DUBOIS – T-Mobile on Thursday announced DuBois as one of its latest 25 Hometown Grant recipients.
The $34,000 grant will go toward launching the Dubois Area Middle School eSports program, providing technology equipment like gaming computers and consoles, wall-mounted televisions and seating to encourage esports competitions across the region.
The project was submitted by Matt Reed, founder of the First Class Children’s Foundation, an organization aimed at inspiring children’s creativity, literacy and imagination in the community.
“Fostering connections. Building a sense of community in meaningful and innovative ways. A common vision shared by the DuBois Area School District and the First-Class Children’s Foundation made possible through the support of T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program,” said Wendy Benton, superintendent of the DuBois Area School District.
“Some may view Esports as simply gaming. But if you’re willing to dig a little deeper and talk with our youth, you will see that it’s far beyond a game. Esports fosters connections and builds a sense of community by providing a safe environment for students to share a common passion.
“And through that passion, friendships and 21st century learning skills evolve. Students learn social skills, teamwork, problem solving, strategic thinking, decision making, and leadership develops in our school community.
“After following the success of our High School Esports Program, hearing firsthand from the high school students about how the program has positively impacted them and watching the program grow in popularity in its first year in operation, we are overjoyed to be able to provide a Esports program to our students at the Middle School.
“Through the support and collaborative partnership between the First-Class Children’s Foundation and T-Mobile’s Hometown Grant Program, we are one step closer to the exemplifying the mission of the DuBois Area School District: Teaching today’s learners to be tomorrow’s leaders.
“Thank you, T-Mobile, for your support of the development of our future leaders. We are honored to be the recipient of the Hometown Grant and are committed to upholding T-Mobile’s values of building community through this program.”
Launched in April 2021, T-Mobile Hometown Grants is a $25 million, five-year initiative to support the people and organizations who help small towns across America thrive and grow by providing funding to kickstart vital community development projects.
Since the program’s start, T-Mobile has given over 10 million dollars to 225 communities across 42 states. Across Pennsylvania, the T-Mobile Hometown Grants program has provided more than $450,000 in funding across 14 cities, including DuBois.
Beyond Hometown Grants, T-Mobile is helping small town America thrive through initiatives like Project 10Million, which offers free internet connectivity to eligible students to help close the digital divide in education and T-Mobile 5G Home Internet, which gives millions of Americans access to more affordable home broadband.
For full details on how to submit a proposal for Hometown Grants, visit https://www.t-mobile.com/brand/hometown-grants.
