Bendix Parent Co. Commits Nearly $855K to Charity in 2022 - aftermarketNews

Bendix Parent Co. Commits Nearly $855K to Charity in 2022

Philanthropic foundation focuses investments on initiatives supporting youth, education, and underprivileged populations.

In 2022, Knorr-Bremse Global Care North America Inc. (KBGCNA) disbursed $616,060 of a total $855,000 in grant funding committed to approved projects, seven in total, which provide educational opportunities to young men and women in underserved groups. Each grant advances the corporate foundation’s strategic mission to promote postsecondary education – through support of charitable organizations focusing on it – in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Founded in 2018, KBGCNA celebrates its fifth anniversary this year. The philanthropic organization is the North American arm of Knorr-Bremse Global Care, a global nonprofit entity founded in 2005 and operated by Knorr-Bremse, the global market leader in braking systems and leading provider of other systems for rail and commercial vehicles. 

KBGCNA centers its investments in the surrounding communities of Knorr-Bremse’s three largest North American companies: Avon, Ohio-based Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems LLC (Bendix); Westminster, Maryland-based Knorr Brake Company (KBC); and Watertown, New York-based New York Air Brake LLC. Each grant is overseen by a project champion, an employee of Bendix, KBC, or NYAB responsible for engaging with the grantee to ensure the project remains on point from start to finish and seeking ways for local team member engagement, where possible. 

“KBGCNA focuses its funding on longer-term projects aimed at helping young people at risk between the ages of 15 and 25 gain access to education – toward the goal of employment or entrepreneurship – and the opportunity to lead more independent lives,” said Maria Gutierrez, president of KBGCNA and Bendix senior director, environmental, social, and governance (ESG). “The 2022 funded projects cover many different kinds of endeavors, which has defined KBGCNA’s approach from the start. But they all come back to the foundation’s core mission. We are pleased to support these worthy initiatives and are excited about the promise they hold for their participants.”

Near the close of 2022, KBGCNA hosted its annual meeting and dinner, celebrating nonprofit partners who recently completed their funded projects. Employee project champions joined in as the foundation recognized efforts and shared project highlights. 

Reaching Young People in Need

The seven projects funded by KBGCNA that launched in 2022 are unfolding in communities around Bendix locations, Knorr Brake Company, and New York Air Brake – with one initiative set to take place nationwide. KBGCNA grant amounts ranged from single-year support beginning at $60,800 to a three-year, $240,000 project. They consist of:

·$130,000 to help start a Heavy Equipment Operations Program for 11th and 12th grade students in Lewis County, New York, in conjunction with the Jefferson-Lewis-Hamilton-Herkimer-Oneida BOCES (Boards of Cooperative Educational Services) of New York State. The program will prepare students for careers as skilled heavy equipment drivers and operators. Such a program exists and is in high demand at the BOCES campus in nearby Watertown, home of New York Air Brake. The Lewis County program similarly aims to train students for the lucrative heavy equipment field and keep them employed in the North Country region of New York, which is in need of drivers and operators. 

·$127,760 to help the Next Generation in Trucking Association (NGT) develop a standardized truck driving curriculum for high school students. NGT’s plan is to make the curriculum available at no cost to high schools nationwide that are starting truck driver training programs, with an emphasis on schools serving economically disadvantaged communities. The program operates against the backdrop of the national truck driver shortage, while aiming to be a resource for young people who do not want to go to college and who are seeking alternatives that can provide good careers with stable incomes.

·$240,000 three-year grant ($80,000/year) to help Boys Hope Girls Hope of Northeastern Ohio enrich its services for students who recently graduated from high school and are pursuing postsecondary education in support of their careers. Boys Hope Girls Hope is an organization that provides a range of programs for middle school, high school, and postsecondary students. It focuses on helping young people in need break the cycle of poverty by guiding them through the pursuit of postsecondary education and the launch of their careers. The grant to the Northeastern Ohio chapter represents the second grant to further this program, this time with a three-year commitment totaling $240,000. 2022 was the first year of the multiyear grant.

·$77,500 in support of the Westminster Autonomous Robotics Innovation Center (ARIC), in conjunction with the Mid-Atlantic Gigabit Innovation Collaboratory (MAGIC). MAGIC, whose mission is to provide equitable access to technology innovation, education, and incubation in rural main street communities for economic development, is based in Westminster, home of Knorr Brake Company. ARIC will establish a permanent training and educational facility in Westminster serving K-12 students who are enrolled in Carroll County Public Schools and involved in STEM programs and robotics clubs, as well as college students studying computer science. 

·$75,000 to help support the Cleveland Museum of Natural History’s Science for Success internship program. The internship provides high school students interested in STEM the opportunity to participate in a paid internship at the renowned Cleveland institution, which is near Bendix’s Avon headquarters. Over the course of three years, each cohort of 10 students enjoys access to the collection and professional researchers. Additionally, an instructor/mentor facilitates the curriculum to further their development and assist with career planning. The program is designed for students in grades 9-12 who live in surrounding neighborhoods that are historically underserved and underrepresented in STEM. The KBGCNA grant supports the third year of the pilot program. 

·$65,000 in support of a technical nursing education program for high school students at Centro de Bachillerato Tecnológico Industrial y de Servicios No. 54 (CBTIS), a local vocational high school in Acuña, Mexico. Bendix has operated a major manufacturing complex in Acuña for more than 30 years. The $65,000 grant represents the second installment of a $143,270 grant approved in 2022. The funds help address two local challenges – a shortage of medical professionals and the need for affordable educational options for high school students.

 $60,800 to help create and pilot a PlayMaker program – in collaboration with Safe-Hub in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – that will provide career readiness for high school students. The pilot program will support a group of six local young adults with cultivating the professional skills, vision, and competencies to create a more equitable future for themselves and their communities – while also reinforcing the EduSoccer program by providing children from North Philadelphia with coach-mentors who are well trained, supported, and motivated to inspire change at all levels of their communities. 

In 2021, Knorr-Bremse Global Care e.V. – the European-based philanthropic arm of Knorr-Bremse – and AMANDLA Social Enterprises formed Safe-Hub Global, an unconventional joint venture to create prospects for marginalized young people and their communities, focusing initially on four markets (South Africa, Germany, India, and the U.S.). 

“Leaders in each of the grant recipient organizations are energized and working closely with our project champions to launch the efforts,” Gutierrez said. “Well over a thousand young men and women will benefit directly from them, with many more people – and entire communities – standing to gain as well. That’s the point of KBGCNA’s philanthropy, and we are eager to see the projects unfold.”

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