ENTERTAINMENT

IP Foundation awards $87K in grants

Contributed article

RIEGELWOOD -- The International Paper Company Foundation and International Paper’s Riegelwood Mill awarded $80,000 in grants to area educational and nonprofit groups in 2016. Nearly $7,000 in additional funding was used to purchase butterfly education kits for 25 area schools.

In response to Hurricane Matthew, International Paper also contributed $250,000 to Feeding America in an emerging partnership to address disaster relief efforts. Funds were distributed to organizations in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, with $150,000 supporting communities in North Carolina.

Grants were awarded in the categories of environmental education, literacy, employee involvement and new critical community need. Recipients of the 2016 International Paper grants are as follows.

Environmental Education

  • Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina was awarded $5,000 for an outdoor reading classroom for Thomas Academy (formerly Flemington Academy). This grant also is supported as a literacy grant.
  • Cerro Gordo Elementary School received $4,900 to create an outdoor classroom. This grant also is supported as an employee involvement grant.
  • Cape Fear Museum Associates Inc. was awarded $4,000 to purchase materials and supplies for the Trees and Me event.
  • N.C. Forestry Association was awarded $4,000 to support the Sustainable Forestry Teachers’ Experience. This grant also is supported as an employee involvement grant.
  • Friends of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville was awarded $3,500 to support its Science Cinema program.
  • Cape Fear River Watch received $3,000 for materials and supplies for the rain garden replenishment project.
  • The Nature Conservancy received $2,500 for signage for the Green Swamp Preserve.
  • Renaissance Wilmington Foundation received $2,000 to purchase trees for shade canopy and beautification of Downtown Wilmington.
  • Winyah Rivers Foundation received $2,000 for the Community Water Monitoring program in N.C.’s Waccamaw Watershed. This grant also is supported as an employee involvement grant.
  • Smart Start of Brunswick County received $1,000 for gardening materials for the Just Watch It Grow program. This grant also is supported as a literacy grant.
  • Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts received $500 to support its Azalea Festival garden tour as well as year-round green garden tours.
  • Island Montessori Charter School received $500 to purchase supplies for its Environmental Scholars program. This grant also is supported as a literacy grant.

Literacy

  • Brunswick County Literacy Council received $2,500 to purchase Lab Packs and materials for the Literacy for All Project/Read to Succeed Program.
  • Cape Fear Community College Foundation received $2,500 to purchase materials and supplies for its adult English as a second language (ESL) literacy program.
  • Acme Delco Middle School received $2,000 to purchase books for the accelerated reading program.
  • Hallsboro/Artesia Elementary School received $2,000 for its “We Can Hear It; We Can Read It” program.
  • Cape Fear Literacy Council was awarded $1,500 for the English Language Learners Program.
  • Communities in Schools of Cape Fear was awarded $1,500 to purchase tutor packets for the PaSS program.
  • Community Boys & Girls Club of Wilmington received $1,500 for materials for the Power Hour Making Minutes Count program.
  • Communities in Schools of Brunswick County received $1,400 to purchase books for the Read to Succeed program.
  • Bogue Community Citizens Association was awarded $1,000 to purchase materials for the Parents Involved in Education after school tutoring program.
  • Operation Outreach received $1,000 to purchase books for children at East Arcadia Elementary School.
  • Columbus County Partnership for Children was awarded $500 to purchase books for the Reach Out and Read program.
  • Safeway Paths Inc received $500 to purchase robotic materials and supplies for the Discovery Learning Project.

Employee Involvement Grants

  • Columbus Baptist Association received $3,900 for its Toy Store Project.
  • Waccamaw Siouan Indian Tribe received $3,800 to purchase materials and supplies for concession rehabilitation.
  • Columbus County Schools was awarded $3,000 to purchase materials for set design and royalty fees for high school musicals.
  • Buckhead Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department received $3,000 for training needs and the Junior EMS/Firefighter program.
  • Families First was awarded $1,500 for the Dating Violence Prevention program.
  • Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum was awarded $1,500 for photo and artifact storage.
  • Wildlife Action Inc was awarded $1,500 for microscopes and other supplies for the Pioneer Camp programs.
  • Greater Restoration Enrichment Center received $1,000 to purchase food and supplies for its food bank.
  • Men and Women United for Youth and Families was awarded $1,000 for gardening tools and supplies for the Youth Ambassadors for a Better Community program.
  • Muscular Dystrophy Association received $1,000 for adaptive sports equipment and other summer camp materials and supplies.
  • Lower Bladen Communities Citizens Group received $500 to purchase education materials for the Supportive Community Initiative.

Critical Community Need

  • Columbus County Sheriff’s Department received $5,000 to purchase dive equipment for rescues and underwater crime scene investigations.
  • Blue Ribbon Commission on the Prevention of Youth Violence was awarded $1,500 to purchase books and materials for the School Break Program, after school program and VOYAGE Initiative.
  • Brunswick Search and Rescue was awarded $1,000 to purchase coloring books for the Children’s Safety Program.

International Paper’s Riegelwood Mill has been a part of the community since 1951. The International Paper Company Foundation, which was founded in 1952 as a philanthropic grant-making organization, primarily addresses existing and emerging educational needs, as well as civic needs within the communities where International Paper has operating businesses. The foundation also supports those organizations where employees actively volunteer.

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