SPECIAL TO THE SIGNAL

The Southeast Alabama Gas District presented Lowndes County Schools Superintendent Daniel Boyd with a check for $3,762,Monday, which the school system will use to provide classroom supplies for teachers in Fort Deposit at Fort Deposit Elementary School and Lowndes County Middle School.

Fort Deposit Mayor and SEAGD Board Member Fletcher Fountain worked alongside the school system to determine the best use of these funds.

According to SEAGD, over the past three years it has given back almost $500,000 to local public schools who are also SEAGD customers. In the coming weeks, SEAGD will return more than $160,000 to area schools, including Lowndes County Schools, as part of the company’s Give Back to Schools initiative.

Today representatives SEAGD provides dollars back to 19 school systems, representing more than 50 schools that use natural gas. The Give Back to Schools initiative is designed to provide dollars to public schools based solely on their natural gas usage for the previous year. So, the more natural gas a school system uses, the more dollars that system will receive.

While this program was initially approved by the SEAGD Board of Directors for only two years, SEAGD’s Board chose to extend the program for a third year of gifts to the schools.

SEAGD Board members work alongside the Superintendents for each school system to determine the best way for funds to be allocated.

“Many systems have used our gifts to provide classroom supplies that are no longer funded at a state or federal level,” said Fountain. “Other systems have used the money to improve technology that, again, is no longer being funded at a state or federal level.”

Boyd said, Lowndes County Public Schools is “appreciative of the assistance provided” by SEAGD. “It is truly wonderful when school partners support learning.”

Additional school systems impacted by SEAGD’s Give Back to Schools initiative are: Andalusia City Schools, Butler County Schools, Coffee County Schools, Covington County Schools, Crenshaw County Schools, Dale County Schools, Daleville City Schools, Dothan City Schools, Elba City Schools, Enterprise City Schools, Eufaula City Schools, Henry County Schools, Houston County Schools, Opp City Schools, Ozark City Schools, Pike County Schools, Russell County Schools and Troy City Schools.

In addition to the direct financial support SEAGD has provided to these schools, SEAGD volunteers have spent hundreds of hours working to improve many of the campuses through construction assistance, landscaping, painting, gas appliance maintenance, light carpentry, tutoring, mentoring and many other activities.

SEAGD provides natural gas service to 35 communities throughout Southeast Alabama, and is owned by 14 cities, including Fort Deposit. Other SEAGD owner cities include: Abbeville, Andalusia, Brundidge, Dothan, Elba, Enterprise, Eufaula, Greenville, Headland, Luverne, Opp, Ozark and Troy.