KU News Release

Design department gets $25,000 grant to help the Alliance of a Healthier Generation

LAWRENCE — Patrick Dooley, professor of design at the University of Kansas, has received a $25,000 grant from Sappi Fine Paper’s Ideas That Matter program.

The grant will fund a print campaign for the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, a partnership between the William J. Clinton Foundation and the American Heart Association that works to stop childhood obesity nationwide. Dooley was one of only 14 grant recipients. Grants ranged from $5,000 to $50,000.

Ideas That Matter recognizes designers who have partnered with philanthropic organizations to develop proposals that include campaign concepts, business plans, objectives, costs and possible benefits. The program is part of Sappi’s “Life with Print” initiative, which examines efficient use of print media in communication. Since its inception in 1999, the program has funded more than 225 projects, exceeding $8 million in grants.

This spring, a special topics class, Design for Nonprofits, was created and co-taught by Dooley and John Wilson, youth mobilization manager at the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and KU graphics program alumnus, to involve design students with addressing some of the alliance’s initiatives. Eight student designers in the class spent time researching existing materials on childhood obesity, examined an existing program geared for grade school children and studied the brand the alliance had already developed. They created informational materials with a voice that middle school and high school students would respond to, encouraging healthy choices in eating and exercise. The alliance focus group market tested the students’ ideas at the end of the semester.

After the semester ended, Dooley and Wilson wrote a grant to the Ideas That Matter program that would deploy the design developed during the class. Their proposal, the production of a printed toolkit, “Step Up for a Healthier School,” is designed for young people interested in becoming advocates for healthier lifestyles in their schools. It will guide students and school administrators, counselors and staff in identifying and putting into action ways of making their schools healthier places, particularly with the kind of foods offered.

“It’s a completely different thing to work for a real client,” said Andrew Kuttler, a KU senior. “It’s exciting, and I feel it really give us a better taste of what’s to come. Most of all, it’s an exciting feeling that we’ve pitched ideas to people at the professional level and they understood our message and appreciated our material.”

Three graphic design students from the spring class will return to work on design and production of the project: Amy Rottinghaus, Kayla Heckman and Kuttler. Sappi will publicize the grant recipients and their projects, and develop a catalog highlighting the program and results of the campaigns.

“These graphic design students will have the relatively rare opportunity to see their work professionally produced and distributed,” Dooley said. “Beyond that, they will get an opportunity to contribute to the solution of one of our society’s most pressing health problems.”

More information about the returning students is listed below.

BUTLER COUNTY
From El Dorado 67042
Andrew Raymond Kuttler, senior in design; son of David and Judy Kuttler; graduate of Circle High School, Towanda.

JOHNSON COUNTY
From Shawnee 66203
Kayla Marie Heckman, senior in design; daughter of Kenneth and Maria Heckman; graduate of Shawnee Mission North High School.

NEMAHA COUNTY
From Baileyville 66404
Amy L. Rottinghaus, senior in design; daughter of Bob and Annette Rottinghaus; graduate of B&B High School.

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