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Empowering Young Leaders in Monroe County


Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund Grant Expands Access to iBELIEVE Foundation Programming

Hannibal, OH – Students from Beallsville High School, Monroe Central High School, and River High School honed their leadership skills at this year’s iBELIEVE Foundation summer camp thanks to grants from the Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund.

“Statoil is pleased to partner with the Switzerland of Ohio School District and the iBELIEVE Foundation to give Monroe County students an opportunity to develop the skills for their success and that of their communities,” said Clint Long, Regional Manager, Marcellus Operations at Statoil.

“iBELIEVE could not be more grateful for Statoil’s investment in the students of Monroe County,” said Patrick Klein, founder and executive director of the iBELIEVE Foundation. “We have grown our programs exponentially over the past few years because of supporters like Statoil. We have seen iBELIEVE grow from 34 students to more than 1,026 students over the past five years and we are so pleased to know that so many student-leaders from Monroe County are now among them.”

Thanks to this grant from the Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund, 15 students across the three schools attended this year’s summer camp programming and will continue to benefit from programming throughout the school year.

The iBELIEVE Foundation helps Appalachian students from Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia develop essential leadership and other soft skills they can take back to their high schools and to their communities. Supporters provide Appalachian students with the opportunity to participate in a week-long summer camp to develop their leadership, communication, and problem solving skills. Participants bring their newly-honed skills back to their schools to make a difference not only in their school, but in the larger community. Among the goals of iBELIEVE is to increase the college-going rate of Appalachian students, which is historically much lower than in other parts of the U.S.

The iBELIEVE Foundation hopes to retain these students in local communities following their graduation from college. Students that participate in iBELIEVE Foundation summer camps and other programming develop a stronger sense of their personal strengths and weaknesses to be better students, leaders, and citizens. Through the program, participants develop the network necessary to help them achieve their goals, creating more opportunities for current and future Appalachian students.

The Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund was created in 2014 to support nonprofit organizations serving the citizens of Monroe County, Ohio, where Statoil operates.

The Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund makes strategic investments supporting K-12 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM)-related education, first responders, community events and other activities that benefit Monroe County citizens.

To learn more about the Statoil Monroe County Energy Fund and past investments made to benefit the citizens of Monroe County, please visit www.AppalachianOhio.org/Statoil or contact the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio at 740.753.1111.

About Statoil

Statoil is an international energy company with operations in 37 countries. Building on more than 40 years of experience from oil and gas production on the Norwegian continental shelf, we are committed to accommodating the world’s energy needs in a responsible manner, applying technology and creating innovative business solutions. We are headquartered in Stavanger, Norway with approximately 23,000 employees worldwide, and are listed on the New York and Oslo stock exchanges.

About the Foundation for Appalachian Ohio

The Foundation for Appalachian Ohio (FAO) is a regional community foundation serving the 32 counties of Appalachian Ohio. A 501(c)(3) public charity, the Foundation creates opportunities for Appalachian Ohio’s citizens and communities by inspiring and supporting philanthropy. For more information about FAO, visit www.AppalachianOhio.org. 

About the iBELIEVE Foundation Fund

The iBELIEVE Foundation Fund was established to provide leadership, communication, and problem solving skills to Appalachian youth and young adults along with other in-need individuals so that they could become successful future leaders in their schools and most importantly their communities. More information can be found at www.theibelievefoundation.com

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