Upstate residents have a new way to support Blue Ridge Christian Academy by helping the school win $20,000 through an online contest. The school that gets the most votes in the Americas Favorite School contest, sponsored by Care2.com and GreatSchools.org, will win the grand prize and Blue Ridge Christian Academy could be the winner.

Care2 will be awarding $35,000 to schools across the United States through this contest. Care2 is committed to ensuring that all schools, regardless of demographics, have the opportunity to win. Care2 will be awarding a cash prize every week to a randomly selected school. In addition to the grand prize awarded to the school with the most votes, Care2 will award a total of $11,000 to the four schools in second through fifth place.

Now is a perfect time to support Americas schools, said Randy Paynter, president and founder of Care2.com, and parent of two. At the heart of every great school are passionate individuals giving it their all to help educate and inspire our children.&bsp; Our mission at Care2.com is to help people make the world a better place, so were excited to be able to reward the teachers, parents, students and communities that are making an extraordinary difference.

With our countrys ongoing economic problems, schools across the nation face deep budget cuts, and parents are understandably concerned. A GreatSchools poll (http://www.greatschools.org/news/back-to-school-poll-results.page) found more than three in five parents (61 percent) believe the quality of education in their school will suffer because of cutbacks. The Americas Favorite School contest offers schools, parents, and students an opportunity to rally support for their schools and share what makes their schools great, said Bill Jackson, founder and president of GreatSchools.

Twenty thousand dollars would make a huge impact for our school, said Angie Dentler a parent and staff member of BRCA. There are a lot of families that are waiting on more financial aid funds to become available so they can return to BRCA next year.&bsp; More families then ever have requested financial assistance this year.

How The Contest Works:

Care2 and GreatSchools are committed to ensuring that every school, no matter how small, has an opportunity to win a much-needed prize. In addition to the grand prize of $20,000, Care2 is sponsoring a weekly prize of $500 for a participating school chosen at random (not based on votes) for the duration of the contest. Care2 will also award a total of $11,000 to the four runners-up in the contest. In total, Care2 will give away $35,000 in cash to schools across the country.

During Care2 and GreatSchools Americas Favorite School contest, people can vote for their favorite school to help them win. Voting is free and everyone can help with the click of a mouse. Through the contest website (http://www.AmericasFavoriteSchool.com) people also can invite their friends to vote for their school. Visitors can track who has recruited the most friends to vote for their favorite school. The top 20 people who recruit the most friends to vote will each receive a $50 gift card.

From Monday, April 12, to Friday, May 21, individuals across the country will be able to visit www.AmericasFavoriteSchool.com to vote and support their school.