IP Foundation awards $100K in grants

RIEGELWOOD -- The International Paper Riegelwood Mill awarded $100,000 in International Paper Foundation grants to 50 area educational and nonprofit groups in 2018. More than $13,000 in additional funding was used to purchase more than 400 butterfly education kits for 33 area schools.

Recipients of the 2018 International Paper Foundation grants are as follows.

Education

• $37,250 was awarded to educational initiatives, including STEM, tutoring and literacy programs.
• Acme Delco Elementary School received funds to purchase books and materials for the school’s Read Aloud program.
• Acme Delco Middle School received funds to purchase books and furniture for a reading/study area.
• Bellamy Mansion Museum of History and Design Arts received a grant to help purchase materials and supplies for the Summer Camp program.
• Bladen Smart Start received funds to help purchase materials and supplies for the Bladen Health Children’s Project.
• Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina received a grant to support the Class-Credit Recovery and Literacy programs.
• Brigade Boys & Girls Club received funds to purchase program supplies for Project Learn and nutritional meals and snacks for students.
• Brunswick County Literacy Council, Inc. received funds to help purchase books, materials and supplies for several programs including the Baby Bookworm and Holiday Bookshare projects.
• Cape Fear Literacy received grant funds to purchase equipment, materials and supplies for the English as a Second Language Program.
• Columbus County School District received a grant to support school musical productions.
• Communities in Schools of Brunswick County, Inc. received funds to purchase books and supplies for the Ready Readers Program.
• Communities in Schools of Cape Fear received funds to purchase tutor packets for the PaSS program.
• Dreams of Wilmington received a grant to help purchase materials and supplies for the Confidence, Culture and Careers program.
• Lower Bladen County Communities Citizens Group received a grant to purchase STEM kits and supplies for its tutoring program.
• New Hanover Education Ventures received funds to purchase supplies for STEM Day events.
• Ocean Isle Museum Foundation, Inc. received funds to purchase equipment for the In Touch project.
• Phoenix Employment Services of Wilmington received funding to help purchase materials and supplies for the Future Leaders Program.
• ROCAME received a grant to help purchase educational robots for the ROCAME STEM program.
• Team First Book received a grant to purchase books for the Team First Book Program.
• The University of North Carolina at Wilmington received a grant to help purchase textbooks and classroom materials for the High School English Language Learners program.
• Whiteville Primary School received funds to purchase materials and supplies to create a STEAM Lab for grades K-2.
• Williams Township Educational Foundation received funds toward the purchase of a smart panel for Williams Township school.
• Wilmington Children’s Museum received a grant to purchase materials to develop a multi-use learning space for classrooms, a lab and independent studies.
• YWCA of the Lower Cape Fear received a grant to purchase materials for the Reach program.

Health & Wellness, Including Hunger

• $23,100 was awarded to health, wellness and hunger/nutrition programs.
• Accessible Coastal Carolina Events Sports and Services received funding to purchase recreation equipment for visually impaired children in the Miracle League of Wilmington.
• Cerro Gordo Elementary School received a grant for an outdoor play environment.
• Columbus County Association for Volunteer Experiences Inc. received a grant to help purchase educational materials and equipment for the Walking Toward a Healthier Future program.
• Elderhaus, Inc. received funds to help purchase food for at-risk senior adults.
• Families First received a grant to purchase materials and supplies for the Hands Are Not for Hitting program in Columbus and Bladen counties.
• Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina received a grant to support a new school pantry at Lake Waccamaw UMC in Columbus County.
• Greater Restoration Enrichment Center was awarded a grant to purchase food and food supplies for the Food Bank program and summer enrichment education program.
• Hallsboro/Artesia Elementary School was awarded a grant toward a playground project.
• Lower Cape Fear Hospice received funding to help purchase materials and supplies for children’s support services, including the Sunshine Camp.
• Men and Women United for Youth and Families received a grant to purchase materials and supplies for the Youth Ambassadors for a Better Community Program.
• Muscular Dystrophy Association received a grant to purchase supplies and equipment for the summer camp program.
• Towncreek Vision Corporation received a grant to purchase supplies for the healthy foods education program.
• United Way of the Cape Fear Area received a grant for the Backpack Program in Columbus County.

Disaster Relief

$17,360 was distributed to assist with on-going disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Florence.

The United Way of the Cape Fear Area received a grant to help provide disaster relief and recovery assistance to the Cape Fear region following Hurricane Florence.

The Town of Bolton received a grant to help upgrade the Bolton Senior Youth Center to a disaster relief hub, including a power generating system.

Buckhead Volunteer Fire and Rescue received a grant to purchase a light tower for community disaster operations.

Environmental

• $14,289 was awarded to support environmental programs throughout the area.
• Airlie Gardens received a grant for water quality field trip supplies for the environmental education program.
• Cape Fear Museum Associates, Inc. received funds to enhance the Uplands Forest section of the Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery including hands-on, interactive components, construction materials and print displays.
• Cape Fear River Watch received a grant to support environmental education and stewardship programs at Lock & Dam No. 1, including interpretive rain garden materials.
• Friends of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville, Inc. received a grant to support Science Cinema, including educational materials and program films.
• The Nature Conservancy received funding to purchase materials and supplies, including a nutritious snack, for the Fire in the Pines Education Day and Festival.
• Winyah Rivers Foundation, Inc. received funding to purchase materials and supplies for the Volunteer Water Quality Monitoring Program, a community stewardship project in North Carolina’s Waccamaw watershed.

Critical Community Needs and Employee Involvement

• $8,001 was given for critical community needs and employee involvement grants.
• Brunswick Search & Rescue received a grant for the Lost But Found educational safety program.
• Columbus Baptist Association received a grant for the holiday toy store.
• Columbus County Sheriff’s Office received a grant toward a training program.
• Evergreen Volunteer Fire Department received a grant for fire prevention and safety programs, including safety vests and fire prevention education kits.
• Lake Waccamaw Depot Museum received a grant to help purchase a new display system to improve educational displays.
• A Step Forward received funds to help purchase repair materials for the East Arcadia community gym.

International Paper’s Riegelwood Mill has been a part of the community since 1951. The mill produces softwood market and fluff pulp, which is converted into a variety of products used every day such as diapers, feminine hygiene and adult incontinence products. For more information, visit internationalpaper.com.