Lowe’s awards $25,000 to NC school for playground improvements

Mooresville-based Lowe’s has awarded $25,000 for playground improvements at Hiddenite Elemenary School in Hiddenite, N.C., about 60 miles north of Charlotte.

The grant was one of four awarded to public schools across the U.S. As part of a campaign celebrating 10 years of Lowe’s Toolbox for Education grants program, the retailer solicited letters from more than 4,000 students about how the funds could be used to improve their school facilities.

The Hiddenite student, a fourth-grader named Callie, described “cracked slides, the need for handicap accessible equipment and benches for kids to rest on” as some of the reasons her school should get the grant.

The Hiddenite school was surprised with the grant Tuesday morning. Other schools each receiving the $25,000 grant are in Tennessee, Arizona and West Virginia.

“Many public schools face challenges to meet the basic needs of their students. We wanted to empower students to make a change by allowing them to share what they believe their school truly needs,” Joan Higginbotham, Lowe’s director of community relations, said in a statement this week.

This story was originally published November 17, 2015 at 10:10 AM with the headline "Lowe’s awards $25,000 to NC school for playground improvements."