Leaders from Muskegon Community College and Consumers Energy will celebrate the grand opening of the Consumers Energy STEM Lab on Thursday, May 5, at 2 p.m. The event will be hosted at the Lakeshore Fab Lab and Consumers Energy Foundation STEM Lab, 388 West Clay Avenue, in downtown Muskegon.
In January, Consumers Energy provided MCC with a $238,200 Peoples Award grant to support the creation of a STEM lab and the hiring of a STEM coordinator to help K-12 students in the community learn about the connection of STEM to careers in the skilled trades.
“Muskegon Community College hopes to attract more than 2,000 students annually to the Consumers Energy STEM Lab and the Lakeshore Fab Lab,” said Cyndi Langlois, associate dean of workforce and talent development at MCC. “We will connect K-12 education to educational and career pathways in the STEM fields, especially applied technology and manufacturing.”
Delivering remarks will be MCC President Dale Nesbary, MCC Board Chair Diana Osborn, and Consumers Energy Foundation Secretary/Treasurer Carolyn Bloodworth. They will be joined at the event by students and community members. Tours of the STEM lab will be available.
Consumers Energy’s People Award grants support nonprofit organizations that help provide people with economic security in the areas of basic needs, education and/or workforce readiness.
“The Consumers Energy Foundation knows the value of investing in Michigan’s most valuable resource – our people,” said Carolyn Bloodworth, secretary/treasurer of the Consumers Energy Foundation. “Helping our youngest Michiganders develop skills and talents that will equip them for success in the future – that’s the goal of the new Consumers Energy STEM Lab. We’re excited to celebrate with Muskegon Community College on May 5 and look forward to sharing with students and the community everything the STEM lab has to offer.”
MCC was one of three Peoples Award recipients out of 70 applicants.
The Consumers Energy Foundation is the charitable arm of Consumers Energy, Michigan’s largest energy provider. The Foundation enables communities to thrive and grow by investing in what’s most important to Michigan — its people, our planet and Michigan’s prosperity. In 2021, the Consumers Energy Foundation, Consumers Energy, its employees and retirees contributed over $17.5 million to Michigan nonprofits. For more information, visit www.ConsumersEnergy.com/foundation.