Shown are JoAnne Branch, right, Partnership Fund Development specialist; Sandra Oliver, RCCF vice president; and Jessica Lowery Clark, Partnership executive director, with a representation of the check for $1,000 awarded in the form of a grant by the Robeson County Community Foundation to the Robeson County Partnership for Children. The money will benefit the Exploration Station.
Courtesy photo
LUMBERTON — A $1,000 gift to the Robeson County Partnership for Children will benefit the Exploration Station.
The gift comes in the form of a grant awarded the Partnership by the Robeson County Community Foundation. The money will be used to cover all or most of the cost of participation in this year’s summer camps and the Dinner with Santa event, which is held in December for economically disadvantaged children who are scholarship members of the children’s museum.
Specifically, the grant will enable Exploration Station staff to buy materials and finance outings and instruction for summer camp and will provide a meal and materials for about 25 families for Dinner with Santa, according to the Partnership.
Of the more than 19,000 children under 10 years old in Robeson County, about 68% live in poor or low-income homes, according to Kidscount, 2021 Datacard. In addition, only 1/3 of Robeson County children participate in organized child care or preschool. Nearly one in four Robeson County students drop out before completing school, according to towncharts.com, and nearly 40% of children fail to meet grade-level proficiency in Science, according to the NC Department of Public Instruction.
“Children living in poverty, particularly in rural areas, are often not offered the learning opportunities that their urban counterparts enjoy,” a release from the Partnership reads in part.
“For many of these children, visiting Exploration Station gives them an important educational opportunity,” the release continued. “At the museum, they are able to engage in activities that help them learn about community roles, participate in STEAM (Science Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) related play, and develop important literacy and pre-literacy skills all while following their natural curiosity.”
The Robeson County Community Foundation is a family of philanthropic funds, source of grants for local causes and partner for donors.
Tim Little, local board president, thanked the community for its continued support of the Robeson County Community Foundation.
“These grants would not be possible without the many generous individuals who have supported our community throughout the years,” he said. “Giving is an act of joy and we could not be more thankful to support these important organizations.”
In addition to Little, local advisory board members include Sandra Oliver, vice president; Sylvia Pate, treasurer and secretary; Kenny Biggs; Marcus Bryant; John Carter; Sara Hayes; Dennis Hempstead; Bruce Huggins; Bryan Maynor; Linda Metzger; Margarete Klinger Morley; Johnny Robertson; Caroline Sumpter and Viv Wayne.
For this grant cycle, the local Foundation awarded a total of $12,560 to eight nonprofit organizations.
