Electric vehicles to benefit more non-profit organizations in Fresno County
When serving immigrants families thought out the Central Valley, some Fresno-based nonprofit organizations have faced transportation challenges to bring services such as education opportunities, immigration help, civic engagement, or social services to rural communities.
“The need that exist throughout the region is immense,” said Dr. Jesús Martínez, Central Valley Immigrant Integration Collaborative (CVIIC) executive director.
Martínez said that one of the major challenges that immigrant families face is that most of the agencies that provides services to them are based in larger cities in the Valley.
“It is important for agencies like us to be able to have the means to transport our staff members and to also organize events in conjunction with local organizations,” Martínez said.
And thanks to a donation from Electrify America and Valley Clean Air Now, Martínez and his staff at CVIIC would have the means to serve those communities better.
CVIIC was one of the four local non-profit organizations that received the keys of one of the five vehicles donated by Electrify America and Valley CAN as part of the efforts to increase access to zero emission transportation in rural areas.
“We selected these organizations from among the eight counties of the San Joaquín Valley,” said José Marín from Valley CAN, of the donation of five electric 2018 Volkswagen e-Golfs to local non-profit organizations.
The keys to each vehicle were presented to the nonprofits during a ceremony at the parking lot of the Consulate of México in Fresno on Aug. 27. More than 50 vehicles have been donated by Electrify America and Valley CAN.
Besides CVIIC, Fresno City College and Education and Leadership Foundation received one electric vehicle each while the LEAP Institue’s Green Raiteros program received two.
“We can’t do it alone. We need all the help we can get and we really appreciate the help that Valley CAN, Electrify America and the Consulate of Mexico is giving us,” said Raúl Moreno, executive director of Education and Leadership Foundation. “We will continue to serve immigrants thanks to your support.”
Marin said the donation is an effort “to further the message, further the work that they do and continue to serve those that are mostly impacted within our disadvantage communities.”
Head Consul Adriana González Carrillo said the donations to those nonprofit organizations will support their efforts “to increase access to transportation in rural areas with zero emissions, thus helping to build cleaner and healthier regions, but also to support those who work hand in hand with the people of the San Joaquin Valley who need the most help, many of them are Mexican brothers and sisters.”
To be able to have an electric, zero emissions vehicle, also puts small nonprofit organizations like CIVIC and ELF at a better position to use the new technologies.
“Many of us have children with asthma or other type of breathing problems, so we know about the importance of having Central Valley air as clean as possible. And is very important for us, small organizations to be able to have access to this technology,” Martínez said.
For the LEAP Institute base in the rural community of Huron, the donation will increase their capacity in its electric vehicle ride-sharing program which takes clients to appointments in several locations in Fresno, Madera, Kings and Kern counties.
“These eGolf vehicles will help us increase the number of rides and other essential services that our communities are in dire need of,” said Aldo Javier García, with the LEAP Institute, adding that those vehicles would help the nonprofit continue its mission of achieving social, economic and climate justice.
María G. Ortiz-Briones: 559-441-6782, @TuValleTuSalud
Esta historia fue publicada originalmente el 3 de septiembre de 2021, 5:10 p. m. with the headline "Electric vehicles to benefit more non-profit organizations in Fresno County."
