MESA, Ariz.—Two Mesa Community College students are making a difference in the lives of patients at Boulder Mountain Therapy in Mesa. The students, Mollie Heiden and Joshua Okken, built a bridge that provides special needs children with a unique way to improve their balance skills.
Jane Goodman, owner of Boulder Mountain Therapy said they are thrilled with the new rope bridge. Since 2004, 75 MCC students have served and rendered 889 hours of service to the facility.
“The bridge will offer a new obstacle to our clients as it will challenge their balance, coordination and gait,” Goodman said. “We value our partnership with MCC, students and faculty."
The project began with an initial meeting between students and Boulder Mountain Therapy to determine the need for a bridge. The students then applied for a Making a Difference Grant to fund the project. Money for these grants comes from proceeds raised by the annual Lost & Found Sale and Silent Auction at MCC. This year the sale raised more than $3,300 to fund up to 33 student-driven service projects.
MCC student Mollie Heiden said the concepts learned through her REC 120 class were helpful in the project and will apply to her life in the future.
“One thing I witnessed during this service-learning project was the great effect civic engagement can have in a community,” Heiden said. “We saw how dedicated the employees of Boulder Mountain were to their clients, but we also witnessed MCC’s commitment to helping the community through the Civic Engagement offices. Being engaged and involved in your community is so easy and so rewarding. After this project I intend to become more active in helping my community and in inspiring my friends to do the same."
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Contact
Dawn Zimmer, 480-461-7892, dawn.zimmer@mesacc.edu
About Mesa Community College
Mesa Community College provides outstanding transfer and career and technical programs, workforce development, and life-long learning opportunities to residents of the East Valley area of Phoenix, Arizona. MCC excels in teaching, learning and empowering its more than 40,000 students who attend annually to succeed in a local and global community. Mesa Community College is one of ten colleges that comprise the Maricopa County Community College District. For additional information please visit http://www.mesacc.edu.
About Boulder Mountain Therapy
Boulder Mountain Therapy is an agency made up of expert pediatric therapists serving the special needs population by providing therapies which empower the special needs population to break through physical, cognitive and emotional barriers using a unique collaboration of therapy disciplines within Arizona's "Valley of the Sun."
The Maricopa County Community College District is an EEO/AA institution and an equal opportunity employer of protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.