On June 21, 2010 Community Action Team (CAT), St. Helen's Oregon celebrated its $300,000 grant award from the NCAF/ExxonMobil Weatherization Training Partnership with a ceremony that was well attended by congressional delegates, board members from partner organizations, contractors and trainers - demonstrating true collaboration.
The grant is the backbone of CAT's new Weatherization Contractor Training Program since it provides local, advanced weatherization training coupled with a loan program that will provide financing to the potential new contractors who are graduating from CAT’s weatherization training program. Ultimately, the funding will help to create a pool of highly-trained weatherization contractors (a dependable source for skilled installations) who live in, are employed from, and serve a 5 county area.
Oregon Congressman David Wu attended the event along with staff from Senator Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley’s offices. Jim Tierney, CAT’s Deputy Director thanked ExxonMobil for their investment in energy efficiency and low income Oregonians , declaring it “ a win-sin situation……local contractors and their staff are trained and supported, creating skilled family wage jobs.” So far the project has helped to create five new businesses and fifteen new family wage jobs in a region hard hit by the economic downturn.