Welti Elementary Principal Gina Webb receives a $10,000 grant to implement the Leader in Me program at her school. The program serves to teach children to be good people and leaders.

Students returning to Holly Pond High School on Wednesday will find their gymnasium undergoing a veritable facelift.

The gym floor, which Principal Kim Butler said had not been refinished in 10 years, is receiving some much needed care.

“It’s a very expensive procedure,” she said. “We’ve been keeping it up the best we could, but it was in bad condition.”

That expensive procedure is now affordable thanks to a $15,000 grant from the Cullman County Community Development Commission.

“This goes to help everyone in the community,” Butler said. “Not only the high school uses the court — youth leagues do, too. The CCCDC is a great resource.”

The new floor should be finished later this year.

At the CCCDC’s meeting last Thursday, the organization also finalized five other grants, as well as awarded four checks to previous grant recipients.

The Cullman County Rescue Squad received $5,100 for medical supplies and equipment. Judy Chambers, the secretary and treasurer of the squad, said more specifically they will be buying Automated External Defibrillators.

“Our AEDs are so old we can’t repair them at this point,” Chambers said. “We work several area football games, as well as park events and the upcoming fair.”

The new defibrillators will ensure that the squad can adequately protect Cullman County.

First Source For Women, a nonprofit pregnancy resource center based out of Hanceville, received a $3,768.54 grant.

“First Source for Women assists women with unplanned pregnancies,” said Cherrie Haney, the director of Cullman County Economic Development. “This grant is for car seats and other supplies to help underprivileged mothers.”

Haney’s organization also received a CCCDC grant itself for projection and sound equipment.

“We’re in meetings all the time,” Haney said. “The sound equipment we’ve been using leaves a lot to be desired.”

Haney said the organization also provides use of its equipment to the Chamber of Commerce as well as during elections and for county commission meetings.

“This equipment will provide us more ways to help the community, which is what our organization is all about,” she said.

In addition to the grants issued, Welti Elementary School, Cold Springs Elementary School, Berlin Volunteer Fire Department and the Hanceville Police Department all received checks for the grants issued to them at last month’s meeting.

Other grants issued:

• The Good Samaritan Health Clinic received a $15,000 grant — planed to be distributed in $3,000 increments per five months — for general aid. The clinic provides health care to the uninsured and underinsured residents of Cullman County.
• Pilot Light Home received a $9,590 grant to upgrade the drainage at its building. Pilot Light Home is a human resource facility to house abused children.