RUTLAND–The Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum has received a grant from the Bowse Health Trust, the organization announced Friday, Dec. 11. The grant provides three years of funding starting in 2016. Wonderfeet will hire a part-time education coordinator to assist with implementing the community impact commitment.
Wonderfeet Museum Director Myra Peffer said, “We are very pleased to be a recipient of this grant! We now have an amazing opportunity to provide programming and experiences for several service organizations in Rutland and throughout the county. This grant helps to position the museum as a leader in creating a healthy community.”
“Grants from the Bowse Trust are an effective way for us to make a meaningful impact and support important initiatives that help create a vibrant and healthier Rutland County,” said Larry Jensen, chair of the Bowse Health Trust Committee.
The community impact grant meets the trust’s initiative to increase prevention efforts that lead to healthier lifestyles. The grant will help facilitate partnership projects including museum outreach to WIC clinics; a special family-mentor-mentee evening at the museum with the mentor connector; STEM programs and family nights at the museum with Head Start; organizational memberships to provide services for families at the museum for Eckerd Family Services and Pediatrics Physical Therapy; workshops for parents at the museum with Prevent Child Abuse Vermont; STEM-focused after-school and camp programs for the Boys and Girls Club; financial literacy programs with Heritage Family Credit Union; and a new reading center at the museum in conjunction with the Rutland Free Library. The activities will promote nurturing parenting, father involvement, improved kindergarten readiness, exposure to STEM, and nutrition- and health-related curriculum.
The Wonderfeet Kids’ Museum encourages children to appreciate their role in local and global communities by creating a dynamic environment which fosters curiosity and exploration, inspires creativity and engages the imagination through play. For more information visit www.WonderfeetKidsMuseum.org
The Bowse Trust was established in 1996 in memory of the late Rutland Regional Medical Center President James T. Bowse, to help create a healthier community through funding for collaborative, community-based health programs. Each year, the Trust awards grants to new projects that improve access and affordability of health and human services, increase prevention efforts that lead to healthier lifestyles, and reduce substance abuse. Since its inception, the Bowse Health Trust has funded 55 programs for residents of all ages throughout Rutland County and has committed over $4 million to collaborative, community-based health programs.
