Three students from Fort Atkinson’s Barrie Elementary School used grant money to create products that were donated to Fort HealthCare, according to information recently released by the hospital.
Elena Fellin, Braquel Hunsicker and Dixie Mulderink each received a School District of Fort Atkinson “mini grant.” The program awards funds to students who present creative ideas and are chosen from a pool of applicants to receive seed funds. The funds are used to bring the students’ ideas to fruition, according to the release.
Making use of their grant funds, Fellin and Mulderink, who named their project “Beanies for Babies,” made 35 hand-crafted hats which were presented to Fort Healthcare to be donated to babies born at Fort Memorial Hospital.
According to the release, Fellin’s mother, Tricia, said the students wanted to use their love of knitting to provide comfort and warmth to the community’s newest members.
Funds awarded to a second project, called “Froggy Fidgets,” were used to create “bead clips” made by Hunsicker.
The release noted that Hunsicker sold the clips to raise money to purchase fidget toys for the hospital’s pediatric patients.
The funds raised by Hunsicker were enough to purchase 80 “Pop-It” toys and 220 Pop-It keychains, the release added.
About mini grants
To apply for grant funding through the school district’s mini grant program, students submitted projects which were chosen on their merits, the release noted.
As stated in the release, grant money was supplied through donations made by area businesses and organization, with the goal of providing seed money to help students make their ideas a reality.
“The project teaches students how to apply their knowledge, creativity, and task commitment to benefit a cause in their local community. It educates them about the grant process and how local nonprofits benefit from grant programs run by people in their community,” the release read.
“Fort HealthCare thanks these students and others for undertaking projects that give back to causes in their communities. These connections continue to bring people together in service of improving the health and well-being of our community,” the release noted.
Deborah Schumacher, Fort HealthCare obstetrics manager, from left, Barrie Elementary School fourth-grade student Dixie Mulderink; Gabby Peardon, a member of the Fort HealthCare staff; Barrie Elementary School fourth-grade student Elena Fellin, and Taylor Masek, a member of the Fort HealthCare staff, gather to display hats that were made by the students and recently donated to the hospital.
Barrie Elementary School fourth-grade student Braquel Hunsicker is surrounded by fidget toys recently donated to the Fort Memorial Hospital pediatrics department. Hunsicker used monies received through a school district grant program to create bead clips. She next sold the clips and used the proceeds to buy the toys that she donated to the hospital.
Contributed photos.
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