Healthy Community Initiative

This fall, the Healthy Community Initiative (HCI) Board approved grants to support 10 projects and activities designed to benefit Northfield youth, including the first-ever “Roger Jenni Investing in Youth Grant”. All projects are funded through HCI’s Investing in Youth grant program.

Funded projects included:

Roger Jenni Instruments for All
This grant, HCI’s first “Roger Jenni Investing in Youth Grant,” will support the Northfield Fine Arts Booster’s dedicated fund, the Roger Jenni Instruments for All Fund. This program, recently renamed in honor of Dr. Roger Jenni, fields requests from music teachers at the Northfield schools to assist in purchasing instruments for students who cannot afford them.

100 Mile Club
The 4th grade students at Sibley Elementary School have each set a goal of running and/or walking 100 miles this school year during recess time. Students will walk/run a quarter-mile route, keeping track of the number of laps completed daily. Through this program, teachers hope to foster lifelong fitness, help students set long-term goals, and build self-esteem through hard work.

Freshman Fun Night
LINK is the Northfield High School’s transition program that welcomes the freshman class at the beginning of each school year and continues to support all freshmen throughout their first year of high school. LINK is coordinated by older high school students with the help of staff advisors. Youth LINK leaders hosted a Freshman Fun Night for all 9th graders, which included activities, games, and shows.

Launching a Nursing Assistant Career
The Northfield Retirement Community and the Northfield High School are partnering to offer an educational outreach program to Northfield High School students interested in developing skills that will prepare them for employment as nursing assistants in care centers or as resident aides in retirement communities. Students will attend classes on-site at the Northfield Retirement Community.

English Learners Celebrate Success!
Staff members at the Middle School TORCH and the English Learners Department are planning a celebration dinner event for the 7th and 8th grade middle school students who have successfully exited the English Learners (EL) program, a very positive step in their educational journey. This event will be for students and their families, and will give staff the opportunity to interact with and educate families about educational support going forward.

FIRST Robotics
Students of FIRST Robotics, the high school robotics club, meet regularly throughout the school year to build a robot with the hopes of entering the completed robot in competition.

Guthrie Theater, A Christmas Carol Performance
The Northfield Middle School English Learners (EL) English classes plan to see the play, A Christmas Carol, at the Guthrie Theater in December.

Grand Buddies
Sibley Elementary School fourth graders will visit the Bluebird and Cardinal wings of the Northfield Retirement Center (NRC) each month during this school year. Students will learn about the elderly through literature and discussion. Each month, the fourth graders will sing to and visit with NRC residents.

Of Mice and Men
The Northfield Senior High School 9th Grade Academy will take all Academy students to attend the play, Of Mice and Men, at Park Square Theater in St. Paul.

Student Leadership Training – Joe Beckman
The Northfield Middle School plans to bring a leadership speaker, Joe Beckman, to speak to its student leadership groups. Joe Beckman’s presentation focuses on leadership, making good choices, respect, and dealing with adversity.

 

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HCI offers Investing in Youth 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 8th of the month. Visit www.healthycommunityinitiative.org/investinginyouthgrants for more information and to access the easy-to-complete application.

Funding for the HCI Investing in Youth grants program comes from the Northfield Hospital & Clinics and the Northfield Area United Way.