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Date: 11/21/2023
WESTFIELD — The Westfield State Foundation has been awarded a $30,000 grant from the Beveridge Family Foundation for the university’s new Research, Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurial Center. The money will be used on equipment and programs at RIDE.
“We were incredibly thrilled and incredibly honored and grateful,” said RIDE Executive Director Lamis Jarvinen.
The RIDE Center allows students to design, prototype and build items. It is located on the first floor of Parenzo Hall, and was unveiled along with the rest of the building’s renovation in October. The center has a station for electronics that helps students learn circuitry, soldering and computer science; a station for textile work that lets students make wearable devices; as well as stations for 3-D printing and woodworking, among others.
The space is a collaboration with MakerHealth, which provides equipment and education modules for Westfield State University students. Co-founder and CEO Anna Young previously told Reminder Publishing that the RIDE Center is MakerHealth’s first partnership with an undergraduate institution. The Beveridge Family Foundation grant will offset the cost of purchasing various pieces of equipment from MakerHealth.
The equipment at RIDE is used for educational programs. For example, on Nov. 14, students from Springfield-area high schools visited the center and created circuits for greeting cards.
Jarvinen applied for the grant in the summer, along with Laura Blockel, director of corporate and foundation grants. Members of the Beveridge Family Foundation visited the space before deciding to award the grant. Jarvinen said the foundation did not fund the university’s full request, $50,000, because it wanted to spread its spending among several deserving projects.
“We weren’t expecting full support, but they were very excited to support the space,” Jarvinen said.
Part of the reason she applied for this grant was that the university already has a relationship with the foundation.
“We think so highly of the Beveridge Family Foundation and how they’ve been able to support growth in different areas in Hampden and Hampshire counties,” she said. “To have them acknowledge the work we are trying to do and our vision and mission is really quite an honor. It reaffirms the importance of Westfield State University essentially acting as an innovation hub for our Western Massachusetts area.”
In a statement, WSU President Linda Thomson said the university was grateful to the Beveridge Family Foundation.
“Their commitment to support the future of education and the development of our students is commendable and we look forward to our continued work with them to better our communities,” she said.
The Beveridge Family Foundation focuses youth development programs in Hampden and Hampshire counties, such as in health and education. According to their website, It was originally founded to financially support Stanley Park, across the street from the university.
In an email, Beveridge Family Foundation President Ward Caswell reaffirmed his organization’s support of the university and praised the RIDE Center.
“The Beveridge Family Foundation is proud to continue our support of Westfield State University,” he said. “The new Research, Innovation, Design and Entrepreneurial Center at WSU is a progressive initiative that will spark creativity and innovation across multiple fields of study.”