DAPHNE, Ala.—Impact 100 Baldwin County announced at its annual meeting Saturday that Outward Bound is the winner of a $150,000 grant.

Outward Bound — a finalist for last year’s grant — is a national education organization that tries to help people of all ages inside and outside the classroom.

“The funds will be used to work with students who have been identified as ‘at-risk’ of dropping out of school in Baldwin County,” said Meg Peterson, program director for Outward Bound Five Rivers Program.

The non-profit plans take students on an eight-day expedition to the woods and then spend two days in the classroom.

“We will help them identify the things holding them back. We will help identify the problems at home,” said Dr. Lynn Youge, medical director of Outward Bound. “Hopefully we will set them on the right path with the school.”

The program will have a specific plan for each child, Youge said, and “the parents will be part of the process to give us information about the problems.”

Outward Bound has been active in Baldwin County since 2006.

High school dropouts make on average $10,000 a year and $260,000 a lifetime less than those with a diploma. Alabama is ranked 47th in the nation in high-school dropouts.

Impact 100 memberships are open to women who can donate $1,000, all of which goes to the grant award. The Baldwin County group currently has 149 members and it aims to continue increasing that number.

Applications for this year’s grant were submitted by local nonprofits in the summer. Impact 100 members spent the past several weeks reviewing grant proposals and selecting finalists.

To qualify for consideration of the grant, an organization must present a capital, start-up or research-oriented project that affects Baldwin County residents.

Other finalists this year were Eastern Shore Art Center, The Shoulder and Baldwin Housing Alliance.

For more information about Impact 100, visit www.impact100baldwincounty.org.

See the rest of this story in the Nov. 3 edition of The Bulletin.