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On Monday, Beulah High School received the Power to Play Grant from Alabama Power to help fund new equipment for Beulah’s football team. 

Alabama Power’s Power to Play grants are only open to schools that are deemed to have a financial need. To be considered to have a financial need, a school must have 50% of their students on free or reduced lunch. 

To apply for the grant a school has to specifically state their goals for the grant and explain what the money will be used for. 

In the past, Beulah has not received much outside funding for their athletic programs. All of the money in the past for Beulah has come from fundraising. 

“That’s pretty big for us,” Head Coach Matt Johnson said. “All the money that’s earned, we have to fundraise. So to secure a grant, that’s a little extra that helps out.” 

The grant Beulah received totaled $2500. The grant will help Beulah pay for some tackle dummies, practice equipment and any other new equipment that Beulah’s football team will need. 

“There’s a lot of stuff that’s out there,” Johnson said. “Anything that helps us practice for competition, that’s what we’re looking at.” 

Johnson does not want any of the credit for Beulah receiving this grant to come his way. Johnson gave all the credit to Beulah’s Assistant Principal Haley Jackson. 

“I’m going to take no credit for this,” Johnson said. “She found this grant for me. She did all the work, and secured it for us. We were lucky to win it.” 

Jackson found the grant then offered Johnson her help with filling out the application. The administration at Beulah High School have been working to invest in the athletic program. 

“Our administration, just all of Beulah, has turned a 180 and it starts from Adam Johnson and Haley Jackson,” Johnson said. “To have them support athletics is something that I don’t take for granted, and I’m extremely thankful for that.”

Johnson also raved about the work that Jackson and Adam Johnson have done with Beulah’s overall GPA as well as with the graduation rate. Johnson said that he, the players and the coaching staff are all thankful for the administration at Beulah High School. 

“We understand that it’s tough to be in their shoes,” Johnson said. “For them to improve are school in every facet academically and athletically, it means a lot to us.” 

Several of Beulah’s football players play other sports. The athletes have to fundraise for each sport that they participate in. With this grant, players on Beulah’s football team will hopefully have to do less fundraising. 

“It really helps us in the way that you don’t have to just kill your kids trying to fundraise,” Johnson said. “Every kid is fundraising year round. It takes the pressure off them.”