Gold Award Recipients

Music Library Digitization
Lauren wanted to make a meaningful impact on her school’s music program, and knew digital PDFs of sheet music were becoming more popular and easier to manage than physical copies stored in cabinets. To help her school’s music program more efficiently find songs for their ensemble, Lauren created a digital music library by digitizing nearly 300 pieces of existing school sheet music and organizing them by title, composer/arranger and file number of any physical copies.

Lauren worked with volunteers to upload and organize the sheet music, and created a process so the library could be maintained. She also shared the process and benefits of a digital music library with other area music teachers so they could more easily organize their music.

After School STEM Activities
Naomi noticed that children attending Willow Primary School’s PEAK aftercare program had limited enrichment activities at their disposal and would often spend their time coloring or watching television. She saw the need for new lessons, especially STEM-focused programming, that stimulated the children’s brains and helped them enjoy their time in aftercare.

Under the guidance of school advisors, Naomi developed STEM-focused lesson plans to promote hands-on learning and solicited donations to fill the program’s shelves with STEM games and toys. The children loved the new activities and the aftercare supervisor enjoyed having lessons she could teach at her fingertips. 

Sewing for Seniors
Erica designed and sewed handmade walker bags and cell phone pouches for senior citizens that use mobility aids so they can more easily transport needed items. She developed lesson plans and taught her school’s fashions class how to sew the bags that can be hung on walkers or wheelchairs. The class, along with Erica’s own efforts and the Busy Bees weekly sewing group, sewed more than 100 walker bags and cell phone pouches, along with 25 blankets, that were donated to area nursing homes.

The lesson plans Erica created for the fashions class will be used for upcoming semesters as a community service project.

Trick or Treat Closet
Carrie strove to ensure that every child who wanted to dress in costume for Halloween had the ability to do so and wouldn’t feel excluded by their peers. Partnering with community organizations, Carrie collected over 400 costumes and created the Trick-or-Treat Closet, a component of the Mahomet-Seymour High School’s Mom’s Pantry. She cleaned, organized and accessorized the costumes to create a boutique-like environment. With the assistance of volunteers to give each child personalized attention, 114 children and their families were able to shop the closet free of charge.

Additionally, knowing that sugary treats play a large role around Halloween, Carrie worked with community agencies to provide resources for free and reduced dental care, along with donated toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Fire Safety Day Camp
Kendall has spent many summers at camp and noticed that young girls don’t know the proper procedures and safety practices when building a campfire. Additionally, she found that few girls are proficient in building and lighting a one-match fire.

Kendall organized a day camp in her community to learn fire building skills and the importance of fire safety. Area girls were educated on fire safety practices such as ‘stop, drop and roll’ and how to properly sit in front of a campfire. They also learned how to build and extinguish small campfires, the different types of wood, kindling, and fuel, and how to make a one-match fire.  She partnered with the New Douglas Volunteer Fire Department, who shared safety protocols and what to do in the event of a fire emergency.

Walking with the Animals
Claire discovered that the lockdowns and isolation of COVID-19 have left a lasting impact on the anxiety levels of children, per the Center for Disease Control (CDC). To combat this, she wanted to create a warm and welcoming environment at her local early learning center to help children feel at ease in a place that may initially be unfamiliar to them.

Leading a group of volunteers, Claire designed and painted a mural in the hallway of St. Paul’s Early Learning Center. Entitled ‘Walking with the Animals,’ the mural depicts animals walking into Noah’s ark, with each animal labeled to encourage observational skills, word association and language development. Claire also repurposed old materials to assemble little free libraries with flower boxes, with the hope to promote reading development and allow free access to books.