Bloom Energy, a creator of of clean, reliable, affordable power, broke ground on a new Bloom Energy Manufacturing Center in Newark, Delaware, on April 30. Located on the 272-acre site formerly occupied by a Chrysler assembly plant, and now owned by the University of Delaware, the Bloom Energy Manufacturing Center is expected to bring hundreds of 21st century manufacturing jobs to the region.
A job fair hosted by U.S. Senators Tom Carper and Chris Coons, and U.S. Representative John Carney connected 600 job seekers with more than 50 employers at Delaware State University in Dover on April 23, 2012. This was the fourth job fair organized by the Congressional delegation in the past year, and the first of three planned for the spring of 2012.
A veterans job fair hosted by Senator Chris Coons and Wilmington University on April 21 drew more than 200 job seekers who had the opportunity to meet with three-dozen employers at Wilmington University in New Castle.
The Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs held a hearing on April 24 to consider U.S. efforts in support of the capture of Joseph Kony and the healing of communities in central Africa ravaged by the Lord’s Resistance Army. The issue was made famous in March 2012 when three NGOs released a web video about the Ugandan warlord that has since been viewed 104 million times. One of the Ugandan boys featured in the video who was kidnapped by the Lord’s Resistance Army testified at the hearing, as well as another former Lord’s Resistance Army abductee who is now the country director for Invisible Children.
In March 2012, Senator Chris Coons along with the rest of the Delaware Congressional Delegation celebrated the grand opening of DCRAC’s Stepping Stones Community Federal Credit Union. Stepping Stones FCU was built through a strong partnership between DCRAC, Delaware’s financial services industry, non-profit organizations, and Wilmington community leaders. It aims to help local residents enter main stream banking, and provide them with the financial tools to improve their own economic situations.
In March 2012, Senator Chris Coons visited the Wilmington Veterans Affairs Medical Center to participate in a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the facility’s new Specialty Care, OEF/OIF & Women Veterans Clinic. The primary focus of the new clinical addition is on providing health care tailored to meet the needs of female veterans, one of the fastest-growing segments of the veteran population.
Senator Chris Coons attended the Sussex County science fair on March 5, 2012 at Cape Henlopen State Park. For the past two decades, the Sussex County science fair has provided an important venue for Delaware students to share how science, math and engineering can be exciting as well as fun, while also opening their eyes to career possibilities in these fields.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons (D-Del.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on African Affairs, hosted an Opportunity: Africa conference in Wilmington to connect Delawareans with some of the nation’s leading authorities on sustainable development and trade with Africa. Participants at the half-day conference, which was held at the University of Delaware’s Wilmington Campus, examined how businesses, faith communities and individuals in Delaware can benefit from engagement with Africa.
Senator Coons spoke to an audience of innovators and inventors at the third annual Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy Innovation Summit at National Harbor on February 29, 2012.
U.S. Senator Chris Coons, co-chair of the Senate Law Enforcement Caucus, hosted a roundtable discussion on February 21, 2011 on the importance of reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which is being considered by the Senate. The Senator led a discussion at the New Castle County Department of Public Safety building about the tools for stopping domestic violence with a dozen representatives of Delaware’s state, county and local law enforcement agencies, advocacy, community and non-profit organizations, family court, and the Delaware Attorney General’s office. Senator Coons is one of 50 co-sponsors of legislation to reauthorize VAWA, which has come under threat from some Senate Republicans who oppose the measure in its current form.
Senator Coons helped celebrate Bank of America's donation of one of its buildings in downtown Wilmington to a new nonprofit that will help enhance local schools.
U.S. Senators Chris Coons, Lindsay Graham, Joe Lieberman, Bob Casey, Kelly Ayotte, Bob Menendez, John Hoeven, and Richard Blumenthal talked to reporters in the Capitol about their resolution expressing the sense of the Senate that Iran cannot be allowed to gain nuclear capability. The presser was held on February 16, 2012.
In honor of the Girl Scouts of America’s 100th anniversary in February 2012, Senator Coons met with 27 Girl Scouts from Delaware who were visiting Washington, DC. During the Senator’s discussion with the group, he encouraged them to pursue a career in the sciences and to take on leadership roles in their community.
In January 2012, Senator Chris Coons toured the newly expanded Sea Watch International facility in Milford. Sea Watch is a seafood company based in the Chesapeake Bay region, founded in 1978 in Milford, Delaware, and is the largest independently-owned clam and specialty company.
In January 2012, Senator Chris Coons hosted a series of “Main Street” meetings with small business owners and community leaders to listen to their concerns about the economy and to get their thoughts on growing businesses and creating jobs.