Smart Connections - Education Grants
Open to Brunswick County educators and educational organizations

Descriptions and Applications are available below.

Purpose

ATMC is dedicated to providing communications services that add value to the lives of our customers and the communities we serve. To ensure that our corporate contributions also add value within our communities, we have established a Grant Program. This program came about as a result of a restructuring of ATMC's overall corporate giving plan. The majority of the cooperative's corporate contribution and sponsorship dollars are given directly, through our Grant Program, to the numerous causes and worthwhile organizations that make a positive difference in the lives of Brunswick County residents.

History

Our cooperative has always been a good corporate citizen. Over the years, we have generously given hundreds of thousands of dollars in services and financial contributions to a wide scope of community groups and organizations. Our employees have been active as well, helping to uphold the cooperative spirit. The decision was made to establish a grant program so that we could directly address specific needs in our community and achieve the greatest benefit for our residents.

Guidelines/Criteria

• Grants must be for programs which directly benefit residents in Brunswick County.
• Grant dollars available to a specific program or group range from $250 to $2500.
• Funds are disbursed for single-use and must be expended within one year of receipt.
• Grants are open to any charitable or nonprofit/educational organization in Brunswick County or one in another county which offers a program specifically targeted at and benefiting Brunswick County residents. In the case of an outside charity or organization, 100% of the funds must be used for Brunswick County residents.
• An organization may not apply twice in one 12-month period.

Exclusions

Grant funds will not be available for the following: religious organizations or activities, political organizations or activities, capital campaigns, individuals, beauty pageants, advertising, fraternal organizations, fund-raising events, such as raffles, auctions, walk-a-thons or telethons, payments to individuals for services, endowments and labor organizations. In addition, grants will not be issued to groups or organizations that discriminate on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, age, disability or status as a protected veteran.

Selection Process

Grant applications will be reviewed semi-annually by a committee appointed by ATMC. This committee shall consist of ATMC staff and a board and community representative. The committee will meet one time to review applications and make recommendations for final approval by the Board of Directors. Recipients will be notified by mail within 30 days of final approval.

Timeline

The 2010 Grant Program will have a one-time disbursement process for each of its two categories. Timeline for implementation will be as follows:

Smart Connections

• Awards: November 2010
• Deadline for applications:
  September 30, 2010
  

2009 ATMC Smart Connections Recipients

Arts & Culture Bolivia Elementary School (Amy Frink): Project Discovery - project to create a science room to be used by all students, including the special education population

Jessie Mae Monroe Elementary School (Emma-Lou Edwards): Watch, Read, Learn - interactive literacy program that pairs classic fiction video storybooks with related nonfiction eBooks, improving vocabulary and comprehension skills

Supply Elementary School (Heather Woody): World Travelers - program to take the students on virtual field trips all around the globe and encourage international networking with other students via webcams and email

Cedar Grove Middle School (Martin Callendar): Acquiring Music to Start Our Band Program - project to build a library of sheet music for a new band program

Cedar Grove Middle School (Toby Kasell): Physical Education/Athletic Storage - purchase units of storage for physical education and athletic equipment

Cedar Grove Middle School (Shelly Cheers): Print and Provide - purchase a color printer for use by office and staff members to facilitate various types of communication

Cedar Grove Middle School (Angela Kathryn Stephens): World Music Drumming Project - program to bring world music into the school, teach African and Latin-American culture and build communications skills

Cedar Grove Middle School (Dale Shaw): Readers in the Real World - build a library of young adolescent novels with which middle school students can identify

Leland Middle School (Meggen Calderwood): Assessment Kit for Reading Levels for Instruction/Classroom Library - program to enable teachers to assess capabilities and reading levels of each student and provide books for students as well

Shallotte Middle School (Deputy John Rogers with Lance Corporal Lillian Cosentino): Keeping Every Youth Successful (KEYS) - drug and violence reduction program that strives to instill the core values of Discipline, Knowledge and Pride adopted by the Military

Waccamaw Elementary School (Barbara Evans): Caught Being Good - program to reward students who exhibit good behavior and are positive role models for their peers

South Brunswick High School (Jennifer Biser): Engaging Students With Dry Erase - equip additional classrooms with dry-erase boards and markers to assist students with social studies projects

West Brunswick High School (Patricia Christy): Calculator Loan Program - expand the library of graphing calculators that are loaned to students overnight for use at home

West Brunswick High School (Ashley Speckman and students Julianne Donoghue, Jessica Gruber and Taylor Madison): The Giving Tree - Place trees around the community that hold bookmarks labeled with names of children in need of books at Supply Elementary School

West Brunswick High School (Robert Watkins): The Pressure is On - nitrogen tire inflation system for automotive program that will result in better fuel economy and increased safety

Friends of the Library (Sheila Umbricht): Operation Homework Help - expand library of math, science, history, geography, social science and biography collection to help students in grades 4-12 with their homework and special projects

Ocean Isle Museum Foundation/Ingram Planetarium (Scott Kucera and Mark Jankowski): Space Science in the Hands of Students - program allowing students creative use of computer software to present science projects in the classroom or at the 40-foot dome in the planetarium