Student-authored grant funds MOERA Kayaks

SUBMITTED PHOTO
Tyler Tapps, Northwest Missouri State University assistant professor of recreation, left; MOERA Director Jon Gustafson, center; and Casey Schulte, representing the Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation, stand with kayaks purchased for the university outdoor adventure and team-building compound at Mozingo Lake using a grant written by Northwest students. The grant was funded by Nodaway County’s Gladys M. Rickard Charitable Trust.

MARYVILLE, Mo. — A grant proposal assembled last fall by Northwest Missouri State University students taking Assistant Professor Tyler Tapps’ grantsmanship course recently secured funding from the Gladys M. Rickard Charitable Trust that has been used to purchase kayaks, life vests and paddles for Northwest’s Mozingo Outdoor Education Recreation Area.

Recent Northwest graduates Matthew Tohl, Anthony Mittan and Erika Lees, in addition to senior student Carson Smith, drafted the proposal on behalf of the Sigma Tau Gamma Foundation.

Tapps, MOERA Director Jon Gustafson and Matt Symonds, director of the School of Health Science and Wellness, assisted with the application process, with Symonds providing a small funding match on behalf of the school.

“We wanted to give back to one of the many areas at Northwest that provided educational opportunities outside of the classroom,” said Tohl, who completed a zoology degree at the university in December. “Giving back to the university that had already given so much to each of us was another driving factor for the whole team.”

The Rickard Charitable Trust supports humanitarian, social services and civic initiatives in Nodaway County.

Northwest’s grantsmanship offering is an introductory course designed to expose students to the often complex grant-writing process.

“This student project shows the high quality of work our students do,” Tapps said. “I am very proud of them and made it my mission to see them through to the end.”