Nestle Purina Davenport and Clinton will donate $30,000 to help support the Regional Innovation Center’s (RIC) small animal/veterinary program in Eldridge.
The donation will be presented at the RIC during a ceremony at noon Friday, Dec. 12. The donation to the North Scott School District is being awarded by the Purina Foundation, formerly called the Nestle Purina Charitable Trust.
The funding, Nestle Purina said in a news release, will help purchase tools and educational equipment, including modern veterinary technology, to prepare students for careers in animal healthcare.
Since the first classes began on Jan. 22 at the new 84,000-square-foot center, located at 2202 S. First St., hundreds of students have been gaining the skills and experience to help them in the modern world. Some of the education programs at the center include building trades in plumbing and electrical, health care courses, food production, diesel tech, construction, animal care, greenhouse and floral production and much more.
The RIC cost to build has been listed at $18.7 million. School leaders, though, recently said the investment in the education center will be near $22 million once all the high-tech equipment and furnishings are in place.
Each year, the Purina Foundation awards more than $1 million to support capital and capacity-building projects nationwide with a lasting community impact.
This grant will enable North Scott Community School District to complete the state-of-the-art training lab, including a digital x-ray simulator and advanced dental cleaning tools. The program will create a pipeline of highly skilled veterinary assistants, improving animal care in local clinics and strengthening the regional workforce.
The latest grant award comes on the heels of a $35,000 Workforce Readiness grant presented in October to the RIC by the American Water Charitable Foundation, the philanthropic organization of American Water. That grant helped to create a dedicated STEAM/Robotics Room.
