IL Receives MRH Wellness Grants

IL Receives MRH Wellness Grants
Posted on 01/15/2025
This is the image for the news article titled IL Receives MRH Wellness Grants

Indian Lake Schools will use local local wellness dollars to supplement a long-standing program at the elementary school and influence behaviors and learning strategies at the middle school. 
Mary Rutan Health Foundation Chief Operating Officer Tammy Gump recently presented Community Wellness Grant checks to ILES and ILMS. ILES Guidance Counselor Mrs. Jill Onyema says the $3,900 will be used to purchase fishing poles for the students to keep when they participate in the Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs SADD program in the spring. In the past, students have used poles provided by the school, but had to turn them in once the activity was done for the day. Mrs. Onyema hopes by providing students with their own fishing pole to take home, they will have a better opportunity to continue with fishing and other activities as alternatives to trying drugs. 
In addition, Gump presented ILMS Co-Principal Erin Miller and 8th grade paraprofessional Hillary Wickline with a check for $1,500 and a promise to add additional funds up to $5,000. The grant will enable ILMS to host nationally recognized motivational speaker Jordan Toma -author of I'm Just a Kid With An IEP. Jordan is a speaker who uses his life experiences to encourage students that they too are in control of their successes, which are not limited by their abilities. He emphasizes the importance of understanding that we are all the same, explaining that in his life he was “too busy focusing on how different I thought I was from everyone.” The second part of this project will focus on the interconnectivity of students through multiple mini-projects geared towards student-to-student interaction through numerous life skills and confidence building activities as well as equipment to promote inclusivity of all students within the school setting. This will specifically include enabling the continuation of “Laker Mondays” in which high school students visit our unit classrooms weekly to complete hands-on, high interest activities with students in our cross-categorical classrooms.