The Tennessee Valley Authority held its fourth round of TVA Cares funding program for the Athens-Limestone County area on Tuesday, June 25, at the Athens Police Department.

In partnership with Athens Utilities, which matched the TVA’s donation from its marketing budget, the two departments allocated $66,000 to 16 local nonprofits.

Mark Brown, the regional community relations manager for the TVA, presented the checks along with Blair Davis, the department manager for Athens Electric, on Tuesday.

“Working with our partners and our local power companies, like Athens Utilities, helps us fulfill our philanthropic missions in economic development,” Brown said. “These funds are going to help these groups that are on the ground, doing the heavy-lifting, in providing resources and opportunities to people in need.”

The organizations who received portions of the funds include:

— Athens Arts League.

— Athens City Schools Foundation.

— Athens Fire and Rescue Auxiliary.

— Athens-Limestone Community Association.

— Athens-Limestone Family Resource Center.

— Athens-Limestone Hospital Foundation.

— Athens Main Street.

— Boys and Girls Club of Athens.

— Calhoun Community College Foundation.

— Fully Tummy.

— Hospice of Limestone County.

— Limestone County Churches Involved.

— Make A Way Foundation.

— MTM Educational Enrichment.

— Tie Foundation.

— United Way of Athens-Limestone.

Requirements to receive the funds were set forth by the TVA. Each organization must be a certified nonprofit that has a focus on helping in local career fields such as, education, workforce development and community enrichment.

Athens Mayor Ronnie Marks and Limestone County Commission Chairman Collin Daly helped present the checks at the event as well.

“These folks who received the funds provide such a critical service in our community, so we truly congratulate the folks that received the money.” Marks said. “As long as the TVA continues to keep the money coming we will do everything we can to match it to continue to support these groups.”

The first round of the TVA Cares funding program started as a response to the COVID-19 pandemic that heavily affected these nonprofits in 2020. The TVA has continued their community cares program as a means to provide consistent funds that help nonprofits make ends meet even after the pandemic.

“We look forward to being able to continue this kind of economic development engagement within various communities in the Tennessee Valley,” Brown said. “Athens and Limestone County have been great partners, and this is just a way for us to give back to them.”

Marcia Day and her granddaughter, Dayleigh Todd, represented the Athens City Schools Foundation on Tuesday, receiving $5,000.

“This money allows us to have extra funding that will provide things for teachers that they simply can not afford,” Day said. “So many times, teachers are spending money out of their own pockets, and this allows us to take some of that relief off of them.”

Bill Perkins, board president of the Tie Foundation, also talked to The News Courier about the importance of continued funding from the TVA and Athens Utilities.

“This is a real blessing to us as an organization, we are completely donor funded, and this money will provide coats for about 60 kids this fall,” Perkins said. “Athens is an awesome community. We have real strong nonprofits that serve as the backbone to the community, so to know that we are being supported means a lot to all of us.”