
The Club’s academic success goal is for every member to graduate from high school ready for college, career technical education, the military, or employment, following through on that slogan of “Great Futures Start Here.”
Joel Gebbie, AEP’s Senior Vice President and Chief Nuclear Officer, says, “The team at I&M’s Cook Nuclear Plant has great respect and appreciation for the work the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor does for our community’s kids and their families,” and adds, “We are pleased to partner with the Club to help increase the impact on academic success and provide even more opportunities for our area’s elementary and middle school children.”
Located at 600 Nate Wells Senior Drive, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Benton Harbor has served the youth of Benton Harbor since 1998. The Club provides after school and summer programs promoting educational and career development, character and leadership development, and healthy lifestyles for nearly 1,500 youth and teens at the Fettig Youth Campus and Joel E. Smilow Teen Center. You can learn more online at: http://www.bgcbh.org
The Cook Nuclear Plant is located on 650 acres along Lake Michigan’s eastern shoreline near Bridgman, and is owned and operated by Indiana Michigan Power, an American Electric Power company unit. Cook’s Unit 1 began operation in 1975, and Unit 2 in 1978 with licenses extended through 2034 and 2037, respectively. At full power Cook provides more than 2,100 megawatts of electricity – enough for more than 1.5 million homes. Cook enjoys great support in the community, and returns that support through numerous contributions and thousands of volunteer hours to local organizations. Cook officials say they are proud to call Michigan’s Great Southwest home.
