CORNELIUS – Staff at J.V. Washam Elementary School recently announced the school was awarded a $45,000 “Challenge Grant” by the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson’s foundation formed to assist children, families and communities in need.

The matching grant will allow the school to build an outdoor learning center and the purchase of iPads for student use. The school also will be able to complete its playground area, which includes a fitness track.

To receive the matching grant, the school must raise $45,000 on its own. A news release from the school said that while the school is currently undecided on how it will raise the funds,  “the staff, parents and students are excited about the challenge and know that together they can make the project a reality.”

Parent-Teacher Organization member Nicole Wachter applied for the grant on behalf of the school, and J.V. Washam Elementary was the only North Carolina school approved for the Challenge Grant program.

The Jimmie Johnson Foundation was founded by Johnson and his wife, Chandra, in 2006, and has contributed more than $4 million to many charities. The foundation also teams up with Lowe’s to award Education Champions grants, money given to schools and school districts in the Johnson’s hometowns of Charlotte; El Cajon, Calif.; and Muskogee, Okla.

The school asks anyone interested in helping the school raise funds for the project to contact principal Ray Giovanelli at 980-343-1071 or Raymond.giovanelli@cms.k12.nc.us.