Jackson State wins $50,000 grant through The Home Depot’s ‘Retool Your School’ program

April 24, 2019
Jackson State representatives accepted a $50,000 check from The Home Depot representatives for the campus improvement grant on Tuesday in Atlanta, GA.
Jackson State representatives accepted the $50,000 check from The Home Depot for the campus improvement grant on Tuesday in Atlanta, GA.

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LATOYA-BYLINE

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For the second time in two years, JSU has secured the campus improvement grant for $50,000. Students, alumni and friends obtained this accomplishment by voting online and using the hashtag #Jackson_RYS19 on Twitter and Instagram.

“It was very important for JSU to win the $50,000 grant from The Home Depot Retool Your School Campaign because campus improvements directly impact the student experience,” says Monica Lewis, RYS project manager for JSU. “We want the JSU students to have an alluring campus where they are free to learn, socialize, and be a part of the complete JSU experience.”

The Retool Your School program was established in 2010 by The Home Depot to give back to the nation’s Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The program provides support through grants for on-campus enhancement projects.

“Last year, the funds were used to paint the lobbies and rooms in the residence halls and less energy-efficient lighting was replaced with more eco-friendly and cost-efficient lighting,” says Lewis. “Two murals were also painted in a residence hall with words of affirmation by our notable alumni.”

In honor of The Retool Your School program’s 10thanniversary, the top three schools in each cluster were all awarded $50,000. Each HBCU is categorized by clusters based on their current student enrollment. To date, 87% of the nation’s HBCUs have participated in the competition with 499 grants awarded totaling $2.1 million.