Baseball Field Improvements for Wicksburg Community
With a generous grant from Wiregrass RC&D, Wicksburg High School was able to install a french drain system in the most necessary parts of our baseball playing surface. Weston Backhoe and Contracting performed the engineering, design, and installation of 1,250 feet of a french drainage system on our baseball field, increasing the usability and safety of the field. This project is important because it serves both the high school and general communities, allowing for more available hours on the field for late spring and summer months.
This allowed student-athletes the opportunity to increase preparation and development time during the pre-season and freed school funds for the purchase of new equipment.
Broadcast Equipment for Highland Home
With the opportunity given by this grant, Highland Home FBLA was able to provide activities that support the infrastructure for a morning newscast. Through projects and cooperative learning, students learned the techniques to communicate accurately and efficiently to a mass audience using industry-standard technologies in a fast-paced, career-simulated environment. Students were responsible for informing the Highland Home School community of important events surrounding COVID-19 in our community, our strides in preventing the spread in our school, activities and accomplishments of our students academically and athletically through the Squadron Network morning show. Video journalism, news gathering and studio production skills were fine-tuned while producing stories for a morning show.
Specifically, FBLA was able to purchase a green screen, cameras, microphones, clothing, computers, software, and training materials with help from this grant from Wiregrass RC&D. In addition to providing information to the school and community, Highland Home FBLA members were able to expand their participation in the national competition into broadcast journalism.
Crenshaw 4-H Makes the Most of Grant Funding
Crenshaw County 4-H was able to send members to camp and improve their local facilities with a grant from Wiregrass RC&D. Seventeen students attended a camp at the Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana, Alabama where they experienced new activities, formed friendships, developed leadership skills, gained wildlife knowledge, and so much more.
The grant also helped the Crenshaw County 4-H start a new Community Garden Club in which youth can learn gardening and farm safety information, including the Junior Master Gardener Curriculum, 4-H Grows Curriculum, and the Extension’s Grow More Give More program.The new Community Garden is not only educating the children participating but it is also teaching them how important it is to give back to the community in the form of fresh produce for those in need.
A Wiregrass RC&D grant funded materials and installation for the extension of a fence surrounding the green space adjacent to the DHCLS Main Library in Downtown Dothan. The project substantially improved the usability of the green space, allowing for more outdoor programs and educational events.
Pavilion Update for Ft Mitchell Park
The park at Fort Mitchell now features a pavilion so that citizens have a shady spot to sit and relax while their children play at the playground. Wiregrass RC&D, in partnership with the Ft Mitchell Volunteer Fire Department, provided a grant for the project. Special recognition goes to the Volunteer Fire Department for donating their labor as well.
Much More than Landscape Design
Students in Crenshaw County signed up for a Landscape Design course, but quickly formed a plan that could affect the whole community. This Career Academy effort, supported by a grant from Wiregrass RC & D, directed students to examine needs in the area. Food insecurity became the focus of the project as students planned a community garden. The plan shifted again when the intended plot was too wet to accommodate in-ground plants. Therefore, most of the grant money was used to pour a concrete pad that would be home to raised beds and an outdoor classroom. Students developed seasonal planting plans and worked to build industry partnerships. Partnerships developed and pledges have been made by local businesses to ensure more raised beds can be added in the future as well as seating added to the outdoor classroom area.
This project educated 75 students as they developed essential employability and life skills: working cooperatively, making a hierarchy of needs, recognizing food insecurity in society, and planning to positively impact the community. The anticipated long-term impact is to instill employability skills into 50 or more students per year as they plan, maintain, and produce goods for community consumption.
Summer Day Camps are Here Again
Summer of 2021 brought the return of 4-H Day Camps. After a year hiatus, equipment needed to be replaced, and with the support of Wiregrass RC&D, Covington 4-H purchased three (3) entire sets of disc golf, plus two extra sets of discs. Students were also able to attend a local festival, July Jamz, and learned more about their natural world through a series of hikes detailed below.
For herpatology hiking in the Conecuh National Forest, supplies were acquired to make lizard-catching devices so that students could study the animals. Entomology hikers needed new epoxy kits and other materials to prepare and display captured bugs. The Alabama Water Watch hike utilized some new clean water kits for pond testing, and the Avian Hike crew was able to study owls from using some new supplies. All hikes were fully booked each week.
Continued Investment in Cottonwood FFA
Cottonwood Future Farmers of America purchased a tractor with the help of grant funding from Wiregrass RC& D. The equipment will help students care for the land managed and farmed by the FFA chapter and will specifically serve a greenhouse and garden operation.
With this heavy equipment, FFA can expand their community garden project that provides fresh vegetables and produce to people in our community. The 2021 tractor grant from WRCD continues an investment from 2020 that focused on various agricultural and livestock education, including the vaccination and feeding of rabbits, swine, and cattle, and the farming of vegetables and flowers.
For five weeks in the summer of 2021, young Abbeville residents enjoyed weekly entertainment at the Boys & Girls Club. The Abbeville Memorial Library, with support from Wiregrass RC & D grant funding, scheduled jugglers, magicians, balloon artists, and more to perform as part of the theme “Tails and Tales.”
The Summer Reading Program challenges three age groups (5-8, 9-12, and 13-16) to read as many books as they can. Approximately 50-60 children attend the hour-long sessions and compete in an AR competition, the winner of which received a $25 gift certificate. This program entertains children during the summer and promotes reading while familiarizing kids with the Abbeville Memorial Libary and the Boys and Girls Club, both invaluable community resources. Information on future Summer Reading Programs can be found on social media and in the Abbeville Herald.
The Headland Summer Reading Program was held at Headland United Methodist Church in the Family Life Center to allow for better social distancing and increased attendance. Many children seemed eager for a group learning opportunity after a year of online schooling.
Headland hosted five shows with entertainers in the theme of “Tails and Tales.” The students at this location also created Father’s Day and Fourth of July crafts, along with other hands-on activities. With WRCD funds, all students who read at least one book got a prize for participating and more students were able to attend. With 174 children enrolled in the program, Headland Summer Reading was a huge success, and they look forward to hosting even more students next summer.
Women in Welding Benefits Barbour County
Residents of Barbour County completed the Women in Welding workshops in 2021, offered by Wallace Community College Sparks Campus. Female high school sophomores, juniors, or seniors, along with unemployed and underemployed adult women attended these sessions at no cost thanks to funding by Wiregrass RC&D.
The workshops address the needs of area businesses, specifically in the agricultural industries. Participants were introduced to processes needed to repair or fabricate equipment, parts or implements. The workshops increased awareness of and interest in welding, while teaching women a technical skill with a starting salary of $15-$25 per hour. Joe Johnson, Director of Workforce Development, noted that many of the attendees signed up for Welding courses after the workshop, showing a marked increase in welding interest.