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MVES/JWES Receive Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grants

Mountain View and John Wayland Elementary Schools Receive Lowe’s Grants for Outdoors Projects

A total of $5,140 will provide funding for Habitats’ Maintenance and a Circle of Sharing

Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has awarded a $2,340 Toolbox for Education grant to Mountain View Elementary School and $2,800 to John Wayland Elementary School in Rockingham County for two outdoor projects at the schools. Mountain View and John Wayland are two of more than 450 schools or parent organizations to be awarded a Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grant for teacher and parent-initiated school improvement projects benefiting K-12 public education across the United States during the 2009-2010 school year.

When Mountain View Elementary opened ten years ago, the school and community collaborated on establishing a National Wildlife Federation School Habitats’ site. Within one of the school’s large courtyards, four habitats were established: a pond with running water (and fish and frogs), a desert area, a grasslands area, and woodlands area. Over the last ten years, the vegetation has thrived in the courtyard and the school lacked the appropriate outdoor maintenance equipment to properly care for it. With the Lowe’s grant, Mountain View will purchase a wood chipper to turn tree limbs and bush branches into mulch, long-handled pruning equipment to reach the high vegetation, as well as lumber for building composting boxes for recycling the vegetation. Some new vegetation will be purchased to improve some of the habitats.

John Wayland Elementary is creating a quiet, circular area, surrounded by shrubs, where students can enjoy the benefits of being outdoors while participating in classroom activities, such as, classroom meetings, silent reading time, journaling, and more. Wayland has chosen a quiet spot behind the school on which to lay a concrete base, surrounded by shrubbery, with enough comfortable benches to accommodate a class of children. Volunteers will help in the construction of the benches. John Wayland places a very big emphasis on environmental education and this is a terrific complement to the programs that are already in place.

“Through our Toolbox for Education grant program, Lowe’s recognizes teacher and parent-initiated efforts to enrich the lives of children in our communities,” said Larry D. Stone, chairman of Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation. “By supporting schools like Mountain View and John Wayland, we are contributing to a cause that’s important to our customers and employees, and we’re also helping to build a stronger foundation for the children who will be tomorrow’s employees, homeowners and community leaders.”

Launched in partnership with PTO Today, a leading organization serving parent-teacher groups, the Toolbox for Education program has provided more than $17.7 million through more than 4,400 grants since its inception five years ago. Grants of up to $5,000 are available to public schools in the U.S. for a wide range of improvement projects and large schools or school districts may be eligible to receive Toolbox grants up to $100,000 for school improvement initiatives. All K-12 public schools in the United States are eligible. Parent groups may apply by visiting www.toolboxforeducation.com.

Since its inception in 1957, Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation has helped communities nationwide through employee volunteerism and financial contributions.

Area chosen at the edge of the Nature Trail

Measuring for the concrete form

Final form ready for the concrete

Pouring the concrete

Planting day

Many helping hands on planting day

About Lowe’s

Lowe’s is a proud supporter of Habitat for Humanity International, American Red Cross, United Way of America, and the Home Safety Council, in addition to numerous non-profit organizations and programs that help communities across the country.  In 2008, Lowe’s and the Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation together contributed more than $25 million to support community and education projects in the United States and Canada. Lowe’s also encourages volunteerism through the Lowe’s Heroes program, a company-wide employee volunteer initiative.  Lowe’s is a FORTUNE® 50 company with fiscal year 2008 sales of $48.2 billion and has more than 1,700 stores in the United States and Canada.  For more information, visit Lowes.com/community.

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Submitted by Sharon Griffin, JWES and MVES