FORT WORTH, Texas — Studies show that healthier students perform better, have higher attendance rates, tend to be better adjusted and socially connected, and have greater potential for future job opportunities and income earning. That’s why Texas Health Resources and Fort Worth-based R4 Foundation are awarding $25,000 worth of grants to six area schools to support student-led well-being efforts.

Now in its sixth year, the Wellness Innovation Grant program is an initiative of Texas Health Community Hope, which engages in a broad range of innovative programs, investments, and collaborations to address health disparities and social and environmental conditions that impact the community. This year, 13 teams of students submitted ideas to a panel of community leaders. Six teams advanced to the final round and presented their proposals to a team of judges representing Texas Health, R4 Foundation, and other community and school leaders. Winning proposals included plans to host a school walkathon, implement a mental health awareness week on campus, refurbish an outdoor learning space, and expand an outdoor school garden.

“Every year, area students impress us with their commitment to improving well-being at their schools,” said Bret Helmer, R4 Foundation president and a Wellness Innovation Grant judge. “They take this competition seriously, and it’s wonderful to know we are helping them make a positive impact for all of the students who follow them.”

This year’s contest provided four $5,000 grants and two $2,500 grants to student groups representing various grade levels, communities and neighborhoods. The winners are:

$5,000 awards:

• Manual Jara Elementary School: Students in this Fort Worth ISD school proposed a Community Stay-Fit Walkathon, which they hope will become an annual community event. The walkathon would be about a mile in length with exercise stations every 100 feet. Grant funds will be used to purchase outdoor fitness equipment for exercise stations on the school campus, water bottles for refreshing walkathon participants, and a t-shirt for each student engaged in the walkathon.
• Lamar High School: Students at Arlington ISD’s Lamar High School felt it was crucial to raise community awareness of mental health concerns. They proposed hosting a mental health week at the high school that will include a family mental health night as well as school posters and shirts with messages emphasizing the importance of mental health.
• Martin High School: Arlington ISD’s Martin High School has an outdoor courtyard that has not been used since 2021. The grant will be used to make that courtyard a safe, stimulating, and creative multi-use creative space. Students, staff and community members will be invited to use the courtyard for collaborative activities, exercise, art, reading and yoga. Tables, chairs and herb gardens will further enhance opportunities for relaxation.
• Alice Carlson Applied Learning Center: Students at this Fort Worth ISD elementary school wanted to expand their outdoor garden and incorporate raised garden beds along with level pathways to enable wheelchair users to more fully participate in gardening activities. Additional improvements include a repaired gate, repainted fences and seating benches to make the garden more appealing as an outdoor learning center.

$2,500 awards:

• Bonnie Brae Elementary School: This Fort Worth ISD school already has an outdoor garden, but students plan to use grant funding to establish indoor hydroponic gardens, to further realize all the benefits of gardening. Students will then have the opportunities to take home plants, or to sell seeds to fund additional school gardening or outdoor learning activities.
• Alice D. Contreras Elementary School: Students at this Fort Worth ISD school want to make their library a more welcoming setting for reading, refreshing and relaxing. They will use the funding to refurbish the library with softer lighting, more comfortable chairs, a wellness area, and fun programs, such as Walk-and-Read clubs.

Matt Dufrene, a vice president with Texas Health, said schools play a key role in creating an environment that promotes healthy behaviors that last a lifetime. The Wellness Innovation Grant program is just one way Texas Health is supporting well-being in schools.

“When we can get students engaged in making healthy choices at a young age, we set them up for a lifetime of well-being,” Dufrene said. “We look forward to seeing these ideas come to life on area campuses, knowing that the impact of these students’ efforts will be felt for years to come.”

In addition to Wellness Innovation Grants, Texas Health Community Hope fosters and supports students and their families through access to evidence-based programs and best practices that promote wellness on campus and at home related to culture and community; literacy; nutrition; and well-being and physical activity. That support also includes a new Learning Garden and Outdoor Activity Pathways Series, which takes students on a journey of exploration through hands-on learning centered around gardens and the outdoors.