FOCUS Broadband recently awarded $4,362 in grant funds to educators supporting programs that expand educational opportunities for students in Robeson County. The funds are part of the cooperative’s grant program, which has awarded $1.085 million in community and education grants to more than 550 programs since its inception in 2006.
Gene Ward, FOCUS Broadband’s Board Liaison for the 2024 Grant Committee, commented, “We are proud to award these grants, and we look forward to seeing the positive impacts they will have on students and teachers within our local communities.”
East Robeson Primary
This year’s grant recipients included: East Robeson Primary School (Phillippe John F. Sipacio): Grant funds will help purchase LEGO education learning tools used to enhance language activities for multilingual learning learners.
Pictured are Bobby Locklear, Assistant Superintendent for Auxiliary Services at PSRC, left, Dr. Philippe Sipacio, a multilingual learner educator at the school and ERPS Principal Chad Brewer.
Southside-Ashpole Elementary
Southside-Ashpole Elementary School (Joanne McGirt): Through the Drones for the Stem Lab project, ten Tello Drones will be purchased to assist students in learning coding skills in K-5th grade STEM labs.
Pictured are Bobby Locklear, Assistant Superintendent for Auxiliary Services at PSRC, left, Joanne McGirt, a STEM educator at Southside-Ashpole Elementary School, and SAES Principal Dr. Isabel McClain.
FOCUS Broadband will be accepting applications for the 2025 Community Connect Grants and Education Grants program beginning early this December. For more information regarding the grant programs, please visit www.focusbroadband.com/giving-back or contact 910-755-1885.
About FOCUS Broadband
FOCUS Broadband is a member-owned cooperative providing a multitude of communications services, including telephone, business services, wireless, broadband internet, and home security, in southeastern North Carolina. FOCUS Broadband is the largest communications cooperative in North Carolina and one of the largest in the country. For more information on products and services from FOCUS Broadband, visit www.FOCUSBroadband.com.
This information is part of a press release from FOCUS Broadband and was reproduced with permission.