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Press Release
Greetings!
Golden LEAF and six other North Carolina partners are joining forces to announce $6 million in available funding to support the second year of the Rural Hope initiative. Rural Hope is designed to spur economic activity and job creation in the health care sector while improving the availability and quality of health care services in rural communities.
Under the initiative, grants and loans will assist in the construction and renovation of new or existing health care facilities and the purchase of new equipment for existing or new health care facilities.
In September of 2009, the Governor Bev Perdue joined Golden LEAF, the Rural Center and the Health and Wellness Trust Fund in announcing creation of the Rural Hope initiative. During the first year, the three initial partners awarded $6 million to 37 projects across the state, resulting in 525 new jobs and leveraging a total of $107 million in private and public funds.
Pre applications are due November 15, 2010 at 5 p.m. To read more about Rural Hope, click here.
In this edition of Golden LEAF News, read about Golden LEAF grants for training, education, broadband and agriculture and about the Foundation's Community Assistance Initiative.
Best,
Jenny Tinklepaugh
Program/ Communications Officer
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
www.goldenleaf.org
Featured articles in this edition of "Golden LEAF News":
Gov. Perdue Announces $6M to support rural health care, create jobs
Asheville Citizen-Times
A second round of the Rural Hope initiative will bring $6 million to health care facilities in rural North Carolina. The Golden LEAF Foundation, the N.C. Rural Economic Development Center, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the USDA Office of Rural Development have committed $6 million in new funding for Rural Hope. Grants and loans provided through the Rural Hope initiative will assist in the construction and renovation of new or existing health care facilities and the purchase of new equipment for existing or new health care facilities. Projects receiving awards must create permanent jobs at those facilities. Click here for more information.
Golden LEAF Awards $500,000 Grant as Part of Matching Funds for Federal i3 Grant Program
NC Network of Grantmakers
The Golden LEAF Foundation recently awarded a $500,000 grant to the North Carolina Science, Mathematics, and Technology Education Center for its "i3 LASER Model in North Carolina" project. The award was made under Golden LEAF's STEM education strategy, to take advantage of the opportunity to leverage federal Investing in Innovation (i3) grant funds by providing the needed matching dollars for North Carolina projects applying for these grants.
Golden LEAF Check Presentation
College of the Albemarle
The College of The Albemarle (COA) was recently presented two ceremonial checks totaling $830,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The grants are supporting the college's Sheet Metal Aviation courses and helping develop training modules in the following disciplines: avionics, mechanical, electrical, electronics, sheet metal and composites. These modules will form an initial foundation that will lead to full implementation of an FAA certified Airframe and Power Plant Training program in the future.
Broadband service has transformative potential
The Daily Advance
Federal stimulus money - leveraged by $24 million from Golden LEAF - will fund the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative, bringing advanced Internet services to the Albemarle region and other parts of the state. The Daily Advance states that access to broadband speed and capacity has the potential of transforming the area by boosting business development, education, government and human services. North Carolina's Albemarle region, as part of a swath of 69 counties stretching to the southwest region of the state, is in line for the expansion of broadband, fiber optics Internet access.
Open house draws crowd to SPCC training center
Anson Record
South Piedmont Community College officials recently held an open house and received a symbolic check for $575,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation through its Golden LEAF Opportunities for Work in Aerospace Manufacturing (GLOW-AM). Around $400,000 of the grant was allocated to a flexible manufacturing system, the newest piece of equipment in the program, and integral to the training process. At the open house, 100 to 150 people came to see the latest in industrial training equipment the school has to offer.
Building a better berry
Salisbury Post
N.C. State University agricultural researchers and Johnson & Wales University culinary professionals and students are working together in a first-of-its-kind program: breeding a better North Carolina strawberry. The N.C. Strawberry Project, supported by a $200,000 Golden LEAF grant, is an effort created to strengthen the agricultural sector of the N.C. economy. Researchers hope to glean important information from the culinary industry, produce buyers and consumers that the N.C. State strawberry breeding program can use to breed a tastier strawberry that can be grown for a longer period throughout the year. The NC strawberry would provide an economic boon to strawberry farmers statewide.
District unveils SMART boards in Weldon
Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald
Weldon City Schools, Halifax County Schools and the Roanoke Rapids Graded School District are adding SMART board technology in their schools, thanks in part to a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant that enabled each system to purchase SMART boards for core classrooms. Teaching with SMART technology allows for quicker reinforcement, remediation and assessment. Instructors may also conduct tests using the boards and track student answers as they happen, allowing for quicker scoring and information gathering.
Input sought on funds
Montgomery Herald
Montgomery County citizens will be deciding what to do with $2 million in grants, made possible through the Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative. The process in deciding just what to do with the money is a community-based consensus that works to improve the quality of life for the community. Proposals that help to stimulate economic activity or provide assistance in overcoming barriers to economic transition or community progress are the types of project Golden LEAF is seeking for funding consideration. Everyone in the county is invited to participate. The Golden LEAF Board of Directors makes final funding decisions.
Elkin Center open for learning
Mount Airy News
Thanks in part to a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant, the Elkin Center recently celebrated its official opening with a ceremony with over 100 in attendance. The building will serve as a satellite campus of Surry Community College and as a workforce training center for local residents. The idea for the center began in 2008 when the municipalities of Surry County came together to look for ways to best use the $2 million the Golden LEAF Foundation had assigned to Surry County.
Hiring process to soon begin for vocational school in Fair Bluff
WECT
Columbus County Schools will soon begin the hiring process for faculty and staff at the new Fair Bluff Technical Academy, a vocational high school. School officials in Columbus County received more than $1 million in grant money from The Golden LEAF Foundation to build the school. Superintendent Dan Strickland said officials will begin looking for a principal in October and for teachers in January. The school is scheduled to open next fall.
RCC dedicates F. Diane Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg
Richmond County Daily Journal
More than 150 people attended a dedication ceremony recently for Richmond Community College's F. Diane Honeycutt Center in Laurinburg. The facility will serve as a Richmond Community College satellite campus and industrial training center and will facilitate the development of the local workforce with training designed specifically for local industry. Golden LEAF provided $1.2 million grant through its Community Assistance Initiative.
Nursing assistant lab opens at MCC
Courier-Tribune
Montgomery Community College now has a nursing simulation lab to practice nursing skills before working on live patients, thanks in part to the Golden LEAF Foundation. The lab has five beds with five interactive mannequin patients who can display symptoms the students will encounter in real situations.
Sweet Potato Field Day takes place Oct. 14
NCSU
The latest North Carolina research related to sweet potatoes will be the focus of an Oct. 14 field day at the Cunningham Research and Education Center in Kinston.Participants will hear about such topics as development of new varieties and the latest in weed control and insect management issues. The field day begins with registration at 1:30 p.m., with presentations starting at 2. A detailed schedule and directions to the research station are available on the web. This project received support from a Golden LEAF grant.
Community center seeking students
Lake Gaston Gazette
Lake Gaston Community Center Inc. recently received a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant in the amount of $242,700 to offer vocational education to the community through a planned outreach program in conjunction with Halifax Community College. The center plans to offer courses in electrical, carpentry and sewing beginning in January 2011 and hopes to offer training in HVAC, plumbing and welding in the near future as well. The center is looking to identify and enroll students interested in the programs. Forms are available at Lake Gaston Community Center, Washburn's Marina or the office of the Lake Gaston Gazette-Observer.
MCNC issues RFP for engineering services for North Carolina broadband project
MuniWireless
MCNC released a Request for Proposal (RFP) for Engineering Design Services and Environmental Assessment relating to the Golden LEAF North Carolina Rural Broadband Initiative (GLRBI). Proposals will be received until Oct. 4 at 5 p.m. (EST). This RFP is for identifying an appropriate vendor(s) to provide outside plant engineering and an environmental assessment relating to the construction of middle-mile fiber infrastructure and direct-fiber connections to community colleges, libraries, schools, health and safety facilities, and other community anchor institutions (CAIs). To read all information about the RFP click here
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