Media Relations

Jenny Tinklepaugh
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
888-684-8404

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Press Release

Greetings –
The Golden LEAF Foundation Board and staff have been touring North Carolina awarding 4-year college scholarships to students from 61 rural counties. The Foundation awarded over $2.5 million toward scholarships for 215 students attending participating North Carolina colleges and universities. Scholars will receive up to $12,000 over four years. Look for more information about our Golden LEAF scholars in the upcoming edition of LEAF Lines.

At its June Board of Directors meeting, the Golden LEAF Foundation awarded 18 grants totaling just over $5 million to organizations across North Carolina. Over three-fifths of the grant funding went to projects formed under the Foundation's Community Assistance Initiative (CAI). Graham and Tyrrell counties were awarded just over $3.2 million in CAI funding for a diverse set of projects that will support infrastructure, access to health services, and education. The Foundation also awarded $1.3 million to projects under its Open Grants Program to organizations across the state. These projects will support job creation, agriculture, health services, education, workforce training, infrastructure, and tourism.

In this edition of Golden LEAF News, read about job creation in Lee and Forsyth counties and the Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative in Montgomery County. The articles below also highlight Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Initiative projects in Craven and Davidson counties and a collaborative STEM project in the counties surrounding the NASCAR area. See also how Golden LEAF has helped teachers from Edgecombe and Halifax counties receiving training for the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certification.

Best,
Jenny Tinklepaugh

Program/ Communications Officer
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
www.goldenleaf.org

In this edition of "Golden LEAF News": 

Golden LEAF grants $1M to Lee County to save 1,000 jobs
Triangle Business Journal
The Golden LEAF Foundation awarded $1 million to Lee County to keep more than 1,000 full-time jobs in the region. The County will purchase of about 8,500 shipping pallets with the grant funds, which will be leased by the county government to Frontier Spinning Mills, a Sanford-based yarn manufacturer. Frontier Spinning Mills, in return, has agreed to retain at least 1,014 full-time jobs in its North Carolina operations, including almost 500 people at its Sanford production plants.

Students getting taste of engineering, technology
New Bern Sun Journal
Craven County Schools joined Jones, Lenoir and Wayne counties in the Eastern Region STEM Partnership for the establishment of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) labs. These labs were funded in part by a $360,000 from the Golden LEAF Foundation. The Race To The Top grant will also aid in the initiative. Each middle school will offer modules that reflect high wage and high demand occupations in Craven and surrounding counties with the goal to demonstrate to students the skills necessary for future careers in the local area.

Grant will help students with engineering careers
Davidson County Dispatch
Davidson County Schools will receive extra help toward its efforts of increasing graduation rates and improving student success in math. The system received an Algebra I STEM grant in the amount of $344,592 from the Golden LEAF Foundation. Thanks to the Golden LEAF grant, the system plans to improve teaching and learning by equipping seventh- through ninth-graders' math classrooms with SMART technology while also implementing a professional development program for teachers. Plans include establishing Project Lead the Way at West Davidson High School and providing a PLTW gateway to technology program at Tyro Middle School.

Caterpillar supplier summit set
Winston-Salem Journal
On June 3rd, an information seminar for potential suppliers for Caterpillar was held at Forsyth Technical Community College. Caterpillar will make axles for large mining trucks. At full production, Caterpillar will have a workforce of 392 full-time and 118 contract workers. The seminar was geared toward suppliers and vendors in North Carolina that can provide products or services to the company. Forsyth Tech will be providing training for potential employees for the plant. The equipment needed for training this workforce is funded in part through a Golden LEAF Foundation grant.

Project list narrows
Montgomery Herald
The Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative has been under way for several months in Montgomery County.  Committees made up of members from local government entities, non-profits as well as unaffiliated residents worked together to come up with a list of projects vying for approximately $2 million available to the county. At the April 21 meeting, the local review team reviewed and continued narrowing down a list of 16 projects that the group had scored based on the Golden LEAF Foundation's "sweet spot," jobs and economic development.

Golden LEAF supports STEM, health education project
WRAL Tech Wire
Educators are betting on NASCAR's popularity to help boost an interest in science and math and promote healthy lifestyles among 7th and 8th grade students in the Charlotte and Kannapolis areas and surrounding Piedmont counties. The project, funded by a $300,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation, is a collaborative project among the N.C. Biotechnology Center, Appalachian State University's Human Performance Lab on the N.C. Research Campus, North Carolina Motorsports Association, Discovery Place in Charlotte, and UNC Charlotte's motorsports engineering program. A total of 50 teachers and 1,500 students will participate in the project.

Educators attend N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching seminars
Rocky Mount Telegram
Several educators attended support seminars for teachers pursuing certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards the N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Educators Patricia L. Benbow and Gwenevere E. Peebles of Coker-Wimberly Elementary School in Edgecombe County and Halona A. Richardson of Inborden Elementary School in Halifax County participated in the seminars. The three teachers attended as Golden LEAF scholars through an award to N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching from Golden LEAF Foundation of Rocky Mount. The N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching instructional programming is designed to give teachers the support and resources they need to be highly effective and enhance student achievement.

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