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Home | News & Events | Press Release
Press Release
Greetings!
Good news is abounding in Golden LEAF statewide initiatives.
MCNC recently was awarded $75.75 million from the second round of the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative. The Golden LEAF Foundation provided $24 million in required matching funds. The $105 million project will provide 69, mostly rural NC counties, with high-speed broadband infrastructure. Read below to find out more about what counties will receive high-speed fiber or click here to read the press release.
Golden LEAF also recently earmarked funds for science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) strategy. Some of our state’s fastest growing industries require a strong background in STEM skills, and fortunately, Golden LEAF is helping bolster these needs for the North Carolina’s developing workforce. Foundation staff are in the process of reviewing the STEM Initiative letters of inquiry (LOI). The LOIs for this special initiative are due today, September 7. Click here to access information on the Initiative.
Other exciting statewide initiatives supported by Golden LEAF funding are mentioned below: The Benefit Bank of North Carolina, 10% Campaign, and the Golden LEAF Opportunities for Work/ JobsNOW training programs.
Best,
Jenny Tinklepaugh
Program/ Communications Officer
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
www.goldenleaf.org
Featured articles in this edition of “Golden LEAF News”:
Federal Government Backs Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative
NC Tech News
MCNC was recently awarded $75.75 million for the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative from the second round of the federal Broadband Technology Opportunities Program. The total project value is $105 million and will serve 69 mostly rural North Carolina counties. The Golden LEAF Foundation provided a $24 million grant for the required 30% match.
Editorial: Broadband access could hold economic key for N.C.
The Daily Reflector
The Daily Reflector writes that receiving federal funds to bring high-speed broadband Internet access to rural communities throughout the state is precisely what the state needs at this critical hour because it provides the key to future economic potential once the networks are built and access is established. With broadband access, communities can create jobs and facilitate lasting growth. MCNC was awarded $75.75 million thanks in part to a $24 million matching grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Golden LEAF announces $4 million STEM initiative
Local Tech Wire
Golden LEAF recently announced that it is seeking proposals for a special $4 million initiative geared toward preparing North Carolina's youth for careers requiring skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM). Organizations receiving funding under the Golden LEAF STEM Initiative can receive up to $750,000 for projects spanning a three-year period. For a full list of priorities, click here. Letters of Inquiry are due September 7, 2010 and may be accessed by clicking here. The access a conference call discussing the Initiative, click here.
Program helps Buncombe, NC counties apply for $1.8B in unclaimed resources
Asheville Citizen-Times
Thanks in part to the Golden LEAF Foundation, a new program of Connectinc is under way in North Carolina to help thousands of families receive support during a down economy. The Benefit Bank of North Carolina helps people complete federal and state income tax returns and government forms to apply for a range of benefits and student financial aid, all at once, and at no cost to its clients. The Bank is operating in 40 North Carolina counties. North Carolina households with incomes of less than $58,000 a year may be helped by The Benefit Bank of North Carolina. To find a TBB site nearest you, visit the website, or call Connectinc toll-free at 888-756-2463.
The Mystery: Local leaders worked hard to snare deal
Winston-Salem Journal
Caterpillar Inc., one of the largest producers of heavy machinery in the world, is locating in Forsyth County. The City of Winston-Salem was awarded a $1 million Golden LEAF grant to buy equipment to be leased back to Caterpillar and “was the key to closing the deal.” The company has agreed to create 392 new jobs.
CAT announcement welcome as Lee County struggles with unemployment
The Sanford Herald
Caterpillar recently announced a $31 million investment in a new plant in Sanford. The expansion will create 325 jobs over four years. A supplier said it would have an additional 160 employees at the plant. The Golden LEAF Foundation awarded a grant to Central Carolina Community College to pay for equipment used to train employees at Caterpillar and other advanced-manufacturing plants, which is a key component to its expansion in the county.
Grant delivered for aerospace jobs, Early College EAST
Havelock News
Craven Community College and Craven County Schools were recently presented with a ceremonial check for $735,000 by the Golden LEAF Foundation. $200,000 will support the Early College EAST, an early college high school focused on the science, technology and math coursework needed for aerospace jobs. The remaining $535,000 will support an additional aviation instructor for the Aviation Systems Technology program at the Havelock-Cherry Point air station campus and provide equipment for the college’s new composites lab at the Bosch-Siemens Advanced Manufacturing Center.
N.C. college gets $830,000 for aircraft maintenance training
The Virginian-Pilot
The College of the Albemarle received two ceremonial checks for two grants totaling $830,000 to expand the college’s aviation maintenance courses. Establishing aviation courses became a priority after Elizabeth City and Pasquotank County opened an aviation park next to the U.S. Coast Guard base and DRS Technologies, a government contractor that works on aircraft. New courses will include avionics, mechanical, electrical, electronics, sheet metal, and composites and are expected to lead to full implementation of an FAA certified airframe and power plant training program.
On the road to recovery: Training and education leading to JobsNOW
Whiteville News Reporter
The JobsNOW program at Southeastern Community College is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in partnership with the Golden LEAF Foundation, the Cape Fear Workforce Development Board, the North Carolina Community College System, and the North Carolina Department of Commerce. This article highlights the struggle to find work in the current economy and the opportunity short-term technical training is providing. Golden LEAF has supported programs statewide through its GLOW Initiative. Click here to find a Golden LEAF-supported program that offers training for available jobs near you.
Laptop effort rounds out week of good news
The Daily Dispatch
Students in Vance County began receiving laptop computers recently as part of the 1-to-1 Innovate Project. All ninth- and 10th-grade students at Vance County high schools will receive laptops thanks to a $1.2 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The project’s goal is to provide laptops to all public high school students in the county within four years
SPCC's Aerospace And Advanced Manufacturing Training Center To Have Open House
The Monroe Scoop
South Piedmont Community College will celebrate the opening of the Aerospace and Advanced Manufacturing Training Center, thanks in part to a $575,000 Golden LEAF Opportunities for Work in Aerospace Manufacturing grant. The center covers approximately 4,000 square feet and houses more than $1 million worth of equipment for training in mechatronics, industrial maintenance, robotics, programmable logic controllers and avionics.
Where’d that food come from?
Mountain Xpress
This year Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project is helping Appalachian Grown certified businesses advertise with their new cost-share program, thanks in part to funding provided by the Golden LEAF Foundation. Appalachian Grown is a program of ASAP's that certifies food and agricultural products grown or raised on farms in Western North Carolina and the Southern Appalachian mountains. Displayed with food and farm products, the Appalachian Grown label helps consumers, retailers, and wholesalers better distinguish and identify truly local agricultural products.
Pilot Mountain Pride success discussed at town meeting
Mount Airy News
Thanks in part to a Golden LEAF Local Foods Initiative grant, Pilot Mountain Pride was established to help farmers get their produce to market. The center is working with 52 local farmers to distribute their produce to Lowes Foods and other local buyers such as restaurants.
SCC ready to open Elkin Center
Mount Airy News
The Elkin Center of Surry Community College will open its doors on Sept. 7. This is the second CLEAR site (Centers for Learning, Education, and Retraining) to open this year as a result of a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant awarded to the college. Surry Community College’s planned curriculum at the center includes certified nursing assistant training, computer skills training and a variety of classes related to the building trades. Also planned for the center are general education development (GED) preparation and testing, courses for degree-seeking individuals and various craft-related courses.
$6 million science grant could help Cleveland County students, teachers
Shelby Star
In a Tuesday special session, the Golden LEAF board of directors awarded $500,000 to the N.C. Science, Mathematics and Technology Education Center. The Golden LEAF funds will provide part of the match for $6 million in federal Education Department funds under the Investing in Innovation grant program. The project will focus on Cleveland, Greene, McDowell, Moore, Warren and Wilson counties and will be used to support professional development for 1,000 Tar Heel teachers. The grant will also provide instructional materials in science for 25,000 North Carolina students.
Join in the 10 percent local foods campaign
Hendersonville Times-News
The 10 percent campaign is a statewide effort spearheaded by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems. The campaign, supported by a Golden LEAF Local Foods Initiative grant, encourages North Carolina residents to make a pledge to spend at least 10 percent of their food dollars on locally grown foods. You can sign up to track your families’ purchases at this website. For more information regarding the 10 percent local foods campaign, call the Cooperative Extension Center in your county.
New welding shop opens at BYHS
Caswell Messenger
Bartlett Yancey High School and Piedmont Community College welding students will be learning in a state-of-the-art facility this year, thanks in part to a Golden LEAF grant.
The 8,600-square-foot facility features three classrooms, two restrooms, metal storage, shop office and 2,400 square-foot shop. The project was awarded under the Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative process and was one of the Caswell County’s top priorities.
County asked to prioritize
GoDanRiver.com
Citizens had to prioritize issues they see all around Rockingham County into three categories at Thursday night’s Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative meeting. This was the third meeting in a series of six designed to create proposals on how to spend $2 million. The top three priorities were education and workforce training, economic development and health. The next meeting will focus on narrowing down success measures and getting an accurate projection of what goal groups want to reach and for what purpose. The next session is scheduled for September 29.
Tech students help with new laptops
The Daily Dispatch
Local educators, administrators, and student interns have logged hours of hard work in order to get laptop computers in the hands of Vance County’s ninth- and 10th-grade students. More than 1,000 Dell Latitude laptops that were provided through the 1-to-1 Innovate Project. Funding for the project is being provided through a $1.2 million grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The goal is to provide laptops to all public high school students in Vance County within four years.
Granville school passes out laptops to every student (click for video)
WRAL
Granville County Schools have invested heavily to ensure that every student at South Granville High School could have his or her own laptop for the 2010-11 school year. The more than 900 students attending South Granville High School will each have his or her own laptop, thanks in part to the Golden LEAF Foundation.
Chatham EDC gets $50,000
The Carrboro Citizen
The Chatham County Economic Development Corporation has been awarded a $50,000 Golden LEAF Foundation grant for job creation and retention. The money will be used to hire an economic development specialist who will work to attract and retain jobs in Siler City and Western Chatham in industries such as food processing and green business and to look for new opportunities that fit with the area’s strengths.
County high schools getting technical
Mount Airy News
Surry County Schools is preparing for the next phase of its technology initiative that calls for a 1:1 laptop to students ratio. Each of the county’s four high schools will receive laptops and laptop carts, which teachers can check out for their classes. The equipment was purchased with grants from Golden LEAF and Appalachian Regional Commission.
Hagan to host grants workshop at RCC
Courier – Tribune
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan of North Carolina will host a grants and contracting workshop at Randolph Community College on Tuesday, Sept. 7 from 12:30-5:30 p.m. in the R. Alton Cox Learning Resources Center on the Asheboro Campus. The workshop is designed for municipal leaders, nonprofits and business owners to gather information from federal, state and philanthropic funding agencies about potential resources. Representatives from the several funding agencies including the Golden LEAF Foundation will be on hand to answer questions and provide information. For more information or to register, email grants@hagan.senate.gov or call (336) 333-5311.
Formula for success: Jones touts Metrics growth
The Daily Reflector
U.S. Congressman Walter B. Jones Jr. recently visited Metrics Inc., contract pharmaceutical development company in Greenville, to see how it has been flourishing in the struggling economy. Metrics started in Greenville in 1994 with four employees, and grew rapidly — it now has about 250 employees. The company has hired so many workers out of East Carolina University that the university created a class there called Good Manufacturing Practices for Analytical Chemistry. It has been taught by a Metrics official for the past three years and is supported with equipment purchased by a Golden LEAF grant.
Warren high students back to school early
The Daily Dispatch
High school students in Warren County will be giving up their summer activities earlier than their peers in neighboring counties because of a partnership with Vance-Granville Community College. School reform efforts in Warren County have resulted in the creation of two new high schools and the opportunity for Warren County high school students to take online courses through Vance-Granville Community College. Warren County high schools have three dedicated computer labs, financed by a grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, which are used for online courses offered by VGCC and other higher education institutions. The goal for students at this school is to have six semester hours of college credit when they graduate.
SFHA Members Attend Conference at Caraway
The Southern Pines Pilot
More than 120 community leaders gathered at Caraway Conference Center, in Sophia, to learn from experts and peer educators about how to sustain their nonprofit organizations in the current economy. Representatives from the Golden LEAF Foundation, N.C. Rural Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture and N.C. Office of Economic Recovery provided information on how to apply for public and private funding. The leaders are a part of the Resourceful Communities, a statewide network that helps nonprofit community groups implement “triple bottom line” projects that promote sustainable economic development, social justice and environmental stewardship.
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