HCI Board Approves Four Mini-Grants in June to Benefit Area Youth

At their June 2011 board meeting, the Northfield Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board approved mini-grants to support four projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth.

Funded applicants included:

• Becky Gainey from Sibley Elementary School for Sibley Summer Readers.  Becky and other teachers at Sibley Elementary will provide books for children who don’t have access to books in the summer.  Studies show that children of low socioeconomic status lose two months of reading growth over the summer when they do not have books or spend time reading.  Books will be distributed to at least 60 students.

• Northfield Arts Guild for 13, the Musical – performance and reception.  The Northfield Arts Guild will invite the students involved in the Latino Short Play Festival and other interested ESL (English as a Second Language) students from Northfield Middle and High Schools to a performance of 13 – The Musical.  13 is a play about a teenage boy who works to fit in with kids at his new school.  The Northfield Arts Guild will host a reception following the performance where the students can mingle with the cast, musicians and production team from the show.

• Northfield Public Schools, Community Services Division for the Community Youth Fairs.  Community Services is planning its Community Youth Fairs, which will be held on Wednesday, August 17.  Last year, approximately 400 students and their families attended the Youth Fairs, which are targeted at elementary and middle school-aged youth.  The goal of the event is to attract more Northfield students to participate in organized activities during non-school hours.  Local organizations are invited to set up booths free of charge.  Students and their families learn about these local extracurricular opportunities, as well as what scholarships are available.  Additional attractions to the Fairs include games, ice cream treats, and the opportunity to meet school principals and administrators.  The Community Youth Fairs will be held on Wednesday, August 17, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at Greenvale Park Elementary School and 7:00-8:00 p.m. at Bridgewater Elementary School.

• Children’s Culture Connection for Afghan Culture Camp.  Children’s Culture Connection is hosting an Afghan culture camp for Northfield 5th and 6th graders to learn about Afghan culture from students participating in Kabul, Afghanistan.  Children’s Culture Connection hopes to help American youth dispel myths and fears about Afghan people.  They hope all campers will see the value of their roles as global citizens and discover that there are things they can do to make a difference in the world.

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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.