The Home Depot kicks off it’s 2018 Retool Your School grant program for historically black colleges and universities
Last year the Caribbean was hit by two back-to-back Category 5 hurricanes Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The U.S. Virgin Islands were particularly hard hit in the storms. The campus of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) was not spared and was closed for some time following the storms. UVI is a part of our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)…. cue Home Depot’s campus improvement grant program – Retool Your School!
The program began 2009 with a simple mission: give back to our nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) by facilitating updates to campuses. Now, in its ninth year, grants can be used toward creating sustainable renovations and additions to their campuses. The program has far surpassed its initial goal, awarding $1.8 million through 490 grants. It supports a variety of projects for different schools, each one instilling a sense of ownership and community for those involved.
I am appealing to my followers, friends, colleagues, Caribbeans and anyone who just cares to vote for the UVI . It is well needed and well-deserved. UVI is low in votes right now but with your help we can move the needle. There is no money involved … just need your votes! And, you can vote as much as you like… all day, every day! Voting for UVI to win campus improvement grant funds will have a long lasting impact on the campus, its students and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
There are two ways to vote. One, Use UVI’s unique, designated hashtag #UVI_RYS18 to cast unlimited social votes through Twitter and Instagram. Easy right? You can retweet, repost… just SHARE SHARE SHARE!
The other way to vote is online: CLICK HERE TO VOTE NOW! (put “Virgin Islands” in the search box).
Nine schools receiving the highest number of votes during the voting period will advance to the final round and submit their campus improvement project proposals. A panel of distinguished judges will evaluate each school’s proposal.
Judges will consider the quality of each proposal and the school’s ability to execute the project within the specified budget. Proposals for all three grant levels must highlight how each project will make a lasting, positive impact on the HBCU campus.
A total of $360,000 will be granted to the nine HBCUs with winning proposals. The schools will be categorized in one of three clusters, based on each school’s student population. Each cluster will have three winners vying for one $50,000, one $40,000 and one $30,000 grant.
For more information on The Home Depot Retool Your School Grant Program, visit www.retoolyourschool.com.
Thanks in advance from your proud Virgin Islander!
