Wyoming Community Gas
March 2021
Keeping youth engaged and involved in a small community is no small task. In Riverton, city leaders are using funds from Wyoming Community Gas to create environments in which young people are staying active both physically and mentally.
Since 1996, Wyoming Community Gas has reinvested more than $1,000,000 in the communities it serves with competitive natural gas supply. Customers in the Wyoming Community Gas service area have the opportunity to choose Wyoming Community Gas each year during the Choice Gas Selection Period, which typically takes place in April.
According to Mia Harris, finance director for the City of Riverton, Wyoming, the city has received some $50,000 from Wyoming Community Gas over the past five years. “We end up having a lot of different programs that we would like to be able to support. It's the Wyoming Community Gas contribution that really allows the Mayor and Council and our governing bodies to give back money to our community,” she said.
Engaging and Educating Young People in Riverton
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For example, a group of parents led the charge to build a splash pad in the park—a design-build facility that came with a significant price tag. In spite of enthusiastic fundraising and successful grant applications, the goal wasn’t quite reached. “Toward the end of that project, the costs exceeded the amount the group was able to generate through their fundraising activities, so the City directed Wyoming Community Gas funds to help take it through the finish line,” Harris said. “Now we have an amazing splash pad that has really improved our community.”
The Riverton skate park is another example. The project began at the grassroots level with adults and young people soliciting donations and providing hours and hours of volunteer time. Wyoming Community Gas funds provided significant support for a facility that is used by scores of skating enthusiasts.
Harris said it makes a big difference when Riverton residents choose the natural gas supplier that helps make these community projects a reality. “We definitely encourage our citizens to choose Wyoming Community Gas, and we do advertise that. As a city, we benefit when people choose Wyoming Community Gas because they give back part of their monies to the communities they serve.”
Across town at the Central Wyoming Children’s Center for Art, Technology and Science—or CATS—the impact of Wyoming Community Gas is also evident. “We base our entire existence on exhibits that engage young people,” said Nancy Shelstra, a CATS board member. “The exhibits can be quite expensive so grants from Wyoming Community Gas are very important as we continually improve the experience in our facility.”
Wyoming Community Gas funds helped purchase the “cubelets” exhibit, which has quickly become one of the most popular in the CATS facility. “This interactive exhibit has been very well received,” said CATS board member Tammy Galitz. “We make it known that Wyoming Community Gas has largely responsible for making it possible.”
Nancy Shetlar likes the symbiotic relationship between Wyoming Community Gas and the communities it serves. “A lot of us are customers of Wyoming Community Gas, so it’s a wonderful full circle,” she said. “We choose them as our supplier and they give back to the community that uses their natural gas.”
For more information, visit WyomingCommunityGas.org.
Wyoming Community Gas
March 2021