SOMERSET, KY — Eastern Kentucky PRIDE announced today that it will award $2,750 to the Adair County Primary Center for hands-on environmental education projects during the 2017/18 school year.
The Adair County Primary Center will use the grant to create a recycling program for paper, cardboard and plastic. Each classroom will receive a recycling bin. PRIDE Club students will collect paper and plastic from each classroom daily and place it in pickup collection bins outside the school. They will also gather litter from the school campus.
Overall, PRIDE will award $119,155 to educators across 41 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky through the PRIDE Environmental Education Grant Program, which was made possible by a grant to PRIDE from the Appalachian Regional Commission.
Educators applied for the grants, and PRIDE selected the grant recipients through a competitive review process. The grant projects may begin after recipients complete a training webinar later this month.
The grants can be used for a variety of educational activities that help students appreciate and care for the environment and to serve their community.
“I want to congratulate the grant recipients and thank the educators who are leading these projects,” said Tammie Wilson, PRIDE President and Chief Executive Officer.
“You are making a difference by opening our students’ eyes, hearts, and minds to caring for our region’s incredible natural resources. You also are helping your students grow academically through hands-on activities that allow them to practice key skills, such as math and problem-solving. Environmental education really is a great investment for students and our region.”
Promoting environmental education is a key mission for PRIDE, which is a nonprofit organization. PRIDE contributes to the economic and cultural growth of southern and eastern Kentucky by improving water quality, cleaning up solid waste problems, and advancing environmental education, in order to improve living conditions for its residents while enhancing the potential for tourism industry growth in the region.
Since 1997, PRIDE has awarded 1,609 Environmental Education Grants that impacted 892,834 students across the region. Schools have used PRIDE funds for a wide variety of activities, such as building outdoor classrooms, nature trails, wetlands, and greenhouses.
For a complete list of 2017/18 grant recipients, please visit www.kypride.org.
