Community Offshore Wind, a company committed to investing in communities by creating clean energy jobs and boosting local economies, recently funded scholarships for 10 girls to attend the Tools and Tiaras summer camp in Brooklyn.
Founded in 2017 by Judene Cassidy, Tools and Tiaras aims to demonstrate that “jobs don’t have genders.” Through a variety of programs focused on construction trades, the organization empowers young girls to gain the skills and confidence needed to explore the many possibilities available to them.
The weeklong summer camp, held at the Nontraditional Employment for Women’s facility at Industry City in Sunset Park, provides hands-on workshops in skills such as electricity, carpentry, and welding. The experience concludes with a visit to an active job site for an affordable housing preservation project.
“Women have been underrepresented in the trades for far too long, and we’re committed to ensuring they can access the opportunities and careers created by the clean energy industry,” said Doug Perkins, president and project director of Community Offshore Wind, who has been a partner in New York City neighborhoods since 2022. “Tools and Tiaras’s summer program aligns closely with that goal, and we’re proud to be able to fund ten girls’ participation in this year’s summer camp.”
Cassidy, who made history as the first woman accepted into Plumbers Local 371 in Staten Island, called the partnership between Community Offshore Wind and Tools and Tiaras “invaluable.”
“To have Community Offshore Wind come to our T&T table with mission-aligned support is invaluable. Their generosity covered full camp scholarships for 10 girls participating in our five-day Brooklyn summer camp,” she said. “But the impact of what these girls gain at camp — self-confidence, skills, empowerment — is going to stay with them forever. And you can’t put a price on that.”
