Tri-County Middle School Leadership Group Makes Donation to MHP Emergency Services
Members of Tri-County’s Ricochet Leadership Program raised $75.87 through a bake sale to benefit children who visit Mahaska Health Partnership’s Emergency Department in Oskaloosa. Shown at the check presentation are, front row, from left: Jason Daughenbaugh, Lucas Haberling, Brayden Monroe, Mikayla Hoover and Avery Roorda. Back row, from left: Angelina McCullough, Emma Miover, MHP Director of Emergency Services Andrea Hagist, Miranda Little, Mariah Seaton and Annabelle Jennings.
KEOKUK COUNTY – Students from Tri-County Community School took on a leadership project and raised funds to benefit children utilizing the visitor’s lounge at Mahaska Health Partnership’s Emergency Services in Oskaloosa.
The students were members of Ricochet, a middle school leadership initiative created and sponsored by Iowa State University Extension and Iowa 4-H. According Michele Sieren, who served as co-lead with Jorie Altenhoften from the Keokuk County Extension and Outreach, the group of 10 students met for nine weeks to learn team building and leadership skills.
“Ricochet uses adventure and experience to help build leadership skills as they get involved in a real project that benefits the community,” Sieren said. “The students wanted to help a local hospital that they could potentially have friends or family taken to in an emergency situation. Mariah Seaton, one of the Richochet members, has a grandmother who works at Mahaska Health Partnership, so it was an easy choice for the students as they worked to raise money.
“They wanted to have a positive impact on children and agreed that sometimes during an emergency, there can be a lot of waiting around, and children don’t always have time to bring things to stay occupied while waiting on news about their loved ones. That is why they wanted to raise funds toward purchasing books and toys for the visitor’s lounge at Mahaska Health Partnership.”
A total of $75.87 was raised through a bake sale the students sponsored. Sieren said both leaders were very impressed with the effort put forth by all the students. “Everyone brought something for the bake sale,” she said. “We had to find additional tables to fit it all.”
MHP Director of Emergency Services Andrea Hagist, said she has already ordered children’s books with the funds donated by the Ricochet students. “We are grateful for the donation, but also very impressed by the students who showed real leadership with this project,” Hagist said.
