The Greater Salina Community Foundation is pleased to announce the following grants from the L.P. “Pat” Mullen Fund. This is the third year grants have been awarded from this fund.
In 2007 the Foundation was the recipient of the L.P. “Pat” Mullen estate. Mr. Mullen was a self-taught engineer and inventor. He was a life-long Salina native who valued innovation and education.
According to his wishes, the Foundation established two field of interest funds to create grants for the education of youth in the areas of arts and humanities, and science, technology & invention.
Grants are limited to programs or projects that serve youth up to and through high school and within Saline County, and encourage hands-on learning opportunities.
2012 L.P. “Pat” Mullen Fund for Arts & Humanities
$5,000 –Salina Arts & Humanities
This is the third year of a three-year grant to establish the mobile arts lab, “Arty”. The van brings art activities to Salina children in unusual venues, reaching those with limited opportunities in the arts, especially in remote or indigent neighborhoods. The project also involves Salina teens, who serve as helpers and mentors.
$750– Salina Community Theatre
The grant will purchase and install a sound system in the new dance class rooms in the theatre education wing.
$5,000-Salina Art Center
The grant will assist with the expansion of the Teen Docent Program that trains high school students to lead interactive tours of current exhibitions for preschool and elementary school groups and families. The 8-week training includes an intensive art history class and hands-on art classes to help with the understanding of the art techniques and processes used in the art exhibits.
$1,000 Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure
The grant will fund a youth art day camp offered in conjunction with the Beguiled By the Wild: The Art of Charley Harper exhibit. The camp is designed to help integrate art into the study of environmental stewardship and help students create their own art in the style of Charley Harper.
$2,500- USD 305 Coronado Elementary School
The grant will purchase equipment to help enhance communication skills for students in the Functional Learning Center at Coronado Elementary School. Using iPads and the specialized software, students with significant communication difficulties can discover an alternative form of communication that improves social and classroom skills.
Total Mullen Arts & Humanities grants awarded: $14,250
L.P. “Pat” Mullen Fund for Youth Science, Invention & Technology
$4,000-Salina Central High School FIRST Robotics Team
This is the second year of a three-year grant. Grant funds assist with the purchase of materials and registration fees for competition. Additionally, the grant encourages expansion of the mentoring program where Central team members introduce robotics to students in local elementary schools.
$2,000-Smoky Hill Education Foundation
Foss (Full Option Science System) Science Kits and Aviation Kits are available for check out by classroom teachers. The kits are designed for hands-on experiments and labs to support science curriculum. The grant will pay the required $25 replenishing fee to eliminate a financial barrier to Saline County science teachers who wish to check out the kits.
$4,000-St. John’s Military School Robotics
This grant is the first year of a three-year grant for the new robotics program. Grant funds will be used to purchase kits and support software for the program and assist with fees for regional competition. The program was established last year with a NASA grant. Robotics allows students to explore the relationship between science, math and computer programming and a hands-on understanding of physics principles.
$4,000-St. Mary’s Grade School
This grant will purchase supplies for the 5th and 6th grade hands-on science program. Students will conduct a variety of experiments exploring electric circuits, temperature, motion, global positioning and weather. Older students study the material and then teach a simplified version to the younger classes.
$2,700-USD 305 Meadowlark Ridge Grade School
The grant will fund the purchase of a student response system for use with the Fossils to Fuel curriculum for 4th and 5th grades students. The response system provides immediate feedback for both students and the teacher, and can be used with other curriculum as well.
$3,000-Girls Scouts of Kansas Heartland
Grant funds will be used to engage area girls in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) through three different summer camps. The STEM camps will emphasize hands-on experiments to encourage girls to consider fields of study involving science and technology.
Total Mullen Science, Technology & Invention grants to be awarded: $19,700
For more information, please contact Betsy Wearing, President & Executive Director, 785-823-1800.