David Clark, engineering and maintenance manager for CertainTeed Corp.’s Chowchilla, Calif., insulation plant, recently secured a $50,000 grant from Saint-Gobain, parent company of CertainTeed, to help local nonprofit Fresno Rescue Mission convert a vacant hotel into a community for women and children as part of its Rescue the Children project. In addition to the grant, Clark also helped coordinate the donation of several CertainTeed products that will contribute to the facility’s energy efficiency and long-term comfort.

The mission of Rescue the Children is to help at-risk women while keeping families intact. The grant will be used to help the ministry convert a vacant hotel into a new 354,000-square-foot facility with up to 63 rooms where women and their children can live while receiving job training, counseling, and life skills classes. The community will also include a day care, computer lab, pool, and play areas for the children.

“Through Rescue the Children, we strive to provide a safe haven for women fleeing abusive situations or recovering from substance abuse, while ensuring they can remain with their children and learn how to live healthier lives together,” said Janet Steinhauer, marketing and development director for the Fresno Rescue Mission. “This new community will have a tremendous impact on the lives of the families we serve, and we are grateful for the generosity of CertainTeed and Saint-Gobain for helping bring this idea to life.”

Clark and his wife have been involved with the Fresno Rescue Mission for 15 years, and after learning about the community grant program offered to employees through Saint-Gobain’s Initiatives Foundation, Clark recognized an opportunity to make a significant impact on an organization close to his heart.

“My wife and I have been inspired by the extraordinary work being done by the folks at the Fresno Rescue Mission, and have been active volunteers for a number of years,” Clark said. “We have donated our own time and resources to this cause, so you can imagine how happy I was to be able to help them secure this generous grant.”

In addition to the grant, CertainTeed is providing Sustainable Insulation® fiberglass batts for the facility’s exterior walls, and InsulSafe® SP Premium Blowing Wool to insulate the center’s attic, which will help reduce energy bills and contribute to a more comfortable living environment for the center’s residents. Also, 3,000 feet of CertainTeed’s 3-inch Certa-Set™ PVC pipe was donated from the CertainTeed plant in nearby Lodi, Calif. It will be used for a new irrigation system for the children’s playground and soccer field.

This is the second grant that Saint-Gobain has awarded to a North American organization through its Saint-Gobain Initiatives Foundation. Established in 2008, the Saint-Gobain Initiatives Foundation is the company’s international corporate foundation that provides financial support to community organizations in an effort to improve the quality of life for the communities in which the company operates and where its employees live and work.

For more information about the Fresno Rescue Mission, visit www.fresnorm.org. For more information about CertainTeed, visit www.certainteed.com.

Publication date: 11/12/2012