YMCA of Greater Charlotte has been awarded a grant for $1.025 million to provide temporary remote learning support for working families in our community.

YMCA of Greater Charlotte provides 13 remote learning sites serving nearly 800 students who need a safe place to participate in remote learning while schools buildings are closed to in-person instruction in Plan C, and open in a limited capacity in Plan B.

YMCA of Greater Charlotte is one of 116 organizations with 287 sites that have been approved for the grant; together these organizations will serve about 14,000 students across the state.

Governor Cooper signed HB 1105, Coronavirus Relief Act 3.0, into law on Sept. 4; in part, this allocates $19.85 million in federal COVID-19 relief funding for qualifying community-based organizations (CBOs) across the North Carolina. Per the legislation, the NC Alliance of YMCAs is administering the grant program that enables CBOs such as YMCAs, YWCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, county and municipal parks and recreation departments, and other qualifying organizations in North Carolina to apply for funding to recoup expenses related to remote learning support.

“We are honored to serve community organizations by administering these funds in accordance with federal guidelines,” said Sheree Thaxton Vodicka, CEO of the NC Alliance of YMCAs. “We’re grateful for our legislators and governor providing a path for community organizations statewide to meet the critical need of remote learning sites for students and to provide funding from the federal COVID-19 relief funding relief to support so many organizations in providing this support to families.”

“We are thrilled to be able to use this funding to further support families in our community,” said Adrianne Hobbs, YMCA of Greater Charlotte’s executive director of youth development. “Although it’s been a school year unlike we could have ever anticipated, I’m proud of our ability to respond and provide a safe space for hundreds of kids to be supported in their remote learning.”

A list of the organizations that were approved for the grants is available at www.ncymcaalliance.org.