Here’s a roundup of news briefs from around Southwest and Southside. Send yours for possible inclusion to news@cardinalnews.org.
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Abingdon workforce hub gets $1.5 million gift
The Anne and Gene Worrell Foundation has committed $1.5 million to help open a workforce and child development hub in Abingdon.
United Way of Southwest Virginia, which is spearheading the project, announced the gift on Tuesday.
[Disclosure: The Anne and Gene Worrell Foundation, formerly known as the Genan Foundation, is one of our donors, but donors have no say in news decisions; see our policy.]
The 87,000-square-foot Regional Workforce and Child Development Hub is expected to open in August 2024, at a cost of $25 million. It will house an early childhood development center, labs for teacher training and a workforce exploration center that will offer hands-on career simulations.
The project received a $5 million state grant this summer and was touted this week by Gov. Glenn Youngkin, who announced a plan to expand child care across the state and held up the hub as a blueprint for similar projects around Virginia.
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Appomattox, New River Valley projects net GO Virginia Region 2 money
An effort to develop a workforce training institute in Appomattox County and a partnership to boost advanced manufacturing in the New River Valley were awarded more than $660,000 total in GO Virginia funding on Tuesday.
The GO Virginia state board approved $565,000 for the ACA Classical and CTE Institute, which will also leverage $1.3 million in non-state sources to develop career and technical education programs for adults and younger students in welding and machining.
The institute is a partnership among Appomattox County, Central Virginia Community College and Appomattox Christian Academy. The community college will operate the welding program, according to a news release from Virginia Tech’s Center for Economic and Community Engagement, which serves as the regional support organization for the GO Virginia board.
“This funding will add capacity for 35 more welding students annually throughout the Central Virginia Planning District and enhance the educational experience of every CVCC welding student by introducing the first dedicated fabrication shop for welders-in-training in the region,” Bruce Boone, board chairman of Appomattox Christian Academy, said in the release.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development, the stage agency that administers the GO Virginia program, approved an application for $98,859 to a New River Valley Regional Commission project dubbed NRV Materials and Machinery Cluster Scale-Up, according to the news release.
In partnership with the Virginia Tech Center for Economic and Community Engagement and Onward New River Valley, the project will leverage $109,000 in non-state sources to “convene regional partners and develop a 10-year roadmap for supporting materials and machinery scale-up in the New River Valley,” the release said. It builds on the recent success of a coalition, led by the regional commission, that earned a grant of nearly $500,000 in a federal Economic Development Administration Tech Hubs competition.
“With a focus on additive materials and advanced manufacturing, the project will help the region move forward in regards to challenges such as the electrification of vehicles,” Kevin Byrd, executive director of the New River Valley Regional Commission, said in the news release. “The final roadmap will scope out and detail 2-3 prioritized projects, designate regional champions for advancing those projects, identify possible funding sources for those projects, and propose steps for advancing those projects.”
GO Virginia is a public-private partnership that aims to boost business growth and job creation through state incentives evaluated and distributed via nine regional councils. GO Virginia’s Region 2 consists of the cities of Covington, Lynchburg, Radford, Roanoke and Salem and the counties of Alleghany, Amherst, Appomattox, Bedford, Botetourt, Campbell, Craig, Floyd, Franklin, Giles, Montgomery, Pulaski and Roanoke.
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Rural colleges alliance receives grant from American Electric Power Foundation
The Commonwealth Alliance for Rural Colleges has received a $25,000 grant from the American Electric Power Foundation.
American Electric Power is the parent company of Appalachian Power. Of the total, $5,000 will be split between alliance member institutions in Appalachian’s service area: Appalachian School of Law, Averett University, Bluefield University and Ferrum College. The remaining $20,000 will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund for students attending these universities, according to a news release announcing the grant.
The alliance will partner with Appalachian Power to see future funding from the AEP Foundation to add to the endowment, with a goal of creating a $125,000 endowment.
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Virginia ABC seeks applications for alcohol education grants
The Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority will begin accepting applications for the 2024-2025 Alcohol Education and Prevention Grant program on Jan. 1.
Since 2013, ABC has awarded an average of $80,000 each year through its grant program to organizations working to prevent underage and high-risk drinking, according to a news release from the agency. Organizations can receive up to $10,000 each to support evidence-based programs that have a long-lasting impact and encourage partnerships between organizations.
Applications and more information are available online.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. March 1.