Paine College has been announced as a finalist in The Home Depot’s 2013 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL campus improvement grant program. Designed to reinvigorate HBCUs, finalists are competing for $225,000 in grants for on-campus improvements and are now asking their communities and the public to help them win. From February 18, 2013 to April 15, 2013, Paine College supporters can visit www.retoolyourschool.com to vote for Paine’s sustainable campus improvement project. One $50,000 Tier 1 major grant, twelve Tier 2 $10,000 minor grants and one $25,000 Campus Pride for the school receiving the most online votes and social media activity, as assessed by The Home Depot, will be awarded. The Home Depot® will announce the winners on May 3, 2013.
To apply for the Retool Your School grants, HBCUs were required to submit Letters of Intent that included brief descriptions of their potential projects via the “Retool Your School” website by February 11, 2013. Applicants that provided their Phase 1 proposals by the deadline were able to continue and submit full proposals for Tier I, Tier II and Campus Pride campus improvement grants.
“We are asking the CSRA community, Paine alumni, faculty, staff, students, and friends throughout the country and abroad to cast a daily vote in support of Paine College by visiting www.retoolyourschool.com,” said Helene Carter, Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement. “Paine’s projects are worthwhile and will make a difference on our campus.”
Paine College will face stiff competition from finalist schools in Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. Therefore, Paine supporters, alumni, faculty, staff, students, friends and family should log on and vote at www.retoolyourschool.com to ensure that the Lions bring home the grand prize.
During the online voting period that is currently underway, Paine College supporters are able to view descriptions of the College’s campus projects and can cast one vote per day for Paine. Following the online vote, a panel of distinguished judges will also evaluate each school’s proposal. Tier I and Tier II projects will be judged based on the number of votes posted to the website, as well as the judges’ evaluation of the relevance to the proposal requirements as listed on the website and application. Entrants must highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on their campus. Special attention will be given to schools that pitch eco-friendly plans. The winning schools will be determined based on a combination of online votes and the judges’ evaluations. The awarding of the Campus Pride grant will be based on the number of votes and social media activity the winning school receives.
Some of the potential improvement projects entered by the HBCU finalists include projects that will affect the campus and community as a whole, such as installing eco-friendly bathrooms, adding wheelchair ramps and automatic access doors, creating sustainable landscaping projects, replacing windows with Energy Star rated fixtures, installing solar energy systems and motion sensors to reduce electric consumption in classrooms, starting community gardens and campus greenhouses to encourage healthy eating, and creating nature trails accessible to the surrounding community as a fit living initiative. Each of the proposed improvement projects will enhance campus life for current students and generations to come.
For more information and updates on The Home Depot “Retool Your School” grant program or to vote online visit www.retoolyourschool.com.
Remember, online voting began February 18, 2013, and will end on April 15, 2013, at 11:59 pm EST. Cast your vote for Paine College today and every day thereafter through April 15.
Augusta Technical College was ranked in the Top 10 Outstanding Southern Community Colleges for Workforce Training in the online edition of Southern Business & Development magazine, a publication that focuses on economic development for the southern United States, including Missouri and Oklahoma. The South is by far the nation’s most active region for capital investment and job generation. More companies move and expand in the South than any other place in the U.S. according to this publication.
