Money that Vancouver school trustees turned down will gladly be accepted in cash-strapped School District 43, whose board of education welcomed Chevron's Fuel Your School program Tuesday.
The program, paid for by Chevron from $1 for every 30 of litres of fuel purchased at local gas stations, will be administrated by www.myclassneeds.ca so SD43 teachers can apply for grants of up to $1,000 for science, technology, engineering and math projects.
Up to $100,000 will be available for SD43 starting in September, with the money generated from gas sales in October.
Vancouver turned down $475,000 in March and the money is being redistributed to other school districts, according to Adrien Byrne, a representative from Chevron Canada.
He told Tri-City trustees that teachers can use the money for equipment that spurs kids to think creatively, such as materials to build solar panels, promote stream stewardship and energy efficiency.
He showed a video about how the Fuel Your School program provided materials for Surrey schools last year and said Chevron benefits by getting a marketing advantage if more people buy fuel at its gas stations in October.
Advertising in schools is not required.
"We just wanted to give back to the community as a social investment," Byrne said.
Several trustees applauded the program, including Coquitlam's Gerri Wallis, who said her husband worked for Chevron for many years before retiring. "I really applaud Chevron for standing up and being a good corporate citizen," she said.
