John Dufek served Hands to Love as the president of our board of directors from 2008-2011. He shared his vast experience in non-profit leadership with Hands to Love having served on the board of Catholic Charities for many years. John embodied the spirit of selfless service always researching solutions to logistical questions until resolved to his satisfaction.
This is the same spirit that the members of the U.F. student club, “G.R.I.P.” lead by their founder Jessica Bergau demonstrated at our first teen camp in 2015(?). At every camp event since, G.R.I.P. has provided 3-D printed prosthetics, functional adaptive devices and adapted gaming devices with the individual camper’s upper limb differences taken into consideration and at no cost to the family.
The John Dufek G.R.I.P./S.T.E.M. scholarship will provide financial support to underwrite costs of these types of 3-D printed devices for any child with an upper limb difference as well as enhanced S.T.E.M. programming at camp events.