The Champlain Hudson Power Express (CHPE), in collaboration with the WVI Dolphin Foundation (WVIDF), today announced a first-of-its-kind NIL (name, image, and likeness) partnership with the Long Island University (LIU) men's basketball team that will see LIU players serve as brand ambassadors for the innovative clean energy project and lead an educational local community youth initiative.
The partnership will be anchored by a community basketball event on Monday, February 10, at the Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) where members of the LIU men’s basketball team, head coach and NBA legend Rod Strickland, and local elected officials and community leaders will host a basketball clinic that incorporates opportunities to learn about CHPE and the benefits the clean-energy transmission project it will deliver to NYC, as well as the importance of mentorship and sports for health and building stronger community bonds.
Prior to the event, LIU players will visit a current CHPE construction site to learn about the complex transmission project, how it will deliver year-round clean energy to NYC to help reduce the city’s reliance on fossil fuel generation, and also meet with members of the project construction team.
“The LIU men’s basketball team and Coach Strickland are tremendous community ambassadors and this is a wonderful opportunity to create an exciting new partnership that provides these players with a platform to learn about the largest clean energy project in New York City and build lasting connections in the community,” said Hydro-Québec Senior Director of Stakeholder Relations Pete Rose. “CHPE prioritizes delivering tangible positive impacts across the community, and partnering with LIU men’s basketball and the WVI Dolphin Foundation is a great chance to promote mentorship and create new educational opportunities.”
“It’s always a privilege to give back to the community by teaching young people,” said Long Island University head men’s basketball coach Rod Strickland. “Anytime we get to share our experience and wisdom through the sport we love, is an opportunity to bring hope and joy to places where that may not be so easy to find.”
“The WVI Dolphin Foundation is proud to have successfully collaborated with Hydro-Quebec and CHPE through its sponsorship of our Leadership and Mentorship program for underserved high school youth, out of which this diverse, unique, and robust “give back” ecosystem has emerged,” said WVI DF Founder Jeremiah Schnee. “We are excited to partner with Rod Strickland and the LIU Sharks, who share our passion to serve and uplift!”
Through this partnership, CHPE, WVIDF, and the LIU men’s basketball team will seek to promote CHPE’s positive impacts on the community and honor their commitment to community service and youth engagement. The program’s goals include:
- Creating a unique opportunity to raise awareness in the community about CHPE – a 339-mile fully-buried transmission line that will bring clean, renewable hydropower from Québec to Queens – and the benefits it will bring, including delivering enough clean energy annually to power 1 million New York City homes
- Furthering CHPE’s commitment to community service and improving outcomes for youth and families living in disadvantaged communities
- Promoting community engagement and a healthy lifestyle for local youth through sports
"We are very grateful for our partnership with CHPE to bring renewable power to our community and support the 4,000 youth in our programs,” said Costa Constantinides, CEO Variety Boys and Girls Club of Queens. “This program, with the amazing basketball ambassadors of LIU Sharks and Coach Strickland, today demonstrates their strong commitment to giving back and supporting the community. Our youth are excited to learn from the student athletes at LIU and from Coach Strickland and are thankful to CHPE for facilitating this opportunity."
About the Champlain Hudson Power Express
CHPE involves the construction of an underground and underwater transmission line spanning approximately 339 miles between the Canada–U.S. border and New York City.
CHPE will also provide competitively priced hydropower from Québec that is expected to lower climate emissions and local air pollutants, as well as electricity generation costs throughout the state by $17 billion over the first 25 years of operation, all the while providing increased reliability and resiliency for the downstate grid. The project also provides a total of $3.5 billion in economic benefits to New Yorkers and creates approximately 1,400 family-sustaining jobs during construction, with a commitment to use union labor. CHPE will provide an economic boost to 73 municipalities and 59 school districts throughout New York State with an increase in incremental tax revenue of $1.4 billion in funding for local communities over the first 25 years of the project.
About the WVI Dolphin Foundation
The WVI Dolphin Foundation inspires those who are fortunate to pivot toward “give back” – wherein they can utilize their prestige, wealth, and power to make a disproportionate impact to uplift culture and the human condition. We use the funds raised to support underserved and Blue and Gold Star youth via our Leadership Mentor Program and to Veterans who receive our scholarships. We also partner with small charities aligned with us for specific projects and channel donations to their causes. Our in–person and virtual Leadership and Life Skills Mentorship Program features volunteer mentors - including celebrity athletes, veterans, and accomplished business people – who support underserved high-school-aged youth’s character development by sharing their experience overcoming adversity. Program content focuses on STEM, job-readiness training, financial literacy, entrepreneurship development, Leadership as Service, and more.
About the VBGCQ
For 65 years, The Salah M. Hassanein Variety Boys & Girls Club of Queens (VBGCQ) has been an anchor in the Astoria/Long Island City community, offering children a safe haven to learn, play, and grow into tomorrow's leaders. Since opening its doors, VBGCQ has upheld a strong tradition of community leadership to make a difference in the lives of young people. The Club’s 30,000 square foot facility is open to the community 7-days a week and includes an indoor swimming pool, makerspace lab, computer room, teaching kitchen, gym, auditorium, art studio, dance studio, film studio, and outdoor playground. We specialize in providing children of all ages with the highest quality programming and pride ourselves in being the largest youth development organization in Western Queens, serving over 4,000 young people each year.