Thanks to Cone Health Foundation, all schools in Guilford County Schools (GCS) have an opportunity to apply for a grant that can be used toward planning health-related educational opportunities for parents and families.

GCS is offering 10 grants worth $1,000 each. The money can be used to fund workshops or a series of workshops that focus on health and wellbeing and target low-income families. Workshops targeting "winnable" battles identified recently by the Centers for Disease Control-nutrition, physical activity and obesity; teen pregnancy; HIV; motor vehicle injuries and tobacco use-are preferred. Even though health should be the focus, workshops can include other topics as well.

The workshops will be included in Guilford Parent Academy's calendar of events for the 2012-13 school year.

This is the second year Cone Health Foundation has funded this opportunity for GCS. Last year, the grants were open to Title I schools only. This year, all schools in GCS are eligible to apply.

"We are excited to once again partner with Cone Health Foundation to provide this opportunity for schools," said Lisa Gardner, coordinator for Guilford Parent Academy and community partnerships. "We are especially excited that all schools are eligible to apply. Providing parents with information on health-related topics is one way we can empower them to become full partners in their children's education."

To view the grant application, visit http://gcsnc.com/parentacademy/grants. Applications are due on July 19, 2012 at 4:30 p.m. For more information, schools should call the Parent Academy office at 336-279-4924 or e-mail parentacademy@gcsnc.com.

Cone Health Foundation is a supporting organization to Cone Health.