RALEIGH — The LifeLine Pregnancy Help Center is one of 10 nonprofits to receive grant funding in January from the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation. In celebration of the foundation’s 20th year, community grants of up to $3,000 will be distributed during three months to a variety of North Carolina organizations and government agencies working to improve the health of women of reproductive age.

LifeLine Pregnancy Help Center is a nonprofit organization that helps women and their families during and after pregnancy. LifeLine was awarded $3,000 to update the organization’s Earn While You Learn (EWYL) curriculum, which offers parenting classes. Pregnant clients come on a weekly basis for individual lessons or to view a variety of educational materials.

“We are thrilled to be chosen as a grant recipient,” said Cindy Shields, Mount Airy center director for LifeLine. “Learning the valuable material in the pregnancy, parenting, and life skills lessons will help clients to focus on their health, including changing behaviors that will have a negative impact on health, and to develop good skills and habits in a variety of areas.”

The other grant recipients include:

n Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of NC

- Anson County Partnership for Children

- Breastfeeding Encouragement Learning Liaison and Support

- Communities in Schools

- Jones County Health Department

- Martin Tyrell Washington District Health Department

- Piedmont Health Services

- Raleigh Top Ladies of Distinction

- Wilson County Health Department

“We are delighted to support these outstanding organizations,” said Janice Freedman, executive director of the North Carolina Healthy Start Foundation. “These grants will help fund community-based programs dedicated to the health and well-being of women and children in our state. We know in difficult economic times that it is often difficult for nonprofit organizations to be able to fund all their important initiatives. This one-time grant program supports our agency’s mission of improving the health of women and young children in N.C. and we are grateful to be in a position to be able to provide financial assistance to these worthwhile programs.”

Additional grants will be awarded at the end of January and again in February. Priority is given to counties with high rates of infant mortality, teen pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, drug use, smoking, inactivity, obesity and other at risk behaviors. Funds can be used for new initiatives or to expand existing services and programs. Applications are still being accepted. Application forms are available at www.nchealthystart.org.