A Buford-based organization has received funding from the Jackson EMC Foundation.

During its June meeting, the foundation awarded $15,000 to Boy With a Ball, a faith-based nonprofit, to provide curriculum materials for a mentoring program. According to the foundation, the Velocity Cross Age Mentoring program pairs high school mentors in Gwinnett County with middle school students to foster connectedness to their families, schools and communities, improve self-esteem and promote academic skills.

The Jackson EMC Foundation is a nonprofit organization established to represent the members of Jackson Electric Membership Corporation and allocate funds collected through Operation Round Up. Its mission is to distribute money collected to worthwhile, charitable purposes that will improve lives and address immediate needs within the counties where Jackson EMC provides electric service.

Boy With a Ball established its global headquarters for its flagship organization and global training center in Gwinnett in 2013.

Additional organizations serving Gwinnett County residents received the following grants from the Jackson EMC Foundation:

• $10,000 to the ALS Association of Georgia, for its ALS Care Grant Program that assists people in all counties served by Jackson EMC who are affected by amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a degenerative neurological disease, with expenses not covered by insurance
• $10,000 to NSPIRE Outreach Ministries Foundation in Lawrenceville to assist with housing costs for homeless men and women
• $7,500 to Lekotek of Georgia to assist with the expansion of its services at its Gwinnett and Gainesville locations that support children with special needs and their families to facilitate inclusion in community life

For more information on the Jackson EMC Foundation, click here.