Atlanta, Ga. - For the third consecutive time, Coahoma Community College (CCC) has beaten out 60 other Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to win a competitive $75,000 grant.
The program, spearheaded by The Home Depot, is aimed at giving back to the nation's HBCUs what they have so generously given to their respective communities.
According to the company's website, the Retool Your School Program has provided more than 3.1 million dollars in campus improvement grants to allow HBCUs to make sustainable improvements to their campuses since 2009.
Popular voting through social media posts containing the "Coahoma_RYS21" hashtag, weekly competitions, and online votes cast on Coahoma's behalf from late February through March narrowed down finalists in Cluster Two of the grant program.
Coahoma Community College, Tuskegee University, and Bethune Cookman University took the top spots in Cluster Two in the 2021 competition. In an interesting twist, Jackson State University also received a grant award in Cluster One, along with Tougaloo College receiving the top prize in Cluster Three, which means a total of three Mississippi HBCUs have been awarded grants this year.
CCC received well over 400,000 votes during the competition, securing the win.
Coahoma Can!
Dr. Valmadge T. Towner, president of Coahoma Community College, is pleased with the recent victory and appreciates the support that made this initiative a success for the institution.
"Once again, we are grateful to our supporters. It is humbling to know that we have an active student body, an involved faculty/staff, and we also have people from across this nation who love Coahoma," said Towner. "We are young. We are small. We are in a rural setting. However, our support is national. We are appreciative to The Home Depot for supporting HBCUs, and we look forward to winning again because it is the Coahoma way."
Each of the finalists was invited to submit campus improvement proposals for consideration by a panel of judges.
Marriel Hardy, chief communications officer, is proud of the success of the initiative and credits a responsive "Tiger Nation" for keeping Coahoma in the fight until the very end. "This was a goal the college was adamant about accomplishing again this year," said Hardy. "Our students, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends rose to the occasion, staying engaged and aware of our position in the competition every step of the way. It is a true testament to the love and admiration that exists for Coahoma Community College."
The college has developed plans to continue to refresh campus courtyard/outdoor spaces and also update various spaces in the Health Sciences, Career and Technical Education, and Academic divisions.
The hope is to create areas conducive to student leisure and learning and congregation hubs for meetings and events.
Construction is expected to begin this summer under the leadership of the college's Facilities and
Maintenance department with the support of the campus community and beyond.
To make a charitable donation that will immediately benefit and expand the construction of the Retool Your School grant project on the Coahoma campus, as well as the renovation and upkeep of Coahoma's other campus facilities, visit www.coahomacc.edu/giving.
