FAMU has been announced as a finalist in The Home Depot’s
2014 RETOOL YOUR SCHOOL Campus Improvement Grant Program. The grant program is
designed to reinvigorate historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Finalists are competing for a total of $250,000 in grants for on-campus improvements
and are asking their communities and the public to help them win.
From now through April 14, FAMU supporters can visit
www.retoolyourschool.com to vote for FAMU and its proposed sustainable campus
improvement projects. With the help of supporters, FAMU could win a $50,000
Tier I major grant or be one of 13 schools to win a $10,000 Tier II grant and
one of three schools to win a $25,000 Campus Pride grant.
Grants will be awarded to the school with the most online
votes and social media activity, as assessed by The Home Depot®. Winners will
be announced on or around May 2.
FAMU’s proposed improvement projects are focused on enhancing the Student Health Services building, which is housed in the former site of the historic FAMU Hospital. The FAMU Hospital served the North Florida community for more than 20 years as the only facility to serve blacks within a 150-mile radius and ushered in FAMU’s distinguished nursing and pharmacy programs. The former FAMU Hospital site was recently celebrated with the installation of a historical marker presented by the Florida Department of State.
FAMU’s proposed eco-friendly improvements to the Student
Health Services building include: building an emergency vehicle and patient
drop-off access point with sustainable materials, beautifying the interior of
the building with environmentally-friendly enhancements and retrofitting the
entire building’s lighting system to reduce energy costs and the university's
carbon foot print. These proposed improvement projects will enhance campus life
for current students and generations to come.
FAMU is competing against finalist schools in Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri, North
Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West
Virginia, U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. FAMU employees,
students, alumni and supporters are urged to vote every day to ensure that the
Rattlers bring home the grand prize.