BB&T and the NC Rural Center Announce Recipients of Inaugural Community Improvement Grants

RALEIGH – On Monday, March 25, alumni of the NC Rural Center’s Rural Economic Development Institute (REDI) and Homegrown Leaders programs gathered at the Governor’s Mansion in Raleigh to kick off Rural Day 2019. The alumni gathering included leaders from across the state, and featured a special recognition of five recipients of the Rural Center’s inaugural community improvement mini-grants.

The grants were developed in partnership with BB&T, to award five alumni of the Rural Center’s leadership programs grants of $5,000 each, totaling $25,000 in funding.  Recipients included public and nonprofit organizations whose projects directly addressed one of the four building blocks of economic development: business development, workforce development, physical infrastructure, and social and civic infrastructure.

“For nearly 30 years, the NC Rural Center has worked to nurture our state’s most important rural asset: its innovative leaders,” said NC Rural Center President Patrick Woodie. “We are grateful BB&T recognizes the important work these five leadership alumni are doing in their local communities.”

Mini-grant recipients included:

Wesley Barker (REDI 18), Appalachian Regional Commission on behalf of the Town of Lansing

Henry Crews (REDI 16), Green Rural Redevelopment Organization

Angela Cole (REDI 17), City of Elizabeth City

Cindy Farrand (REDI 18), Cone Health on behalf of the Rockingham County Diabetes Task Force

Noran Sanford (REDI 18), GrowingChange