By Corinne Saunders
Five nonprofit organizations embarking on projects ranging from solar energy to expanding recreation opportunities in Dare and Currituck counties recently received a total of $60,000 in grant funding from the Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation.
Grants will go toward three projects or initiatives in Dare County, all in Nags Head, as well as two in Currituck County—one in Corolla and one in Moyock, according to information Dominion spokesperson Cherise M. Newsome provided in a Dec. 16 email.
The Friends of Jockey’s Ridge received $15,000 for a “Ten Points of Interest Trail” at Jockey’s Ridge State Park in Nags Head, and the Raleigh-based North Carolina Aquarium Society received $15,000 for its “Jennette’s Pier Solar Installation” project, according to Newsome.
The nonprofit Friends of Jockey’s Ridge has supported the state park’s programs and facilities since it was established in 1990, according to the Friends’ website.
Jennette’s Pier in Nags Head was rebuilt with a two-story pier house, concrete pilings and a focus on green energy in 2011, after the former wooden structure suffered damage from Hurricane Isabel in 2003 that led to its over-seven-year closure.
After it was rebuilt, Jennette’s Pier became one of North Carolina’s first Platinum LEED-certified state-owned buildings, according to the North Carolina Aquarium Society website.
“The pier is already viewed as a demonstration site for sustainable construction and green energy, and adding solar will make it an icon for 21st century energy for the East Coast,” according to the aquarium’s webpage on solar panels.
NC State University’s Clean Energy Technology Center recommends adding a 50-kilowatt, direct current photovoltaic array to two existing roof structures and to a covered entrance walkway, the website said.
The Community Care Clinic of Dare, also located in Nags Head, received $10,000 for “oral health access for marginalized adults,” according to information from Dominion.
The clinic applied for the grant as part of its expanding services. The funding was put toward purchases allowing its dental clinic to perform root canals, including “endodontic instruments” and equipment for “progressive X-rays,” Executive Director Lyn Jenkins told Outer Banks Insider.
“With root canals, you preserve teeth instead of just extracting them, which is much better,” Jenkins said.
The Corolla Education Foundation received $10,000 for “Ready, Set, Grow—Building a $2.1 million additional building for the only school serving the northern OBX.”
Water’s Edge Village School (WEVS) is a free public charter school established in 2012 in Corolla and chartered to the nonprofit Corolla Education Foundation, according to the school’s website.
WEVS held a lottery drawing for enrollment for the 2024-25 school year since there were more applicants than spaces, and the school currently has a wait list for prospective students, according to its website.
Mama Bear Autism Foundation received a $10,000 grant for “Shingle Landing Park Phase 2” in Moyock.
Shingle Landing Park opened in July 2021 at 219 Arrow Head Drive in Moyock, with pickleball courts, a playground, a picnic pavilion, restrooms and more, according to a July 25, 2021, article in The Coastland Times.
Mama Bear Autism Foundation was established this year as an autism awareness organization, according to www.causeiq.com.
The Dominion Energy Charitable Foundation recently awarded a total of over $3 million in grant funding across multiple states, with nearly $2.4 million going to groups in Virginia, according to a Dec. 10 Dominion Energy press release.
Nonprofits in North Carolina received a total of $132,000 in grant funding, including the $60,000 toward Dare and Currituck projects.
All Dominion grant recipients in North Carolina are as follows:
· Bertie County Rural Health Association (BCRHA), $15,000 for BCRHA Transportation Assistance Program, Windsor
· North Carolina Agricultural Foundation, $15,000 for NC 4-H Electric Program, Raleigh
· Carolina Rebuilding Ministry, $15,000 for Transforming Lives Through Repairing Homes, Merry Hill
· Friends of Jockey’s Ridge, $15,000 for Ten Points of Interest Trail at Jockey's Ridge, Nags Head
· The North Carolina Aquarium Society, $15,000 for Jennette's Pier Solar Installation, Raleigh
· Community Care Clinic of Dare, $10,000 for Oral Health Access for Marginalized Adults in the Outer Banks, Nags Head
· The Center for Energy Education, $10,000 for Empowering Young Women in Solar Internship Program, Roanoke Rapids
· Corolla Education Foundation, $10,000 for Ready, Set, Grow – Building a $2.1 million additional building for the only school serving the northern OBX, Corolla
· Mama Bear Autism Foundation, $10,000 for Shingle Landing Park Phase 2, Moyock
· Warren County Rescue Squad, $7,000 to Update Emergency Services Equipment, Littleton
· Dream Hunt & Fishing Program, $5,000 for Exploring Surf, Exploring Surf, Sound & Sand and Exploring Rivers, Sounds & Woodlands, Elizabeth City
· Port Discover Northeastern North Carolinas Center for Hands on Science, $2,500 for STEM Exploration and Career Discovery, Elizabeth City
· Elizabeth City State University Foundation, $2,500 for I-Engineer, Elizabeth City
Dominion Energy provides gas and electric services in seven states, according to its website.
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