Wello Awards Nearly $8,000 in Mindfulness Grants to Green Bay Schools

Wello has awarded $7,637 to 29 teachers and staff across 15 schools in the Green Bay Area Public School District as part of our mindfulness capacity building work with the district. 

“It’s exciting to see the progress that we have made towards making mindfulness practices available to staff and students as research shows these practices not only support students, they can also help prevent staff burnout,” said Beth Heller, Director of Strategic Partnerships for Wello. “Over the last five years, we’ve had three cohorts of educators participate in mindfulness capacity-building training and the district has even built mindfulness into their new educator on-boarding program.”

Recipients of the grants include teachers in grades kindergarten through high school as well as special education teachers, occupational therapists, speech pathologists, social workers, and a library media specialist. Items purchased with the funds include yoga mats, mindfulness books, furniture, weighted blankets, calming lighting items, and more that will assist the staff in leading mindfulness practices that can help students regulate their emotions and become more present for learning. 

“The mindfulness mini grants that school staff applied for were such a huge support during a time when these items are critically important,” said Emily Jahnke, Social Work Coordinator for the Green Bay Area Public School District. “It was amazing to see the dedication and creativity of the staff in their applications, and to hear the positive student feedback about the spaces created and resources available.”  

Wello has partnered with Green Bay Schools on mindfulness capacity training since 2017. Funding for these grants from Wello comes from the Dr. Scholl Foundation.