EF senior’s project earns $10K grant for Bentworth Blessings

By Jose Negron
jnegron@yourmvi.com
A senior at Elizabeth Forward High School recently played a significant role in helping a local nonprofit organization receive a grant from the EQT Foundation.
Thanks to a research project completed by Kaelyn McClain, the charitable branch of EQT Corporation presented a $10,000 grant to Bentworth Blessings, a group that aims to provide for the urgent material needs of students and families who reside in the Bentworth School District.
The organization is still operating amid the COVID-19 pandemic and funding has been stretched to the limit as the community deals with the crisis, McClain said in a video presentation she created for her project, which was done through her participation in an outreach mentorship program.
In the video, McClain outlines the challenges the Bentworth community and district face, and interviews Bentworth Assistant Superintendent George Lammay and Bentworth Elementary Principal Susie Macik, a co-founder of Bentworth Blessings.
“After meeting with both of them, I could just tell how much heart they put into the program,” McClain said. “They told me a lot about it and they are doing awesome things for the children in that district. Knowing (the grant) was going to them made me so happy.
“I would definitely like to thank Mrs. Macik, Mrs. (Jen) Cario and Mr. Lammay for inviting me into the school and showing me their program, and also for the work they’re doing and the work they’re continuing to do.”
After watching McClain’s video presentation, Macik said she and Cario, her fellow co-founder of Bentworth Blessings, were astonished by what they saw.
“It was incredible,” Macik said. “It was just amazing that it was done by a high school student. She was wonderful.”
The end result of the project had Macik and Cario feeling amazed in a big way, too, especially since Bentworth Blessings was forced to cancel Ultimate Family Game Night, its largest fundraising event, due to the pandemic. On average, 500-700 people attend each year.

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Submitted
Kaelyn McClain