County gets grant to promote hygiene
Saving the world one hand wash at a time, the Knoxville-based SOPE Project presented Warren County with $5,000 Community Infusion Model grant at Thursday’s meeting of the county’s Health Council.
The presentation was made by Dr. Richard Ferrin, whose wife Wendy Wakefield Ferrin started the non-profit SOPE Project two years ago. It was her wish, he said, to promote everywhere the simple practice of hand washing in order to reduce the spread of infectious disease.
“This is something that affects us all. Infectious disease knows no age, no gender, no socio-economic class. Basically, we want to teach the world to wash their hands,” said Dr. Ferrin. Because “Hand washing is the single most effective means of avoiding the spreading of germs.”
Making the grant possible was a donation to the SOPE Project by former McMinnville resident James McDonough and his wife Lindsay. The son of the late General Sessions Judge W.G. McDonough, or Judge Mac as he was known, the Knoxville architect and contractor said he has fond memories of his childhood in Warren County and has wanted to “give something back” for sometime.
“I was approached by the Ferrins about sponsoring the SOPE Project (in Warren County) and thought it was a great idea. Some might think it’s trivial and silly, but we sometimes lose sight of the health benefits of hand washing. This is something I can do to help the broad population of Warren County,” said McDonough.
The project uses a whimsical approach to get its message across, believing it more effective than what it terms the traditional “finger wagging” approach. Indeed, SOPE stands for Society of Playful Education.
Central to the SOPE’s whimsical approach is a cute cartoon dog, appropriately named SOPE, who appears in hand-washing posters and other educational materials which have already been placed in over 35,000 locations across the country, including schools, interstate rest areas, airports, subways and businesses.
The grant money received by the county will be used to purchase 300 such posters, 200 brightly illustrated books, 50 activity guides and over 1,000 stickers and training cards, all promoting the benefits of hand washing. This year-round awareness and reminder program is geared toward children and adults alike. It will be presented by multiple local agencies including the school system, the county health department and health council, the city parks and recreation department and the Extension Service.
The involvement of different aspects of the community to work toward a healthier community employed by the SOPE Project’s Community Infusion Model is almost exactly like that of the Coordinated School Health Program, the school system organization which applied for the grant.
“The two fit together perfectly,” said CSHP director Mary Jane Paz. “We will be able to integrate SOPE’s message into all kinds of different areas of the community which will make for a healthier Warren County.”