Announces Second Accelerating Change Together
Grant Application Funding
NEWPORT NEWS, Va., March 26,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the BayPort
Foundation, Ferguson, and Newport News Shipbuilding, a division of
HII, have announced a community partnership to fund a three-year,
$500,000 transformational grant
called Accelerating Change Together (ACT). The grant will run from
2024 to 2026 and aims to invest in the Hampton Roads nonprofit community to build
upon education and develop a skilled workforce that benefits the
nation.
The ACT Grant was initially launched in 2022. The inaugural
year's grant provided an instant lift in equipment funding,
enabling the Virginia Beach Education Foundation and Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) to
add a new two-year, half-day Advanced Technology Center Renewable
Energy Technologies program.
"The initial results of our founding investment were more
successful than we could have hoped. The sustainable VBCPS program
switch from fiber optics to renewable energy prepares future-ready
students to enter the workforce," said Nancy Porter, VP of Marketing at BayPort Credit
Union and Executive Director of the BayPort Foundation. "We are
excited to support a second funding and help local nonprofits to
dream of new ways to expand their programs and collaborate with
others to make a positive change in the communities we serve."
"This funding is vital, and Ferguson Cares is honored to be a
part of the ACT Grant collaborative for the second year. Through
this financial support, we'll be able to supply the essential
resources necessary for advancing our shared goal in fostering a
strong workforce pipeline and increasing civic engagement," said
Melissa Hazelwood, Director of
Social Impact at Ferguson.
"The ACT Grant builds on HII's belief in educational support as
the foundation of our nation's security," said Gary Artybridge, Manager of Corporate
Citizenship & Education Outreach at Newport News Shipbuilding.
"We proudly support various STEM education initiatives at
elementary, middle, and high schools, and college programs that
support our workforce development needs. The ACT Grant is an
extension of that mission."
Virginia Natural Gas has joined BayPort, Ferguson, and Newport
News Shipbuilding in the 2024 funding launch and its education and
workforce development mission. The ACT Grant extends the four
companies' existing charitable giving and social impact
efforts.
The ACT Grant Contributions Committee will host a breakfast
panel discussion on May 22 at the
Mariners' Museum and Park in Newport
News. This event will discuss the ACT Grant process and
answer questions about the application form. The deadline for
applications is July 31, 2024. For
additional information on the ACT Grant and eligibility
requirements, please visit actgrant.org.
About BayPort Foundation
BayPort Foundation is the charitable arm of BayPort Credit Union,
headquartered in Newport News,
Virginia and was established to extend the credit union's
philosophy of "people helping people." The Foundation is an
extension of the credit union's charitable giving. BayPort Credit
Union commits more than half a million dollars in annual corporate
donations and pays all the Foundation's overhead to ensure that
100% of the Foundation donations support its mission. For more
information, visit bayportfoundation.org.
About Ferguson
Ferguson plc (NYSE: FERG; LSE: FERG)
is a leading value-added distributor providing expertise, solutions
and products from infrastructure, plumbing and appliances to HVAC,
fire, fabrication and more. We exist to help make our customers'
complex projects simple, successful and sustainable. Ferguson is
headquartered in the U.K., with operations in North America. For more information, please
visit fergusonplc.com or follow Ferguson
on LinkedIn.
About HII
HII is a global, all-domain defense
provider. HII's mission is to deliver the world's most powerful
ships and all-domain solutions in service of the nation, creating
the advantage for our customers to protect peace and freedom around
the world. As the nation's largest military shipbuilder, and with a
more than 135-year history of advancing U.S. national security, HII
delivers critical capabilities extending from ships to unmanned
systems, cyber, ISR, AI/ML and synthetic training. Headquartered in
Virginia, HII's workforce is
44,000 strong. For more information, please
visit hii.com.
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SOURCE BayPort Credit Union
