SOMERSET — Eastern Kentucky PRIDE has announced that it will award $5,450 for hands-on environmental education projects in Harlan County during the 2017/18 school year.

Overall, PRIDE will award $119,155 to educators across 41 counties of southern and eastern Kentucky through the PRIDE Environmental Education Grant Program, which was made possible by a grant to PRIDE from the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Educators applied for the grants, and PRIDE selected the grant recipients through a competitive review process. The grant projects may begin after recipients complete a training webinar later this month.

The grants can be used for a variety of educational activities that help students appreciate and care for the environment and to serve their community.

The Harlan County Conservation District will use its $2,700 grant to send 270 students to the Pine Mountian Settlement School Environmental Day Camp.

KCEOC Community Action Partnership will use its $2,750 grant to install a Hydration Station at the Verda Child Development Center in Evarts. The station will encourage re-usable containers for drinking water, which complements the center’s ongoing recycling program and clean environment curriculum. Books will be purchased to support that curriculum.

“I want to congratulate the grant recipients and thank the educators who are leading these projects,” said Tammie Wilson, PRIDE President and Chief Executive Officer.

“You are making a difference by opening our students’ eyes, hearts, and minds to caring for our region’s incredible natural resources. You also are helping your students grow academically through hands-on activities that allow them to practice key skills, such as math and problem-solving. Environmental education really is a great investment for students and our region.”

Promoting environmental education is a key mission for PRIDE, which is a nonprofit organization. PRIDE contributes to the economic and cultural growth of southern and eastern Kentucky by improving water quality, cleaning up solid waste problems, and advancing environmental education, in order to improve living conditions for its residents while enhancing the potential for tourism industry growth in the region.

Since 1997, PRIDE has awarded 1,609 Environmental Education Grants that impacted 892,834 students across the region. Schools have used PRIDE funds for a wide variety of activities, such as building outdoor classrooms, nature trails, wetlands, and greenhouses.

For a complete list of 2017/18 grant recipients, please visit www.kypride.org.