Month: June 2025

NEWPORT NEWS, Va., June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — The BayPort Foundation today announced it has awarded $100,000 in 12 different scholarship types to a total of 36 member students in the surrounding local communities attending a college, university, trade, or vocational school.

Since 1961, BayPort Credit Union has supported member students in funding their educational pursuits. Over that time, it has awarded over $1 million in scholarships. Today, the credit union’s philanthropic arm, the BayPort Foundation, continues its mission to enrich members’ lives by providing tuition assistance. Scholarship applications are scored on financial need, academic achievements, school and community involvement, and a written essay. In addition, students must be pursuing a degree or certification at an accredited college, university, trade, or vocational school.

This year, the BayPort Foundation introduced two new scholarships: the Julie Heldreth Memorial Scholarship and the Wright Family Scholarship. Both scholarships are family gifts to the BayPort Foundation Legacy Giving Program, which honors those who share BayPort’s commitment and philanthropic efforts.

BayPort has partnered with WAVY-TV NBC and WVBT-FOX43 to honor its 2025 scholarship recipients as part of the BayPort Foundation Scholarship Salute recognition program. The Scholarship Salute will air daily between June 23 and July 27. For more information and to view the entire voluntary series beginning on June 23, please visit BayPort’s YouTube channel.

The BayPort Foundation 2025 scholarship recipients are as follows:

Beard-Bennett Memorial Scholarship
Abel Lynerd, Warwick High School
Adriana DeGuzman, Tallwood High School
Ameerah Newby, Heritage High School
Ashlyn Martel, Hickory High School
Charles Moore, III, Phoebus High School
Olivia Jackson, Isle of Wight Academy

Burton P. Hill Scholarship
Grace Handle, Emory & Henry University

Directors Scholarship
Ashton Collins, James Madison University
Breanna Patierno, Pennsylvania State University
Carson Cunningham, Virginia Tech
Christopher Freshwater, American University
Jourdan Johnson, Regent University
Makenna Gruchow, Liberty University
Panisha Johnson, Old Dominion University

Donald I. Steppe Memorial Scholarship
Christian Diggs, Virginia Peninsula Community College

George R. Dudley, Jr. Scholarship
Natalee Harris, Kecoughtan High School

Julie Heldreth Memorial Scholarship
Cameron Cheek, Virginia Peninsula Community College
Malakye Brown, Virginia Peninsula Community College

McGee Family Scholarship
Allison King, Virginia Peninsula Community College

Rowe Family Scholarship
Katie Dodson, Old Dominion University

Student-Run Credit Union Member Scholarship
Alexander Gabbert, Summit Christian Academy
Joshua Ray, Heritage High School
Mikayla Parker, King’s Fork High School
Sarah Campbell, Texas Christian University
Shelby Moore, Poquoson High School
Willard Davenport, III, Kecoughtan High School

Tuition Booster Scholarship
Aaron Thompson, Old Dominion University
Chanel White, Norfolk State University
Jenae Tynes, Liberty University
Lauren Wasilausky, ECPI University
Lori Allen, Virginia Peninsula Community College
Nathalia Matthews, Virginia Peninsula Community College

Wiatt Memorial Apprentice School Scholarship
Isaiah Washington, TBD
Melissa Westphal, Saint Leo University

Wright Family Apprentice School Scholarship
Johnathan Walker, Old Dominion University
Peter Cortapasso, Old Dominion University

About BayPort
BayPort Foundation is the charitable arm of BayPort Credit Union, headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, and was established to extend the credit union’s philosophy of “people helping people.” The Foundation is an extension of the credit union’s charitable giving. BayPort Credit Union commits more than half a million dollars in annual corporate donations and pays all the Foundation’s overhead to ensure that 100% of the Foundation donations support its mission. For more information, visit bayportfoundation.org.

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SOURCE BayPort Credit Union

TUCSON, Ariz., June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — UnidosUS, the nation’s largest Latino civil rights and advocacy organization, launched a campaign to protect the federal Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs), which are set to expire at the end of this year, and hosted a roundtable to encourage attendees to help expand the campaign’s reach.

As part of the initiative, community members were invited to sign a petition at www.unidosus.org/creditosdesalud to show their support for keeping health insurance affordable. Speakers urged participants to share the petition within their networks, highlighting that every signature helps elevate the voices of Arizonans who rely on these federal tax credits to access essential care and maintain financial stability.

During the event, held at the Community Foundation Campus in Tucson, panelists discussed how the elimination of these federal tax subsidies could affect more than 300,000 people in Arizona — including thousands of Latino families — who currently rely on the EPTCs to keep their health coverage affordable through HealthCare.gov.

The roundtable brought together community leaders, public health experts and local government representatives and more than 40 attendees to discuss the potential consequences of the expiration of Enhanced Premium Tax Credits (EPTCs) in Arizona.

“The conversations at today’s roundtable made one thing clear: the potential elimination of these health tax credits is an alarming threat to 300,000 Arizonans,” stated Carmen Feliciano, Vice President of Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS. “For a family earning around $30,000 a year, the estimated annual premiums could increase between $3,000 and $4,000, and this could put health coverage out of reach for working families across the state. That’s a crisis we can’t afford to ignore.”

“This isn’t about politics— it’s about people’s lives,” added Monica Sandschafer, Arizona State Director, Mi Familia en Acción. “These tax credits have helped working families stay healthy, afford their medications and get the care they need without falling into financial hardship.”

“The success of this event — and the strong response to the petition — shows that Arizona’s communities are coming together with urgency and determination to protect access to affordable health care,” said Enrique Davis-Mazlum, Arizona State Director of Policy and Advocacy at UnidosUS. “This is just the first step in a long-term strategy to ensure our communities don’t lose critical protections.”

This dialogue is part of UnidosUS’s 2025 strategy to protect and expand health and economic security for working families, including Latino communities. In Arizona and across the country, the organization will continue creating spaces for conversation and action — ensuring that public policies reflect the realities and needs of the people who rely on them most.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/community-roundtable-in-arizona-exposes-real-life-consequences-of-losing-health-premium-federal-tax-credits-302484125.html

SOURCE Unidos US

NEW YORK, June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — W. P. Carey (W. P. Carey, NYSE: WPC), a leading net lease REIT specializing in corporate sale-leasebacks, build-to-suits and the acquisition of single-tenant net lease properties, today announced the release of its 2024 Corporate Responsibility Report. Prepared in reference to disclosure standards established by the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Global Reporting Initiative (GRI), the report summarizes W. P. Carey’s progress and achievements across corporate responsibility initiatives, focused on the company’s environmental, social and governance objectives. It can be viewed and downloaded from W. P. Carey’s website at www.wpcarey.com/corporate-responsibility.

Notable highlights and recognitions:

• Pursued solar opportunities via CareySolar^®, increasing total solar in the portfolio to approximately 30 megawatts (MW).
• Completed inaugural double materiality assessment.
• Continued to prioritize green leasing, increasing the percentage of leases with green lease provisions to more than 30% as of year-end 2024.
• Established first emissions reduction target, for Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions.
• Increased tenant enrollment in electricity usage data reporting to more than 60% as a percentage of portfolio square footage.
• Completed first carbon-neutral construction project.
• Certified as a Great Place to Work^® in the U.S. for the third consecutive year and in the Netherlands for the first time.
• Maintained a “1” Governance QualityScore Rating from Institutional Shareholder Services. 

Jason Fox, Chief Executive Officer and President, W. P. Carey said: “Guided by our commitments to Investing for the Long Run and Doing Good While Doing Well, we’ve made significant strides in advancing our corporate responsibility goals—efforts that support our core business objectives and future growth. By keeping sustainability, social impact and strong governance at the forefront of our business, we’re able to align our actions with our values while continuing to focus on delivering long-term value for our stakeholders.”

W. P. Carey Inc.

W. P. Carey ranks among the largest net lease REITs with a diversified portfolio of high-quality, operationally critical commercial real estate, which includes 1,614 net lease properties covering approximately 177 million square feet and a portfolio of 78 self-storage operating properties as of March 31, 2025. With offices in New York, London, Amsterdam and Dallas, the company remains focused on investing primarily in single-tenant, industrial, warehouse and retail properties located in the U.S. and Northern and Western Europe, under long-term net leases with built-in rent escalations.

www.wpcarey.com 

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of U.S. Federal securities laws. The comments of Mr. Fox are examples of forward-looking statements. A number of factors could cause W. P. Carey’s actual results, performance or achievement to differ materially from those anticipated. Other unknown or unpredictable risks or uncertainties, like the risks related to fluctuating interest rates, the impact of inflation on our tenants and us, the effects of pandemics and global outbreaks of contagious diseases, and domestic or geopolitical crises, such as terrorism, military conflict, war or the perception that hostilities may be imminent, political instability or civil unrest, or other conflict, and those additional risk factors discussed in reports that we have filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), could also have material adverse effects on our future results, performance or achievements. Discussions of some of these other important factors and assumptions are contained in W. P. Carey’s filings with the SEC and are available at the SEC’s website at http://www.sec.gov, including Part I, Item 1A. Risk Factors in W. P. Carey’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. 

Institutional Investors:
Peter Sands
1 (212) 492-1110
institutionalir@wpcarey.com

Individual Investors:
W. P. Carey Inc.
1 (212) 492-8920
ir@wpcarey.com

Press Contact:
Anna McGrath
1 (212) 492-1166
amcgrath@wpcarey.com

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SOURCE W. P. Carey Inc.

Total helps put FirstEnergy on pace to exceed 2025 tree donation goal

WILLIAMSPORT, Md., June 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Employee volunteers from Potomac Edison, a subsidiary of FirstEnergy Corp. (NYSE: FE), have planted more than 2,000 company-donated trees across the company’s Maryland and West Virginia service territory in 2025 as part of its commitment to the environment and sustainability.

Michele Dellinger, Advanced Forestry Specialist and Lead of Potomac Edison’s Green Team: “Local tree plantings are an important way to demonstrate our commitment to the environment while also helping to enhance community green spaces across our service territory.”

Potomac Edison’s Green Team is a group of employees who volunteer their time and talents to support a wide variety of environmental initiatives. The Green Team volunteers planted trees and pollinator gardens in several areas this spring while also participating in multiple tree giveaways. The plantings and giveaways included:

• Emmitsburg, Maryland: Volunteers partnered with Stream Link Education and the town of Emmitsburg to plant 200 trees near Toms Creek that will improve storm water runoff and creek water quality.
• Grantsville, Maryland: Green Team members, park staff and other volunteers planted more than 1,000 bare-root evergreens at New Germany State Park.
• Middletown, Maryland: Volunteers planted 50 trees in celebration of Arbor Day.
• Mount Savage, Maryland: Volunteers planted 100 saplings at Evergreen Heritage Center, a historic property on 130 acres that provides hands-on enrichment programs that benefit Western Maryland.
• Martinsburg, West Virginia: Volunteers gave away approximately 200 flowering dogwood trees at the Martinsburg VA Medical Center as part of an Earth Day event.

Approximately 22,000 trees have already been planted at parks and nature reserves throughout FirstEnergy’s six-state service territory so far this year. Tree plantings and giveaways support FirstEnergy’s efforts to reduce its carbon footprint, promote the responsible use of natural resources and further the advancement of sustainable practices.

FirstEnergy’s 10 Green Teams consist of employees from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia. The groups partner with state park systems, watershed and recycling groups, garden clubs, schools and other environmentally focused organizations to support FirstEnergy’s commitment to building a brighter and more sustainable future.

To arrange a tree planting with Potomac Edison’s Green Team, please contact Michele Dellinger at mdellinger@firstenergycorp.com. For more information about FirstEnergy’s commitment to environmental initiatives, visit www.firstenergycorp.com/environmental.

Potomac Edison serves about 285,000 customers in seven counties in Maryland and about 155,000 customers in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. Follow Potomac Edison at www.potomacedison.com, on X @PotomacEdison, and on Facebook at facebook.com/PotomacEdison.

FirstEnergy is dedicated to integrity, safety, reliability and operational excellence. Its electric distribution companies form one of the nation’s largest investor-owned electric systems, serving more than six million customers in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, West Virginia, Maryland and New York. The company’s transmission subsidiaries operate approximately 24,000 miles of transmission lines that connect the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic regions. Follow FirstEnergy online at firstenergycorp.com and on X @FirstEnergyCorp.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/potomac-edison-employee-volunteers-plant-2-000-donated-trees-in-maryland-and-west-virginia-302484341.html

SOURCE FirstEnergy Corp.