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 ...
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 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 ...
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 ...
THIS IS YOUR HEART by Poli Marichal from Freewaves on Vimeo. In Los Angeles, California bus passengers now receive healthy messages on their daily commutes. The L.A. Metropolitan Transit Authority has partnered with a local avant-garde media arts organization called Freewaves, to produce the series "Live Long LA." The series will be comprised of 35 informative videos that focus on health-related topics. They will be seen in more than 2,000 buses throughout L.A. County. Videos range from nutrition to healthy exercises to other more serious health concerns. Artists are collaborating to produce engaging and eye-catching videos. The videos will be featured in various languages, such as English, Spanish, and Chinese. "Live Long LA" is expected to reach an estimated 1 million ...
Lack of infrastructure and safety concerns can act as barriers to physical activity among Latinos. For instance, cracked sidewalks, or even no sidewalks at all, can keep Latino kids and their families off the streets. In efforts to reduce infrastructure related barriers, the Los Angeles city council recently voted to eliminate a $265 plus $0.85/ sq ft permit fee for repairing sidewalks. Residents are still responsible for covering the costs of sidewalk repairs; however, their overall costs of repair have now been reduced. Read the more about this change from StreetsblogLA. View the record of this change on the City Clerk's ...
North Philadelphia has seen hard times. Factories that closed years ago took money and jobs with them, leaving the community depressed and struggling with climbing rates of poverty and crime. A full-service grocery store that sold fresh fruits and vegetables did not exist. But the story is taking a new direction these days, and many folks in the community attribute that to the new supermarket. The new Brown's ShopRite, which sit where an abandoned building once did, finally opened its doors in August 2013, and the community has been praising it ever since. Besides creating jobs and hiring at-risk youth, the store offers high-quality fresh fruits and vegetables, something this neighborhood hasn't seen in a long time. With rates of childhood obesity on the rise, ...
The Warnersville neighborhood south of downtown Greensboro is considered a food desert, a low-income area designated by the USDA that lacks a super market within a one-mile radius. But the community, with some help from state grants, has been working to grow healthy food for families right there in the neighborhood. The congregation at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church was looking for a way to serve their community and when the health department was looking for a gardening space, the church jumped at the chance to use their land. They now host a community garden on the church’s property, and a new program will also build greenhouses there. This year, a United Way grant of $15,000 will be used to create a mobile market that will bring the garden-fresh produce to ...
