April 7, 2022 at 1:14 p.m.
Hodags Care: RHS Key Club awards grant funds to local nonprofits
Hodags Care: RHS Key Club awards grant funds to local nonprofits
The RHS Key Club did just that recently as part of a new student program called Hodags Care. The $1,500 was donated Monday, April 4 to two of four nonprofit organizations that made short presentations to the club.
RHS senior and Key Club vice president Ben Balge spearheaded the project, "borrowing" an idea that School District of Rhinelander superintendent Eric Burke saw flourish at his last job as principal of Port Washington High School.
"The whole premise behind Key Club is to provide for the community. This is a program that had initially been done by our superintendent Mr. Burke at a school that he was previously principal for," Balge said. "We had bounced the idea around and I had told Mr. Burke that I would love to kickstart it."
He said that the program got underway in December.
"We started organizing for it and we started advertising it around the school and eventually we started holding meetings and getting it out to the public for nonprofits that would like to apply for the grant," Balge said.
A total of nine organizations applied to be considered for either a $1,000 or $500 grant.
"We strived for an unbiased selection, because we could sit down and look at all nine applicants and base it off need," Balge said. "But we understand that each applicant has their own purpose and need for applying, so quite simply, we put all the applicants' names in a hat and just randomly selected four, just to make sure we didn't have any personal beliefs or biases within our selection."
The four groups selected were the YMCA of the Northwoods, ArtStart, the Boys and Girls Club and Northwoods Veterans Homestead.
Representatives from each group gave a brief presentation to the assembled club Monday afternoon. After hearing from all four organizations, the students voted using either their Chromebook or smartphone.
In making his presentation to the club, YMCA CEO Ryan Zietlow said the YMCA seeks to strengthen the communities it is in, which is similar to what the Key Club is doing with Hodags Care.
"When you look at the Y, many people call us the nation's swimming instructor," Zietlow said. "We provide aquatic safety and drowning prevention to all of those around us. And if you look at it, that's a good component about what living in the Northwoods is."
He said the Y uses a "well-rounded" approach to aquatic safety through various levels of swimming instruction, club competitions and lifesaving classes and certification programs.
Zietlow said the one issue that comes up every summer is young kids coming to Hodag Beach, which is staffed by lifeguards from the Y, who aren't strong swimmers.
"What we would like to do is provide a location where there are life jackets at Hodag Beach at all times when there are lifeguards there for anybody, no questions asked," Zietlow said.
He said 120 students attend summer day camp, which is also held at Hodag Park, and would be able to use the life jackets too. He said the Y is planning boating and tubing for day campers this summer, further needing life jackets to keep the kids safe.
Zietlow then shocked the students when he said the Y was not interested in the $1,000 grant.
"What we would be looking at is the ability to purchase 25 life jackets would be about $500," Zietlow said. "And we would be able to accomplish that for the coming season, the coming summer."
Carla Ruuskanen, vice president of the Northwoods Veterans Homestead, said there is only one homeless shelter in Wisconsin specifically for veterans, and it is the southern potion of the state.
"But most of the homeless vets in this state are (living) north of Highway 29," she said.
The goal is to build a "village" of a minimum of 16 "tiny homes," each equipped with a bed, a couch and a coffeemaker, for use by homeless veterans within five years.
The Northwoods Veterans Homestead received the top vote among the students to receive the $1,000 grant while the Y received the $500 grant.
Melinda Childs of ArtStart and Abbey Smith of the Rhinelander Boys and Girls Club also made presentations on behalf of their organizations.
Balge said that he hopes the Key Club can continue the Hodags Care program next year, and even expand it to two grant awards each year.
"But with the turnout we had this year for a brand new project, I'm really hopeful for the future," Balge said.
Jamie Taylor may be reached via email at [email protected].
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