Northfield HCI Awards Nine Mini-Grants in February

At its February 2011 meeting, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board approved mini-grants to support nine projects and activities designed to benefit and support Northfield youth. Funded applicants included:

• Northfield High School student Madison Van Wylen for Senior Portrait Photography. Madison has her own camera and wants to take senior photos this summer for students who cannot afford professional photos.  This is a service project of her own design, not affiliated with any class she is taking. Last year, Madison took senior pictures for a few students. This year, she wishes to help more students and applied for an HCI mini-grant to help cover the costs of printing photos.  She believes this mini-grant will help her take and print photos for up to 15 students, at no cost to each student.

• Greenvale Park Elementary School for Evening of the Arts. Evening of the Arts is an event that celebrates each student’s accomplishments in a variety of art forms (visual, musical and/or performing arts). This is an event for the entire student body at Greenvale and their families. All students will have artwork on display. Older students will be performing musical pieces, and others will recite poetry or a dramatic reading in the Bistro Café. Students and family members will also be encouraged to create art projects/artwork that evening, which they may take home. This is the second year for this event at Greenvale. Last year, more than 700 people attended.  Mini-grant funds will be used for food and art supplies for the event. Evening of the Arts is scheduled for March 24 at Greenvale Park Elementary School.

• Katherine Hirdler of Girl Scout Troop 22642, for Kids Play Area Update at HOPE Center. Katherine and her Girl Scout troop have a long-term relationship with the HOPE Center (a place for women and children receiving services for relief from domestic violence). Katherine’s troop has collected and donated care packages to children at the center. During visits to HOPE Center, Katherine noticed their play area was in need of updating.  She has worked with her troop and HOPE Center to develop a plan for updating the play area, based on their use of the space.  With HCI mini-grant funds, Katherine and her troop plan to paint walls, frame and hang bulletin boards, acquire/assemble storage furniture, and organize all toys and crafts supplies.

• Northfield Police Department for Northfield Police Explorers Post #6400. HCI has awarded the Northfield Police Department a mini-grant in support of “Open Enrollment Night” for the Northfield Police Explorers, Post #6400. Explorers are young adults, ages 15 through 21, who share an interest in law enforcement. Explorers participate as volunteers working with Northfield Police staff in many functions. They wear a distinctive uniform and assist with traffic control, crowd control, security and communications at area events. The Northfield Police Department invites interested young adults to Open Enrollment Night, which is scheduled for May. At Open Enrollment Night, the potential Explorers learn about the program and are given a chance to join the post.

• The Northfield High School Science Department for Science Explorers.  The Northfield High School Science Department, in collaboration with Carleton and St. Olaf colleges, is hosting an elementary science day. Science teachers, along with high school and college students, will set up stations and experiments where elementary students can explore science in a fun and interactive way. Event planners hope this and other events like it will promote high expectations and interest levels in middle school and high school science classes. This event is planned for 9-11 a.m. Feb. 26 in the Northfield High School upper and lower cafeterias. All elementary-age students are welcome to attend.

• Clare Dudzinksi (Promise Fellow at the Northfield Middle School and Middle School Youth Center) for  PRIMEtime Birdhouse Visibility Campaign.  PRIMEtime is currently working on increasing its visibility within the Northfield community.  As a part of this effort, students at The Key and the Middle School Youth Center plan to build and paint birdhouses. The birdhouses will be displayed (and sold) at various school and community events to build awareness of the PRIMEtime collaborative and to fundraise for out-of-school time programming. Through this project, PRIMEtime coordinators hope to create a youth-generated symbol of PRIMEtime that will increase its visibility in the community.

• ARTech student, William Magdaleno Marroquin-Haslett, for Welch Ski Trip scholarships. William and fellow ARTech Charter School students have been working for months to organize an all-school outing to Welch Village Ski area. This student-led initiative was decided upon as an opportunity to build school community and enjoy physical activity at the same time. Mini-grant funds will help with scholarships for students needing financial assistance in order to participate.

• Helen Forsythe, student at Northfield High School and member of YES! (the team of area youth belonging to Northfield Transition) for Earth Day Celebration: Cows, Colleges and Compost. The Northfield Transition YES! team works to: educate the community on relationships between energy and waste; raise awareness about environmental issues; and establish collaborative relationships with others in the community, creating fun together while building a resilient, sustainable community.  YES! plans to hold an Earth Day celebration along the River Walk area in downtown Northfield on April 30. They will have information tables set up and the community will be invited to participate in activities that will teach about recycling, farming, and other related topics. There will also be craft activities and games for youth. YES! hopes to increase awareness on environmental issues and help give youth an appreciation for nature.

• Student, Arlo Critofaro-Hark for Cedar Strip Canoe Building with the Key. Arlo and some area youth are embarking on a canoe-building project.  They have identified adults to help guide their efforts and a storage place for their finished canoe. They have also gained agreement from the Key to showcase the canoe when finished. The students plan to recruit other high school students to work on the project with them. They hope to take a canoe trip this summer.

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HCI offers mini-grants to projects and activities that:

• provide the opportunity for young people to develop positive intergenerational relationships with caring adults and/or
• connect Northfield youth with their communities (ex. neighborhood, school, wider Northfield)

Applications are reviewed monthly and are due by the second Monday of the month.  Visit www.northfieldhci.org/mini-grants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI mini-grants comes from the Northfield Area United Way, Carlson Capital Management, Women In Northfield Giving Support (WINGS), and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.