HAZARD, Ky. – The Challenger Learning Center of Kentucky is the latest community organization to receive a grant from the American Electric Power (AEP) Foundation. On Friday, Kentucky Power President Brett Mattison and others presented The Challenger Center with $62,500.
The grant will support the expansion of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Exploration programs at the center. Challenger Director Tom Cravens said the grant will allow the center to design, develop or purchase interactive STEM exhibits and project-based learning tools to engage K-12 students and increase their interest in STEM fields. The Center projects that at least 4,000 students annually will interact with the new exhibits and project areas provided by the grant.
The grant is a continuation of Kentucky Power’s pledge to complete Acts of Appreciation in the communities it serves in eastern Kentucky. The grant presentation took place as fourth grade students from Dorton Elementary in Pike County were visiting the center to participate in the Mars Invasion program.
“This grant is a major investment in our children and our communities,” Mattison said. “Watching these kids here today, it inspires me to know how important it is to spike the interest of these kids. You could see their little minds are like sponges, soaking up what they were learning and who knows what that could inspire them to learn one day. I'm just very impressed with this facility."
Cravens said many of the students who visit the Challenger center receive very little exposure to electricity as part of their school curriculum and have no knowledge of how it functions or is a part of our daily lives.
“Several new electrical engineering stations will allow students to interact safely with electricity as they learn about current and voltage,” Cravens said. “These stations will demonstrate that low-voltage electricity often safely interacts with the human body in devices such as mobile phones and touchscreen computers, while higher voltages power an ever increasing number of things in the world around us, such as electric cars.”
The American Electric Power Foundation is funded by AEP and its utility operating companies, including Kentucky Power. The Foundation focuses on improving lives through education in science, technology, engineering, math and the environment and by meeting basic needs for emergency shelter, affordable housing and the elimination of hunger. Kentucky Power, with headquarters in Ashland, provides electric service to approximately 165,000 customers in 20 eastern Kentucky counties.