Ontario, Ca – Southern California Edison present the Ontario-Montclair Promise Scholars program their 2019 Community Partnership Award at their 9th Annual Hispanic Heritage Month event on Friday morning, October 11, 2019 at The Canyon-Montclair in Montclair. Over 250 attendees were in attendance.

Promise Scholars works to bring everyone together—students, parents, educators, businesses, and local leaders—to introduce kids to the opportunities available after high school and make sure they get on the education pathway to achieve their goals.

The event brought together organizations and companies who advance the efforts and contributions of Latinx communities. Southern California Edison (SCE) hosted community and civic leaders, business owners, and SCE leadership for an event that includes networking, community organization exhibitors, entertainment, energy education, and celebration of the Edison Scholars program.

President and CEO of Edison International, Pedro J. Pizarro presented Promise Scholars Board Vice President, Danny De La Mora from Bank of America and Promise Scholars Executive Director, Leslie Sorensen with the award.

In Mr. Pizarro’s remarks he highlighted the Promise Scholars belief “that unlocking the potential of the community relies on unlocking the potential of all the children in the community.”

Southern California Edison, the largest subsidiary of Edison International, is the primary electricity supply company for much of Southern California. It provides 14 million people with electricity across a service territory of approximately 50,000 square miles.

Promise Scholars was founded by the Ontario-Montclair School District, Chaffey Joint Union High School District, City of Ontario, Chaffey College, and CSU San Bernardino to guarantee all students in the community a place in college along with help in taking the steps to succeed. Programming started in 2012-13 and today over 20,000 mostly first generation K-16 students are served annually. We focus on college degrees as well as career certificates and we have expanded our partnership to over 14 colleges. This work is done through a dedicated group of AmeriCorps Members and staff who serve as near-peers and over 300 community volunteers who serve as role models for our students. FAFSA and Dream Act rates have significantly increased and preliminary data shows an increase in college enrollment.