Robin Gilbert, special education teacher at Little Milligan Elementary, is the latest Northeast Community Credit Union Helping Teacher’s Teach grant winner.

Gilbert applied for the Helping Teacher’s Teach grant to start a music enrichment program for the K-8 students at Little Milligan. A parent volunteer provides music instruction. The school has a small assortment of instruments for the students to use, including guitars, drums, and one flute.

Items needed for the program are music stands, recorders and left-handed guitars. Gilbert said Little Milligan will hold fundraisers to purchase items not covered by the Helping Teachers Teach grant.

“Music is a universal language,” Gilbert said. “Music has been found to improve brain function and increase learning ability. Furthermore, music will allow our students a social creative outlet for social-emotional stresses.”

Northeast Community Credit Union awards $300 every month to a classroom to be utilized for classroom needs, classroom activities, and academic enrichment.  Helping Teachers Teach is open to teachers within Carter, Johnson, Unicoi, Sullivan and Washington counties who are members of Northeast Community Credit Union. Area teachers may become members at any NCCU location and can download the grant application on the credit union’s website:  www.BeMyCU.org.