Mississippi "community pride' grants

**Don Boekelheide d*@yahoo.com**

Meridian Star
Meridian, Mississippi, USA
Jan 21, 2006

Randall: Community Pride projects: Too good to pass up

By BETH RANDALL
Lauderdale county 4-H director

The weather is still cold and unpredictable, but now
is the time to plan a Community Pride project for your
youth organization to complete this spring. The
Community Pride Grant Program provides funds for
environmental projects.

Community Pride is a unique grants and awards program
sponsored by the Chevron Texaco Companies and
administered by the Mississippi State University
Extension Service. Our mission is to promote positive
youth development by providing incentives for youth to
improve their communities.

Lauderdale County has had many successful projects in
the past. It all starts with one good idea to enhance
the environment and a group of youth willing to make
that idea a reality.

Last spring, T.J. Harris Lower Elementary School
received a Community Pride Grant for its Freedom
Garden project. This garden is planted with white
lantanas by each class in honor of a military service
person.

Two youth organizations from Lauderdale County
received fall Community Pride grants and will begin
work on their projects soon.

Good Shepherd Ministries received $400 to landscape
the new church ground with the goal of teaching youth
members about gardening.

The St. James/West Meridian Outreach and CDC of
Mississippi received $400 for its Davis Street Project
Pride endeavor. The youth will clean up an area of
Davis Street that has been left unattended and plant
ground cover and place trash bins in the area. I am
looking forward to seeing these great projects
completed because of the value they add to our
community.

The procedure is not at all complicated. Once the
project idea has been fully developed, complete a
Community Pride grant packet.

Packets are available from your county office of the
Mississippi State University Extension Service, or can
be downloaded at www.msucares.com; click on 4-H/Youth,
then Community Pride. Three signatures are required:
project leader, county Extension Agent and local
Chevron Texaco Affiliate.

If the project is funded, immediately start keeping
detailed and accurate records in order to submit an
annual progress report. Community Pride Progress
Reports must be submitted Sept. 1 following the date
of funding. Submitting a progress report makes a group
eligible for a guaranteed award signifying a job well
done.

As you can see, it is possible to secure a Community
Pride grant. It takes a willing group of a youth and
adults, a good idea, and a little planning and work.

The Chevron Texaco Companies are investing in
environmental education projects for K-12 youth to
help them learn cooperative skills that will bring
success and assist in preparing them as leaders. The
Community Pride grant program is designed to teach
such cooperation between individuals, and with other
groups and organizations working toward a healthy
community and enhanced environment.

Any organization - academic clubs and classes, 4-H,
Boy/Girl Scouts, Junior Achievement or other local
nonprofit groups - can work through the local
Extension Office to design and implement a Community
Pride project.

The project that your group chooses may be the
outgrowth of other environmental awareness programs,
such as Project Wild, Project Learning Tree, A-Way
with Waste, Backyard Wildlife Habitat or others. Your
project could be an identified community need that
your group wants to improve.

This opportunity is definitely too good to pass up. 

______________________________________________________
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