Hoover Nonprofit Receives Grant For STEM Projects

HOOVER, AL — SKY (Skilled Knowledgeable Youth), a Hoover-based nonprofit that empowers students through STEM projects, has been awarded a $1,600 donation from LifeChanger of the Year.

LifeChanger of the Year is an annual program sponsored by the National Life Group Foundation that recognizes and rewards outstanding K-12 educators and school district employees who have demonstrated a proven ability to make a beneficial difference in the lives of students.

For each educator nominated during the holiday season, LifeChanger of the Year pledged to donate $25 to a nonprofit in their name. In total, LifeChanger of the Year donated $10,000 across five education nonprofits started by former LifeChanger nominees and award winners.

SKY was founded by Brian Copes, a teacher at Chickasaw County School and 2017-18 LifeChanger of the Year Grand Prize Winner. Copes plans to use the funds to help SKY produce prosthetic legs created by students. In the past, Copes has traveled with SKY participants to Honduras, where they outfitted local amputees with the prosthetic legs.

"We’re so grateful for the support coming from LifeChanger of the Year and the National Life Group Foundation," Copes said. "This donation will go a long way towards our mission of empowering students to not only develop hands-on STEM skills, but use those skills to give back to those in need."