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Press Release
Greetings!
At Golden LEAF’s December Board meeting, Golden LEAF awarded just over $7 million in grants to qualifying organizations. The bulk of the awards went to job creation projects ($1.75 million), Golden LEAF Scholarships (more than $2.2 million), and Community Assistance Initiative projects (more than $2.7 million) for some of the most economically distressed counties in the state.
The Foundation’s Board will review Rural Hope grant requests and make its funding decisions in February 2011. Rural Hope is a collaboration of several funding partners and 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 this edition of Golden LEAF News, read about Golden LEAF Scholarship opportunities for North Carolina students attending our state’s colleges and universities, a job creation project in Cleveland County, agriculture and aquaculture projects, the Foundation’s Community Assistance Initiative at work in Burke and Northampton counties, and other substantial Foundation initiatives such as the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative and the Rural Hope program.
Best,
Jenny Tinklepaugh
Program/ Communications Officer
jtinklepaugh@goldenleaf.org
www.goldenleaf.org
Featured articles in this edition of “Golden LEAF News”:
Foundation announces new scholarship opportunities
North Carolina Network of Grantmakers
The Golden LEAF Foundation has recently revised its scholarship program to offer up to $12,000 for students from qualifying counties to attend participating four-year colleges and universities. Under the new program, a rising college freshman from a qualifying county can apply for a $12,000 Golden LEAF Scholarship to attend four-year. College transfer students are also eligible to receive $3,000 a year for up to three years. Scholarships are primarily need-based. Applications will be available December 16 at CFNC.org/goldenleaf. You can visit the Golden LEAF Website’s scholarship page at www.goldenleaf.org/scholarships.html for more information on scholarship opportunities.
Sen. Hagan touts broadband expansion
Roanoke-Chowan News Herald
Senator Hagan recently visited Roanoke Chowan Community College (RCCC) to tour the JobLink Center, visit a nursing class, and to discuss the importance of broadband in rural areas. Officials talked about a $146 million broadband Internet project that will allow for the engineering and construction of approximately 1,600 miles of new fiber and the acquisition of 900 miles of existing fiber in 79 mostly rural North Carolina counties, funded in part by a $24 million Golden LEAF grant.
Emerging sector should be cultivated
News and Observer
Thanks to state leadership and funding organizations like the Golden LEAF Foundation, North Carolina now ranks third nationally for the size of its biotechnology industry - just behind California and Massachusetts. The biotech sector, which uses living organisms to make improvements in fields ranging from agriculture, pharmaceuticals, and the environment, didn't exist in North Carolina 30 years ago.
Unique Natural Products Facility Opens on A-B Tech Campus
Mountain Xpress
A natural products manufacturing facility believed to be the first of its kind in the country recently opened at the Enka site of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College. The facility is a division of Blue Ridge Food Ventures, an agribusiness incubator and job-creation initiative of the regional economic development organization AdvantageWest. The facility will accommodate early-stage and established companies, tapping the region's biodiversity and agricultural tradition of growing herbs and medicinal plants.
Funding for Rural Areas
Federal Telemedicine News
Funding for $6 million is available from the Golden LEAF Foundation and six other North Carolina partners to support the second year of the Rural Hope initiative. Rural Hope is designed to spur economic activity in the healthcare sector while improving the availability and quality of healthcare services in rural communities. Pre-applications were received by November 15. Announcements are expected to be made in February of 2011.
STAR leads an N.C. community to economic recovery
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
A few years ago, Spruce Pine, N.C., was facing a major loss in its once-thriving textile and furniture industries. The community asked for help from STAR (Student Teams Achieving Results) funded in part by a Golden LEAF grant, who sent a team of top MBA and undergraduate students from UNC-Chapel Hill to help build strategies for the non-profit organization. The UNC-Chapel Hill students get real-world experience, and the businesses benefit from advice that would otherwise cost a fortune. Collaboration with the STAR team brought big changes for Spruce Pine and Home of the Perfect Christmas Tree.
Wipro Selects Cleveland County For State-Of-The-Art Data Center
Fox Charlotte
Gov. Bev Perdue today announced that Infocrossing, a Wipro Company (NYSE: WIT) and leading provider of IT infrastructure management solutions, will open a state-of-the-art data center in Cleveland County. As part of the project, the company plans to invest $75 million in the new facility and create 17 direct technology jobs over the next four years, as well as create other opportunities for local companies expected to be hired to support the operation of the data center, thanks in part to a Golden LEAF Economic Catalyst grant.
Prawn stars: Local farmer leaves tobacco for seafood
IndyWeek.com
A growing number of the state's former tobacco farmers are transitioning to prawn aquaculture, thanks in part to research funded by the Golden LEAF Foundation. Nearly unheard of a decade ago, today there are nearly a dozen prawn farms across North Carolina. Part of the appeal is that farmers make more per acre than than with conventional crops.
BDI presents plans for business park
Burke County News Herald
Burke Development Inc. on Monday presented its strategy for improvements and marketing of the industrial park off exit 96 on Interstate 40, thanks in part to a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant. The economic development group is working to attract new businesses to the area. A stipulation of the grant is to create 500 jobs over the next three years.
College shows off facilities
The Herald
Dan Gerlach, Golden LEAF President, and Debbie Worley, Golden LEAF Board of Directors member and Personnel/ Nomination Committee Chair, were on hand to help Johnston Community College's health-sciences programs celebrate their new and renovated space with a recent open house. The addition to and renovation is providing new classroom and lab space for biology, chemistry, nursing, medical assisting, imaging, early childhood and massage therapy. Golden LEAF awarded $200,000 for the equipment for the simulation lab and the college's planned virtual hospital.
Livestock center to soon help cattle farmers
Times-News
The WNC Regional Livestock Center near Canton is close to completion, and in February local cattle farmers will finally have a place close to home to market and sell their products. The bulk of the project was provided through grants from the Golden LEAF Foundation, N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission, the N.C. Rural Center, the Appalachian Regional Commission and the N.C. Agricultural Development Farmland Preservation Trust Fund. The new center will provide shorter driving distances, a chance for higher sale prices through preconditioned sales, create jobs and serve as a possible venue for road-lot and feeder sales.
Library project moves forward
Roanoke Rapids News Herald
The Northampton Memorial Library renovation and addition will add 2,596 square feet to the current and only library building in the county, and add 18 new parking spaces and energy efficient features. Renovations will help the existing facility meet American with Disabilities Act requirements and provide 18 new computers with accessories. This project received support from a Golden LEAF Community Assistance Initiative grant.
Grant CREWS and Newton-Conover Auditorium will offer a grant writing, research and capacity building workshop
Charlotte Observer
Grant CREWS and Newton-Conover Auditorium will offer a beginners grant writing, research and capacity building workshop 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Jan. 10-11 in the McCreary Modern Gallery of the Newton-Conover Auditorium, 60 W. Sixth St., Newton. Speakers will include Dan Gerlach of the Golden LEAF Foundation, Mauricio Castro of the N.C. Latino Coalition and Russ Campbell of the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. For more information, contact Mandy Pearce at 828-464-8100 or mandy@newton-conoverauditorium.org.
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