Local woman honored

Brittany Bergquist was one of 10 national contestants last week awarded a $2,500 community grant from the publishing company Scholastic Media and HandsOn Network, which organizes volunteers nationwide. The 20-year-old Bergquist earned the recognition for demonstrating civic engagement in an idea contest attached to the “Clifford the Big Red Dog: Be Big’’ campaign, sponsored by American Family Insurance. Bergquist earned the grant for her project, “Helping Heroes Home,” which will provide prepaid cellphones to veterans facing financial hardships, a proposal similar to the declared mission of the Bergquist family’s nonprofit organization, Cell Phones for Soldiers Inc. The contest’s $25,000 grand prize went to a 25-year-old Illinois teacher who plans to transform her school’s courtyard into a garden and play area for an early-childhood program. - Meg Murphy