RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 8, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing
that education goes beyond time in the classroom, Dominion
Resources is providing more than $1
million to support children and youth enrichment programs in
central Virginia.
"In-school enrichment programs and out-of-school educational
activities build on the classroom experience," said Hunter A. Applewhite, president of the Dominion
Foundation. "The programs will reach thousands of students,
providing them with broader and more hands-on learning
opportunities."
Each of the 11 projects received funding from the Dominion
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Dominion Resources, the parent
company of Dominion Virginia Power. Applewhite announced the grants
today at JA Finance Park with representatives of recipient
organizations.
Junior Achievement of Central
Virginia received $300,000 to
help create a new JA Finance Park that will open in 2017 to serve
all 10th graders from Richmond and Henrico, Chesterfield, Hanover, New
Kent and Goochland
counties. At JA Finance Park, students take financial lessons
learned in the classroom and apply them to "real-life" scenarios.
Students must develop and live within a personal budget by making
financial decisions and paying for everything from housing to
health care to food, utilities and more.
"For more than 6,000 central Virginia students each year, JA
Finance Park is a real eye-opener. They leave with a deeper
appreciation of what their parents experience in real life and an
understanding of what is entailed in balancing priorities," said
Daphne Swanson, president of Junior
Achievement of Central Virginia.
"Dominion's gift will go a long way toward helping us meet our goal
of creating an expanded, enhanced JA Finance Park to reach even
more students in years to come."
The other programs are:
- Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Richmond to support
implementation of a "college-ready" program for youth in grades
8-12 to be housed at a new teen center to be built in the East
End.
- Boy Scouts of America - Heart of Virginia Council to support its "Second Century"
capital campaign, including STEM-related programming and Scouting
programs in underserved urban and rural areas.
- Children's Museum of Richmond
for "Halloween Hoopla," where 2,300
children enjoy trick-or-treating, STEM experiments and
autumn-themed art programs in a safe, family-friendly
environment.
- Latin Ballet of Virginia to support "Be Proud of Yourself to
Broaden Your World," a bilingual program emphasizing the language,
identity, history and culture of Hispanic countries, as well as
English as a second language through dance.
- NextUp to provide free, coordinated after-school programs
featuring art, science, sports, life skills and more at Lucille
Brown, Henderson and Boushall Middle schools in Richmond.
- Peter Paul Development Center to support out-of-school
educational programming.
- SPARC (School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community) to sponsor the STAGES and
LIVE ART programs that advance performing arts education outreach
to ensure that all children have access to arts education
regardless of their socio-economic background or developmental
ability.
- The Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Foundation to sponsor
its "Passport to Education," a bilingual leadership training
program for 100 Hispanic students in Richmond and Chesterfield public schools.
- Visual Arts Center of Richmond
to support three youth outreach initiatives: Art After School,
Engage, and Make Space. Each program uses hands-on arts education
to foster self-confidence, curiosity and creative thinking.
- YWCA Richmond to support the expansion of its preschool
program, the Sprout School, which includes five classrooms at the
YWCA's downtown location and two classrooms in the Children's
Museum of Richmond.
About Dominion
The Dominion Foundation is dedicated to improving the physical,
social and economic well-being of the communities served by
Dominion companies, including Dominion Virginia Power. Dominion and
the Foundation support nonprofit causes that meet basic human
needs, protect the environment, support education and promote
community vitality. For more information about Dominion (NYSE: D),
headquartered in Richmond and one
of the nation's largest producers and transporters of energy, visit
www.dom.com.
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SOURCE Dominion