Winston-Salem State University to beautify campus this week with Home Depot Retool Your School grant
Volunteers will build red Adirondack chairs, tables
The popular hammocks on the campus of Winston-Salem State University will soon have some competition. A $40,000 Home Depot Retool Your School improvement grant will add red Adirondack chairs and tables across campus this week.
WSSU was among 36 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to receive part of more than $2 million in grants from Home Depot to help colleges improve their campuses.
Volunteers to include WSSU students, staff and faculty, Home Depot staff, and employees of Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist will be on campus Thursday (rain date Nov. 9) to work on the project. They will build the chairs, stain tables and dig out spaces for these items, in addition to adding foliage and fresh mulch to Brown, Covington, Atkins and Martin-Schexnider residence halls, said Jon Kapell, assistant dean of students.
“Projects such as these enhance the overall campus environment and create a heightened sense of pride in our campus,” he said. “Students will have more and better places to gather to spend together as friends and … additional places to study.”
This is the third award WSSU has received and the second one in a row, Kapell said. The university’s first grant award was in 2017. The second grant award was last year and was used to build pergolas throughout campus.
This is Home Depot’s 14th year of its Retool Your School program. Since its inception, it has invested more than $9.25 million dollars to update, upgrade and uplift HBCU campuses. This year, the program was expanded to include an additional $2 million in needs-based grants such as Innovation Lounge renovations, internship and externship programs, scholarships and more, according to Home Depot in a press release.
“The Home Depot’s commitment to HBCUs goes deeper than just financial support,” said Molly Battin, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in a release. “We recognize that HBCUs are fundamental to academic success and professional development in both the communities they serve and our nation as a whole. We’re committed to preserving that incredible history and seeing that it continues to grow.”
About Winston-Salem State University: Winston-Salem State University fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character needed to transform the world. Rooted in liberal education, WSSU’s curriculum prepares students to be thought leaders who have the skills and knowledge needed to develop innovative solutions to complex problems. Founded in 1892, WSSU is a historically Black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina with a rich tradition of contributing to the social, cultural, intellectual, and economic growth of North Carolina, the region, and beyond. Guided by the motto, “Enter to Learn, Depart to Serve,” WSSU develops leaders who advance social justice by serving the world with compassion and commitment.
