Shallotte, NC - FOCUS Broadband recently awarded Community Connections grant funds totaling $40,000 to 18 local non-profit organizations across Brunswick, Columbus, Robeson, Bladen, and Pender counties. The funds are part of the company’s grant program, which has awarded more than $1 million dollars in community and education grants since its inception in 2006.

Gene Ward, FOCUS Broadband’s Board Liaison for the 2024 FOCUS Broadband Grant Committee, commented on the organization’s grant program saying, “It was a privilege to be involved in supporting our communities in so many positive ways. I am proud that FOCUS Broadband is able to help these great organizations impact the lives of so many.”

This year’s grant recipients include:

• Annual Capt. Murga Gold Tournament – The mission of Stop Soldiers Suicide is to provide mental health support, alternative therapies, resources, and education/training to help at risk individuals from all branches of the military.
• Brunswick Community College Foundation – With the BCC Student Food Pantry, students have access to ready-to-eat and non-perishable items.
• Brunswick County Literacy Center – Through Lifting Lives with Literature, students receive tutoring and learning materials that help them prepare for and obtain their GED.
• Brunswick Search and Rescue, Inc. (BSAR) – The program All Over the Map will help BSAR purchase GPS K9 tracking collars used on specially trained K9s during search and recue missions.
• Building Bridges After School Program – Through the Bridging the Digital Divide: Serving the Whole Child initiative, students in the Fair Bluff community are provided with a space and materials to access the internet and learn computer skills.
• Camp4Heroes – Camp4Heroes’ Service to Civilian Transition Program provides support to veterans and first responders who are transitioning from their lives of service, back into civilian living.
• Columbus County Beekeepers Association – Via the Pollinator Education Project, Columbus County Beekeepers Association can educate the community on the importance of honeybees and other pollinators and support the pollinator food gardens of Columbus Regional Healthcare Systems.
• Foster Pantry, Inc. – The program Safe Rides by Foster Pantry offers resources, including new child safety seats and free child safety seat education, to caregivers of children in foster care.
• Going Beyond the Pink – The Comprehensive Breast Cancer Support Program provides care bags stocked with essential items aimed at helping individuals undergoing breast cancer treatment.
• Jack Helbig Memorial Foundation – Funds granted will help the foundation purchase emergency rescue tubes that will be placed at multiple water accesses throughout Southport, NC.
• Las Amigas Red Springs Chapter Incorporated – This organization’s Designing Thru Recovery program will provide activities which assist individuals during the recovery phase of their addictions.
• Lower Cape Fear LifeCare – LifeCare’s Memory Partners offers free, on-going consultative services and education to help those caring for dementia patients.
• Lumber River United Way – Using grant funds, this United Way program will be able to partner with Dolly Parton’s Imaginary Library to provide an age-appropriate book every month to local children.
• Saint Peter Evangelical Lutheran Church – Funds awarded will help volunteers purchase supplies for the Giving Garden, which harvests vegetables that are taken to the Boiling Springs Food Pantry.
• Seaside Teaching and Reaching Students (STARS) – Rising 2nd and 3rd graders will be able to participate in a STARS summer program aimed at helping students develop digital literacy, problem solving, communication and teamwork skills by learning how to code Bee Bot robots.
• St. James Fire and Rescue – The St. James Fire Department will be able to purchase a new computer for use with the department’s online training program.
• The National Alliance for Father Friendly Schools – The Dads for Schools project equips educators with resources aimed at fostering the involvement of fathers and father figures in school related activities with their children.
• Women’s Life Center – Funds awarded will be used to provide the center with medical supplies and parenting courses for individuals exploited by human trafficking.

FOCUS Broadband will announce education grant recipients later this fall. Community Connections grants are open to all non-profit organizations in FOCUS Broadband’s service territory. For more information about FOCUS Broadband’s community and education grant program, call 910-755-1885 or visit www.focusbroadband.com/givingback.