10 HBCUs get a combined $500K from Home Depot for renovations

UPDATE: This story has been updated to include the winners of the grant. 

Home Depot awarded 10 Historically Black Universities and Colleges with a combined $500,000 for renovations at a ceremony in Atlanta as a part of its Retool Your School grant program.

The winners were announced during a ceremony Monday at The Home Depot Store Support Center on 2455 Paces Ferry Road.  Former NFL player and Savannah State University alumnus Shannon Sharpe was the keynote speaker at the event, which also included a comedian and radio personality Rickey Smiley and actor Laz Alonso, also HBCU alums.

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Now in its tenth year, Home Depot’s Retool Your School Campus Improvement Grant works to make campus upgrades, including eco-friendly classrooms, refurbished basketball courts and updated health clinics.

Since 2009, the program has awarded $2.1 million in grants to HBCUs.

Past winners of the grant include, Claflin University in Orangeburg, South Carolina, Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama and Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama.

Here are this year’s winners and their future projects:

• Tennessee State University in Nashville, Tennessee - The project will focus on creating mini parks in the student courtyards.
• Jackson State University in Jackson, Mississippi- The school will create outdoor solar work stations
• Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana - The college will construct gazebos with seating, install lighting, plants and other beautification efforts.
• Alabama A&M University in Huntsville, Alabama - The  college has a myriad of projects including adding ADA compliant handrails in select areas.
• Coahoma Community College in Coahoma, Mississippi - The school will refresh its student activities courtyard.
• Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi - The university will upgrade its recreational entertainment venue.
• Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi - The school will build a picnic area near the softball park.
• Lane College in Jackson, Tennessee - The college will focus on refurbishing its basketball courts.
• Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee - The school will construct an outdoor pavilion that will become the Student Social Justice Engagement Center.
• Meharry Medical College in Nashville Tennessee - The college will provide outdoor seating around the campus, including gazebos, picnic tables, and benches.