ABOUT: The purpose of this project is to focus on transforming public health practice toward greater racial equality in breastfeeding, particularly targeting breastfeeding rates among African American women living in Kent County, who have the lowest rates of breastfeeding at both 6 and 12 months postpartum. The Kent County Health Department received a grant to fund the Moms Helping Moms Breastfeed Peer Mentor Project. This program trained African American women who had breastfed for at least 6 months, to serve as mentors for other African American women who wanted guidance on breastfeeding. By taking part of Challenge, it is our goal to receive funding to implement this program for another year, and to incorporate training on post-partum mood disorders for our mentors and a new support session for the mentees' family and friends. Mentees have stated that this is a significant program for women of color, because it is important to have someone that looks like you, helping you. 

With Kelli Damstra, Kayleigh Kibler, and Jamie Platt from the Kirkhof College of Nursing.

ABOUT: I have been working with a community outreach program called Beacon of Hope. The children that I have the privilege of seeing every week are hungry for positive attention and love being read to. It has been a fun challenge finding age appropriate books they can relate to and enjoy listening to. I have begun to add activities that work hand in hand with each book to make it even more of a positive experience and hopefully encourage them to pick up the book time after time. Some of the parents are illiterate or read on the same level as their child. I have created a workshop that will encourage these parents to continue to enjoy books with their children. If awarded this grant it will provide books, activities, and the supplies to create their own stories to those that attend the workshop. It would also go towards providing books and related activities that can be left at the Beacon of Hope for future participants.

With Mary Dieterly, student and educator.

ABOUT: The purpose of this project is to plant a seed to foster a safety culture at Comprenew by providing a safer and healthier workplace for their volunteers and workers. Comprenew is a nonprofit organization that refurbishes and recycles electronics while fostering job readiness for at-risk populations with community partners like the AARP, Hope Network and the Kent County Court System. The student-led chapter of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) would like to give back to Comprenew for all they have done for the community by providing them with the appropriate tools and expertise gained from our education. We would like to provide ergonomic workstations and tools, and adequate man-cooling fans to reduce the likelihood of a volunteer or worker getting injured on the job. We will also be conducting ergonomic assessments of all the jobs at Comprenew and making recommendations to reduce likelihood of workers developing musculoskeletal disorders. 

With the ASSE Student Chapter E-Board, Patrick Lynch, Avery Moore, Eric Bell, and Ronald Friedreichsen.

ABOUT: The Heartside Gleaning Initiative strives to empower low-income and underserved residents in the Heartside community to have access to healthy produce. Since food insecurity is linked with lower dietary quality, it is important that residents receive both produce options and recipe guidance to create healthy and nutritious meals. We have created a free cookbook that teaches residents how to prepare these fresh and healthy ingredients. If given this monetary grant, we would be able to provide many free cookbooks filled with healthy produced-based recipes. The recipes are simple, easy-to-follow and are catered to use ingredients that are accessible at food pantries throughout Grand Rapids. They will be passed out within the community by our volunteers and will be available inside local food pantries.

With Brooke Heidenga and Collin Jonkman.