The Alliance for a Healthier Generation showcases the Rafael de Cordero School 37 in Jersey City, NJ for their efforts in creating an all around healthier school environment. PS 37 hosted its 4th annual Fun Run in October 2013, which raises money for local schools. Principal Marvin Strynar modeled the event after another local school, and hosted the first event after budget cuts created a need to draw in more money. Previously for school-wide fundraisers PS 37 had sold food or candy, which often included junk food and sugary snacks. By hosting a Fun Run the school is no longer marketing unhealthy or junk foods to students in order to raise money. They are providing a healthy options for students and family. This school was one of two schools in Jersey City to receive the ...
Cutler-Orosi is the largest unincorporated community in one of the poorest counties in California. Located in the largely Latino region called the San Joaquin Valley, more than half of the men and women who live here are migrant farm workers. Poverty limits food and beverage choices to what’s cheap, easy, and not always healthy. One school district food services director, Brenda Handy, went above and beyond to ensure that, while kids were at school, they were not only eating well, but drinking well, too.
Tackling the 'Soda Issue'
Ever since Brenda Handy started as food services director for the 95% Latino Cutler-Orosi Joint Unified School District in California’s San Joaquin Valley more than four years ago, she saw students struggle to maintain healthy weights. She noticed ...
Have you ever wondered how you might go about bringing Complete Streets to your community? Well, it starts with understanding how Complete Street policies work and defining which type of policies might be most appropriate for your community. Smart Growth America has the perfect resource for guiding you through the process. The Complete Streets Local Policy Workbook describes different types of policies including ordinances, resolutions, internal policies, plans, and design guidelines. It then goes on to provide sample language and discuss best practice elements, performance measures, and steps for implementation.To learn more, access the Local Policy Workbook ...
Does your community have Complete Streets? Complete Street policies make roads safer and accessible to everyone emphasizing the idea that roads should not be designed just for cars, but also with pedestrians and cyclists in mind. When communities commit to designing roads with Complete Streets they provide citizens with additional avenues for active transportation. Complete Streets can even help add value to land and beautify neighborhoods. According to Smart Growth America, in 2013, 80 jurisdictions across the US adopted Complete Street policies. This amounts to a total of 610 communities at various regional levels that now have Complete Street policies. Because every Complete Streets policy is different, Smart Growth America studies the language of each to determine its ...
Latinos are expected to comprise 30% of the U.S. population b y 2050. That's 15% who will be Latinas. But Latinas have a much smaller hold on elected state and national political offices, according to a new infographic from Latinas Represent, Latina Lista reports: Out of 79 women holding seats in the House of Representatives (total: 435), only 9 are Latina.
No Latina has ever held a Senate seat.
Out of 1,789 women state legislators (total: 7,383 state legislators), only 78 are Latina.
Of the 75 women holding statewide executive positions (total: 320 executives), only 5 are Latina.
There is only one Latina governor. Latinas Represent, a partnership between the National Hispanic Leadership Agenda and Political Parity, aims to increase the number of Latinas in elected ...
Latinos tend to drink more sugary drinks than their peers. In fact, a study found that about 22 percent of Latino high-school students drink three or more sugar-sweetened beverages per day, compared with 19.6 percent of white students. As a pediatrician, Dr. Marta Katalenas knows what it takes for kids to live healthy lives, and sugary juices and sodas aren't part of the picture. She has challenged her Austin, Texas community to stop buying sodas and sugary drinks at the grocery store as part of her 2014 Monthly New Year’s Resolution challenge. Each month since January, Dr. Katalenas has been challenging families to stick to a small healthy change for that month. For March, she is urging folks to stop bringing sugary drinks home from the store. If the drinks aren't in the ...
Members of the Seminole City Council met to discuss ways to improve the M.S. Doss City Park. One of the latest ideas proposed before city council was that of constructing a 4,000 sq-ft. aquatic park. The project would cost approximately $625,000 but would offer a cool and refreshing place for over 100 children to play in during warm weather. Members from the community like Danielle Sims, a Seminole ISD teacher, assistant swimming coach and manager for the Seminole High School pool said that a new aquatic center would be beneficial to the community. She explained that Parks and Recreation centers in other cities like Amarillo, TX installed splash pads at parks throughout the community that were a huge hit with local children. Another supporter of the aquatic center, Councilwoman ...
Editor's Note: Salud Heroes are a weekly feature from the Salud America! Growing Healthy Change website, which aims to empower healthy changes in Latino communities through news, resources, and stories. Latino neighborhoods often lack spaces for physical activity. That was the case in the West part of Brownsville, Texas, a largely Latino community along the Texas-Mexico border. But Dr. Rose Gowen, a physician-turned-city-leader, wanted to change that. Gowen worked with city officials and community leaders to secure funding—and remained persistent when funding was rejected at first—and make final plans to turn an abandoned railway into the beautiful new Belden Trail. The trail, with crossing posts, bike parking, shade structures and other amenities, opened in Fall ...
Thirteen-year-old Estrella Hernandez, a member of the Mayor's Fitness Council Student Ambassadors, is making waves with her idea for an innovative fitness app made just for youth. Her app, "WeWalk," aims to motivate kids to exercise by using technology that they are familiar with. Kids play games on apps all the time, but now they can lead healthier lives while continuing to play. After learning about health issues and how obesity is affecting other youth her age, Estrella was inspired to combine health and technology. She has already received $12,500 in funding from the 80/20 Foundation and HEB. Building the app isn't simple, as it involves maintaining users accounts, monitoring how much users walk, and using Geo locations. Once the app is developed and beta tested, it will ...
