Health News

October is National Farm to School Month, a time to celebrate the grassroots efforts to bring healthy, locally grown food to California’s schools! In addition, Farm to School Month coincides with Food Day (October 24) and National School Lunch Week (October 15-19). We want help spread the word about all of the wonderful efforts to provide delicious and healthy school meals, promote school garden education and supporting local agriculture in our state. With so many ways to celebrate, we want to create synergy among all the different efforts, and spread the word about resources available to help you plan your local event. Here are a few resources and easy activities that will help you celebrate Farm to School in October:

• Help spread the word about National Farm to School Month! Visitwww.farmtoschoolmonth.org, to find helpful resources like a communications toolkit,posters and fact sheets that will help you inform and build excitement in your community. Here you will also find event ideas to celebrate Farm to School – such as inviting a chef or a local farmer to visit your school, featuring seasonal fruits and vegetables in the lunch or breakfast menu, or hosting a community fair with parents, teachers and students.
• Be a part of Farm to School Counts by pledging to serve local food and participate in Farm to School activities during October. You can register your school, childcare site, and community event. Everyone who enters a pledge and completes the follow-up survey will be entered to win a $500 cash prize for their program.
• If you are hosting a local food or healthy school food and garden event - put it on the map! 
• Check out the Eat Real Curriculum created to support Food Day efforts nationwide. Use it throughout the month to highlight the importance of eating ‘real’ food to your students.
• To stay connected to all the happenings in California follow CA Farm to School onTwitter or like us on Facebook.

Yelena Zeltser
CA Farm to School Program Manager

http://www.cafarmtoschool.org

P.S. Check out  HealthCorps University, “train the trainer” professional development program that makes the HealthCorps principles and curriculum available to virtually any school.  The HealthCorps curriculum is composed of three sections — Mental Resilience, Nutrition and Fitness. This curriculum is aimed at both educating students and providing a holistic and relevant view of the role health plays in their lives. For more information, please contact HCU@HealthCorps.org 

http://healthcorps.org 

Ingrid Cheng @fitnesswla

Health Advocate

http://ingridcheng.com

Obesity Forum

A forum to address obesity and its impact on health.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Huntington Hospital ~ Research Hall

100 West California Boulevard

Pasadena, CA  91105

9:00 am - 4:00 pm

Registration begins at 8:30 am

Continental breakfast and lunch provided

 

Panel discussions, networking, and more!

 

For more information call (626)744-6097      

Register for the event at: http://pphd-mcah-calltoactiononobesity.eventbrite.com

Ingrid Cheng @fitnesswla

Health Advocate

http://ingridcheng.com

Grants for Health

Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) program aims to increase the number of innovative community initiated programs that promote access to health care for children, youth and their families nationwide, and employ preventive health strategies. This program most closely supports HRSA's goals to improve access to quality health care and services, to build healthy communities, and to improve health equity. HTPC funding supports direct service projects. The intent of HTPC grants are: 1) to support the development of family-centered, community-based initiatives that plan and implement innovative and cost-effective approaches for focusing resources to promote community defined preventive child health and developmental objectives for vulnerable children and their families, especially those with limited access to quality health services; 2) foster/promote collaboration among community organizations, individuals, agencies, businesses, and families; 3) involve pediatricians and other pediatric health professionals in community-based service programs; and 4) build community and statewide partnerships among professionals in health, education, social services, government, and business to achieve self-sustaining programs. HTPC encourages the use of innovative health information technology to increase access to a wide variety of stakeholders in communities. This community based program brings innovative services to communities as determined by local needs assessments. Bright Futures Guidelines can be found at http://www.brightfutures.aap.org  Click link here

Healthy School Makeover 

To enter please submit a short video (3 min. max) explaining why YOUR school needs a “healthy school makeover” and how you will commit to improving the healthy living of your students.
Videos must be submitted by a school teacher or administrator (see official rules) but can contain contributions from students and/or community members as well.

Prize Details

One lucky K-12 school will win a comprehensive Healthy School Makeover worth up to $45k! Package includes:

*SPARK: SPARK Curriculum and Training package
*Sportime: Equipment package aligned with SPARK program
*Healthy Kids Challenge: “Balance My Day” nutrition curriculum package and training
*AAHPERD/NASPE: Customized Lets Move in School training package
*Skillastics: Two Let’s Move in School Skillastics packages and training
*Healthy Lifestyle Choices: HLC Curriculum and Training package
*GenMove: Equipment, programming and training package
*The First Tee: The First Tee National School Program curriculum, training and equipment
*Polar: Polar Active classroom pack
*ANNIKA Foundation: Annika Sorenstam to present grand prize to winner

Contest Starts

August 27, 2012 @ 01:00 am (PDT)

Contest Ends

October 31, 2012 @ 11:59 pm (PDT)

Need more Details?

Read the Official Rules

Ingrid Cheng @fitnesswla

Health Advocate

http://ingridcheng.com

Let's Move Events

Keep Mov'n
Saturday September 8 
from 4pm to 8pm – The Tabernacle at Faithful Central Bible Church

Join Well-Play for the launch of the long-awaited Keep Move'N program. We are introducing a new dance revolution in urban fitness. Bringing you a fun filled day of interactive game stations, healthy food and flash mob style dance as well as the hottest dance competition of the season. Veg-It-Up Grill and Nutrition Center will be on hand providing healthy lunch and beverages for the day. With more community partners/sponsors to be announced.

Beginning Wednesday, August 8, Dance Crews can submit their dance videos for a chance to compete inside our Dance Revolution Lounge and we are sending the winners
home with a $1,000 Grand Prize.

Guests can look forward to resources from local health partners and interactive games inside our Wellness Village which is FREE to the community.

www.well-play.net

MOA Open House

September 15, 2012 

from 10am to 12pm – MOA Wellness Center

4533 S. Centinela Avenue

Explore MOA's world-class Integrative Health Center in our own backyard.  Plenty of Let's Move! action for ALL ages in yoga - fitness training - creative movement.

Plus MOA Center staff & volunteers will offer activity in Art Therapy - Organic Food-Tasting - Energy Therapy and the Tea Ceremony FREE to the community!

RSVP at http://letsmovewestla.ning.com/events

Ingrid Cheng @fitnesswla

Health Advocate

http://ingridcheng.com