CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Six-time NASCAR Sprint Cup champion Jimmie Johnson, and his wife Chandra, announced today, at an event at the NASCAR Hall of Fame, that 12 schools will receive $599,891 in Champions Grants this year. The grants are awarded annually to K-12 public and charter schools in and around their hometowns in San Diego and El Cajon, California and Muskogee and Tulsa, Oklahoma, as well as their current residence in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“We were very impressed by the applications submitted this year,” Johnson said. “Schools have such wide ranging needs, and, thanks to our partner Lowe’s, we are thrilled to be able to support so many great projects through the Champions Grant program.”
Chandra, Jimmie and representatives from Lowe’s spent time this morning hearing from students from the five local grant recipients about their projects and the anticipated impact on their school community. They also participated together in an educational activity facilitated by the staff at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. In addition to these five schools, seven others from Muskogee and the San Diego area have been selected to receive grants.
“It was such a joy to be able to spend time with some of the students who will be impacted by the Champions Grants,” said Chandra Johnson. “We are honored to continue to support the schools in the communities where we grew up and right here in Charlotte.”
This year, the Jimmie Johnson Foundation/Lowe’s Toolbox for Education Champions Grant awards included $228,404 toward language and literacy initiatives, $195,745 toward science and technology programs, $145,742 for health and fitness activities, and $30,000 toward school improvement projects.
The 2016 Champions Grants were awarded to the following schools/districts:
North Carolina
- Mallard Creek Elementary School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Northwest School of the Arts (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Piedmont Open Middle School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Randolph I.B. Middle School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
- Windsor Park Elementary School (Charlotte, North Carolina)
California
- Cajon Valley Union School District (El Cajon, California)
- Cubberley Elmentary School (San Diego, California)
- Monte Vista High School (Spring Valley, California)
Oklahoma
- Grant Foreman Elementary School (Muskogee, Oklahoma)
- KIPP Tulsa College Preparatory (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
- Tony Goetz Elementary School (Muskogee, Oklahoma)
- Whittier Elementary School (Muskogee, Oklahoma)
More than $4.8 million has been contributed through the Champions Grant program since 2009.
To see a detailed list of the 2016 Champions Grant projects, please visit www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org.