Four educational programs in New Hanover County have received grants from Women's Impact Network of New Hanover County.

WIN, a collective philanthropy organization, has committed $58,500 in grant funds to the Bellamy Mansion Museum, Cape Fear Literacy Council, Team First Book of New Hanover County and Vantage Pointe, according to a news release.

The 2018 grants were announced at WIN's annual luncheon Oct. 12 at the Country Club of Landfall.

Bellamy Mansion Museum has received a $24,000 grant that will help the Bellamy Mansion Museum revise and update the museum’s introductory video and audio tour specific to the enslaved workers of the Bellamy Mansion, museum officials said in a news release.

The money will also help the museum design and print a free informational publication on the lives of the enslaved workers who lived on the Bellamy site before and during the Civil War, officials said.

Three outdoor educational panels will be designed, fabricated and installed and the funds will also be used to have a free community gathering to celebrate the projects and to honor the lives of the enslaved workers, stated the release.
 
“The local focus of the Women's Impact Network of Wilmington is impressive. These women are investing directly into their communities, and their generosity makes it possible for nonprofits in New Hanover County to accomplish projects that would not be feasible without the grant money,” Leslie Morton, Bellamy Mansion Museum operations manager, said in a release.

"For us at the Bellamy Mansion Museum, it means enhancing the interpretation of the enslaved women and men who lived on site prior to the Civil War," she added. 

Cape Fear Literacy Council was also awarded a $24,000 for its project called “Digital Literacy: Bridging the Divide.” This effort will provide tailored computer instruction at appropriate levels to adults from diverse backgrounds in convenient locations around the county, officials with WIN said in the release.

Vantage Pointe received a $5,250 grant that will be used for its Teen Court program. And Team First Book of New Hanover County will use its $5,250 grant to fund an expansion of its book distribution program in New Hanover schools.

"We are very grateful for the many worthy grant applications we received this year, and commend all the applicant organizations for the thought and initiative that went into them," WIN Chair Linda Brown said in the release. "Our grant focus in 2019 will be health and wellness, and we look forward to seeing grant applications that support creative solutions to health-related needs in our county."