Congratulations to 2021 I-77 Drive for Community winner La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool. Learn more about this year’s winner and the other participants below.
The I-77 Drive for Community is an annual competition for five nonprofit organizations, located along the I-77 Express corridor, to have the chance to win either a general $2,500 participation prize or the grand prize of $10,000. From September 13 – 24, 2021, individuals in the general public voted one time per day, per IP address in support of their favorite participating organization. At the completion of the two-week period, La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool received the most votes and received the $10,000 grand prize. The remaining four organizations each received $2,500.
The five nonprofit organizations that participated in this year’s program were selected using the following criterion: provides aid to disadvantaged groups, aids equal opportunity programs and provides infrastructure for the community.
Scroll down to learn about the 2021 I-77 Drive for Community participants.
Angels & Sparrows serves as a multicultural community center in north Mecklenburg County providing meals, groceries, and adult and child tutoring for marginalized residents in Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and North Charlotte. All programs are free of charge and require no pre-qualification. Our guests rely on us for their nutrition needs, community, and a place of acceptance and care without judgement.
Bags of Hope seeks to bring hope to the Lake Norman and north Charlotte area by supplying free weekend food provisions to children experiencing food insecurity. We provide weekend food bags to more than 500 children at 26 schools in the northern Charlotte metro area (specifically northern Charlotte, Huntersville, Cornelius, Davidson, and Mooresville) throughout the school year. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened food insecurity for many, and we have stepped up to provide critical emergency food support so kids can focus on learning. Thank you for helping us fight hunger in our local community!
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Foundation invests in creating a safer community by supporting efforts to pilot new strategies and improve officer safety and effectiveness, while promoting trust in and support for the police in our community.
The Jimmie Johnson Foundation is dedicated to assisting children, families and communities in need. The Foundation currently focuses on supporting K-12 public and charter schools in California, North Carolina, and Oklahoma through our Champions Grant program. We believe all students should have equal access to the materials, resources, and opportunities needed to ensure success in school. We look to our teachers and schools to communicate the greatest needs of their students and have funded grants supporting programs in the following areas: science & technology, language & literacy, health & wellness, school improvement & infrastructure, and the arts.
La Escuelita Bilingual Preschool provides native Spanish-speaking preschool children a solid foundation for kindergarten and elementary school by teaching them classroom language and social skills, exposing them to arts, science, and sports, and instilling in them a love of learning in a safe and caring bilingual environment.
For information about other ways I-77 Express is involved within the community, click HERE.