Blue Ridge Energy Foundation Grants Awarded in Watauga County
(back row l-r): Chief Victor Hamby (Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department); Heidi Ragan (Blue Ridge Energy District Manager), Angie Miller (Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors); James Burl (J.B.) Lawrence (Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors), Ethan Flynn (Hospitality House of Northwest NC); Frank Sherman (Appalachian State University); Kelvin Gryder (Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors)
(back row l-r): Kerry Gersonde (OASIS, Inc.); Lee Parker (High Country Caregivers); Heidi Ragan (Blue Ridge Energy District Manager); Alice Salthouse (High Country Community Health); Blue Ridge Energy Board of Directors James Burl (J.B.) Lawrence, Angie Miller, and Kelvin Gryder; Tara Stollenmaier (Hunger and Health Coalition)
Grants awarded by the Blue Ridge Energy Members Foundation will support local community projects focused on economic and community development, health and wellness, education and youth programs, and other initiatives that enhance quality of life throughout our communities.
In Watauga County, citizens will benefit from ten grants worth $54,000 awarded recently for the 2026 grant cycle.
The grants are examples of why Blue Ridge Energy established the Members Foundation in 2007 to support the work of community organizations providing services vital to the quality of life for the cooperative’s members. Since then, the Foundation has awarded over $2.1 million in community grants.
Local Watauga County agencies receiving grant awards include:
- Appalachian State University Foundation, Mountaineer Medics - a $5,000 grant will be used to support the first bicycle-based emergency response program in Watauga County and the UNC System. The program will equip and train EMTs to provide rapid medical response at large events and in crowded areas where traditional emergency vehicles face access challenges, improving response times, patient care, and public safety throughout the High Country.
- Civil Air Patrol Boone Composite Squadron- a $5,000 grant will be used to support the Boone Composite Squadron Civil Air Patrol’s STEM Competition Program, providing youth with hands-on learning opportunities in drone engineering, cybersecurity, and other STEM fields through nationally recognized competitions.
- Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department- a $7,500 grant will be used to support the establishment of a regional drone (UAS) program for Deep Gap Volunteer Fire Department and its mutual-aid partners, providing real-time aerial intelligence for emergency incidents in challenging mountain terrain.
- High Country Caregivers- a $3,000 grant will be used to support High Country Caregivers’ Pathways to Success program, which helps youth being raised by grandparents and other relatives prepare for higher education, employment, and independent adulthood.
- High Country Community Health- a $5,000 grant will be used to support High Country Community Health’s Watauga Smiles initiative, which expands access to preventive dental care for underserved children and families through school- and community-based services. The program provides dental screenings, fluoride treatments, oral health education, transportation assistance, and care coordination to reduce untreated dental disease and improve oral health outcomes for residents.
- Hospitality House of Northwest Carolina- a $5,000 grant will be used to support funding for Remote Food Locker Program, which delivers fresh produce, pantry staples, and meat to families facing food insecurity and transportation barriers in rural Bethel, North Carolina.
- Hunger and Health Coalition- a $3,000 grant will be used to support Food Access Program which provides nourishing, supplemental groceries to families and individuals experiencing food insecurity.
- Opposing Abuse with Service, Information and Shelter, Inc. (Oasis)- a $10,000 grant will be used to support OASIS’s emergency shelter and crisis services for survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking in Watauga and Avery counties. Grant funds help provide safe housing, food, transportation, advocacy, emergency accommodations, and essential support services, ensuring survivors and their children have immediate access to safety and resources at no cost.
- Watauga Arts Council, Inc.- a $3,000 grant will be used to fund roof repairs, replacement of deteriorated trim and fascia, installation of a new exterior door trim, repairs to the ADA-accessible entrance ramp, and restriping parking lot to improve safety and accessibility.
- Watauga County Habitat for Humanity - a $7,500 grant will be used to fund construction of a new Habitat for Humanity home through the student-led App Builds a Home partnership with Appalachian State University. The project will engage hundreds of students and community volunteers in a Homecoming Blitz Build, creating an affordable home for a local family while providing hands-on service opportunities and promoting long-term housing stability.
A grand total of $120,000 was awarded to 27 organizations across the Blue Ridge Energy service area for the 2026 grant cycle. In 2026, the Foundation also provided crisis energy bill assistance to over 760 Blue Ridge Energy members and customers who needed emergency help paying their electric and fuel bills.
Funding for Foundation grants and crisis assistance comes from members participating in Blue Ridge Energy’s Operation Round Up® and Operation Round Up Plus® programs and an annual contribution from profits of the cooperative’s subsidiaries, Blue Ridge Energy, LLC, and RidgeLink, LLC. Over 23,500 members are either rounding up their monthly electric bill with Operation Round Up or adding a dollar or more with Operation Round Up Plus. Members also contribute by donating some or all of their annual capital credits.
Anyone with questions about the Foundation or agencies interested in applying for grants may contact Tasha Rountree, director of community relations and economic development, at 828-759-8994 or trountree@blueridgeenergy.com.
Blue Ridge Energy is a member-owned electric cooperative serving some 80,000 members in Caldwell, Watauga, Ashe, and Alleghany counties and parts of Wilkes, Avery, and Alexander counties. It also includes a propane heating fuels subsidiary and a business-to-business telecommunications subsidiary. Learn more at www.BlueRidgeEnergy.com.
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