Airbus-UWSWA Announce Education Grants Worth Nearly $10,000
Airbus Americas Engineering and United Way of Southwest Alabama (UWSWA) announced a series of grants worth nearly $10,000 in the second year of their education partnership. This partnership was created in 2014 to invest in community programs and services that improve education.
“Airbus places a high value on quality education,” shared David Trent, Site Director at Airbus Americas Engineering in Mobile. “Our investment will go to programs that will help students attending, or who will attend, schools in the area around Airbus’ location in Mobile. These programs will address student needs from pre-school to high school and beyond.”
The programs that have been identified to receive funds are:
- September Attendance Challenge for Mobile County Public School System elementary schools
- Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library for preschoolers in the Dauphin Island Parkway area
- Gilliard Elementary School’s Take Flight Through Reading, an accelerated reader program
- Jubilee BEST Robotics, Inc., a program at B.C. Rain High School
“Being a good corporate partner and a good corporate citizen is important to us,” said Barry Eccleston, President of Airbus Americas. “We are excited to team up with United Way across the country to address the educational goals in the communities where we have a physical footprint. Our investment, coupled with the funds that the Airbus Corporate Foundation has invested throughout the world, will help thousands of students excel in school.”
“This partnership only builds on the support that Airbus gives the southwest Alabama area,” stated Interim President and CEO of United Way of Southwest Alabama, Larry Davis. “Airbus employees already lend their time as Reading Buddies, participate in workplace campaigns, and are involved in several volunteer projects throughout the year. We are very thankful to have the opportunity to continue working with Airbus to support programs and services to help our community reach education goals in school readiness, reading and math scores, and, most importantly, increasing the graduation rate in Mobile County schools.”
Debbie Bolden is Principal of Gilliard Elementary School, which will receive funding for its accelerated reader program. “Thanks to Airbus and United Way, we were able to provide our students with incentives when they met their accelerated reader goal,” said Bolden. “The students were ecstatic when they saw the prizes they could earn. At the end of each quarter, all students who met their goal were rewarded with a party. The celebrations were possible because of the funds we received. Our students strive to make their reading goal and love the recognition and celebrations.”