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The Outer Banks Community Foundation has awarded nearly $70,000 in Community Enrichment Grants this quarter to nine nonprofits. The funding addresses a variety of causes including financial assistance, veterans’ services, the arts, history and education.

A grant to St. John United Methodist Church in Avon will support Hatteras Island Community Strings, a new organization that offers group music classes on ukulele, violin and guitar to Hatteras Island youth and adults. The Community Foundation grant award will allow Hatteras Island Community Strings to achieve its goal of providing free classes to all who attend. “The music classes allow our students to gather together in a creative and supportive environment, using music as a springboard to learn and grow,” said Community Strings executive director Jessie Taylor. “We’re delighted to offer our community this new opportunity.”

Dare County Youth Orchestra was awarded a grant for instruments and equipment. The group has grown and now serves 180 students from grades 4 through 12. The grant will support 26 student musicians with instruments, music stands, cases and bows.

Outer Banks Chorus is now able to purchase a piano and moving dolly for their practices, thanks to a new grant from the Community Foundation. Now over 100 members strong, the Outer Banks Chorus has provided music experiences for local artists and community performances since 1986.

A grant to North Carolina Cooperative Extension will support horticulture classes for people with disabilities, including those from Monarch and GEM Adult Day programs. The Cooperative Extension delivers community-based education that provides opportunities for lifelong learning, empowerment and inclusion. “Grow-Learn-Connect-Plants is an expansion of the therapeutic horticulture program with Dare County NCSU Extension,” wrote Tanya Lamo, extension director. “The program has been developed to promote health and healing by creating positive connections between plants and people.”

The Odd Fellows Lodge, owned and being renovated by the Ocracoke Preservation Society, is getting a new roof, thanks in part to a recent Community Foundation grant award. The Lodge, built in 1901 and located in the heart of Ocracoke Village, housed Ocracoke’s first community school. The historic building, once restored, will serve as a visitor center; it will also include second-floor office space that will be available for use by local non-profit organizations.

The Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation received a grant for its “Spirit of Freedom” flyover, historic candy drop reenactment and its educational public display to occur at the two Dare County airports beginning on December 17, 2022. The flyover commemorates the Wright brothers’ 1903 first flight, which took place at the site of the Wright Brothers Memorial. The C54D Spirit of Freedom is a genuine USAF World War II veteran airplane of the 1948 Berlin Airlift and is filled with artifacts, photographs and related items. The plane travels the country to educate the public about its place in WWII aviation history and will be open to visitors at the Dare County Regional Airport.

The Marine Corps League of the Outer Banks is an all-volunteer program where retired Marines can continue to be active with the Marine Corps family locally. A grant for their Marines In Need program will support honorably discharged Marines in need of short-term financial assistance such as medical transportation to VA hospitals, home wheelchair ramps, rent assistance and other emergency needs.

Feline Hope, an all-volunteer nonprofit that provides spay, neuter and medical assistance to low-income families and elderly residents to enable owners to keep their pets, received a grant award to offset pet owner veterinarian fees for families and individuals making difficult financial decisions regarding pet care.

Water’s Edge Village School in Corolla received a new grant to purchase classroom technology and equipment.

The Outer Banks Community Foundation is a 501(c)3 nonprofit charitable organization that connects people who care with causes that matter. Based in a historic flat-top cottage in Southern Shores, the Community Foundation manages $25 million across more than 200 charitable funds for individuals and agencies, awards grants to nonprofits, manages more than 60 scholarship programs and provides tailored services to help donors pursue their charitable interests. Since its inception in 1982, the Community Foundation has awarded more than $12 million in grants and scholarships to local nonprofits and students.

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