Charlottesville, VA (CVILLE RIGHT NOW) – The 2024 Bank of America Neighborhood Champion Grant has been awarded to C4K, a local nonprofit focused on fostering education and mentoring for youth. During a segment on Cville Right Now Live, Bank of America Charlottesville President Carolyn Rainey and Executive Director of C4K, Kala Somerville shared insights about the grant’s impact.  

“This is our sixth opportunity to select a nonprofit for the Neighborhood Champion here in Charlottesville,” Rainey explained. “We invite five nonprofits to submit a grant application… we have a local committee of community members as well as Bank of America employees that review those applications and select each year one nonprofit organization to receive a $50,000 grant over a two-year period.”  

C4K, formerly known as Computers for Kids, is evolving to meet the needs of local youth. “Our mission was to help bridge the digital divide, the gap between the students who had computers and those who did not have them,” Somerville noted. “As technology became more accessible, we expanded our mission and we became what I like to call STEAM powered. So we now focus on science, technology, engineering, art, and math. And yet again, we remain a mentoring program.”  

The grant will allow C4K to expand initiatives like their youth internship program and introduce advanced technologies, ensuring students gain access to the latest tools such as 3D printing and CNC routing. 

Listen here for the full conversation: