Over the weekend, Toyota announced a significant $1 million investment in science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics (STEAM) education in the Piedmont Triad. Five hundred thousand dollars is going to Communities in Schools of Randolph County and the other $500,000 is going to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (NC A&T).

In Randolph County, the funds will be used to support nearly four decades worth of surrounding students by empowering them to stay in school and achieve in life through a variety of programs. Among the things that will be offered by these programs are weekend meals, academic tutoring, financial literacy and mentoring.

As for NC A&T, the funds will be used to create the Toyota STEAM Lab in the College of Education on A&T’s campus. The lab will be used by K-12 students and provide A&T’s Elementary and Secondary Education majors a place to gain experience teaching with equipment designed for K-12 students.

“As always, I am proud to be a part of the Toyota family. Everyone at Rice Motor Company is thrilled to hear about this investment in our community and our region,” said Mary Rice, dealer principal of Rice Motor Company. “This new battery plant is about more than providing jobs in our region. As this investment proves, it has the potential to make an impact on generations to come.”

To read more about Toyota’s STEAM investment, click here.