When I am least expecting it, people share profound observations with me that remind me how valuable the mission of the Growing Healthy Kids
movement to reverse, halt, and prevent childhood obesity is. One of these was a sentinel event about five years ago that
led to me making the decision to form a nonprofit organization focused on education projects and services.
After giving a talk on preventable chronic diseases to a community
organization, one of the audience members came up to talk with
me. She was a social worker at one of Indian
River County’s elementary schools and was desperate for help with a student who
was very overweight. The social worker
confided that the girl’s grades were slipping, she was skipping class, and she
had a very low self-image of herself. I started
making calls to offer my knowledge and experience and found myself stuck in
layers of school district bureaucracy.
It was a very frustrating experience that I have never forgotten.
This led to me learning about the “food deserts” in some communities
where there are no markets or stores within walking distance of where people
live that sell fresh vegetables and fruits and where lack of transportation to
large stores is also a barrier for kids having access to fresh foods. I started looking at what America’s kids who
get their breakfast and lunches in school are eating compliments of the
USDA. I was appalled to learn that elementary
age kids get 30 minutes of physical education a week in school. When I
grew up, we had a regular P.E. class every day through high school. I had
to do something meaningful with my frustration over a little girl, who through
no fault of her own, was extremely overweight and becoming more and more socially isolated.
Growing Healthy Kids, Inc. is a nonprofit organization which
has now reached thousands of kids and adults with our healthy cooking programs,
education workshops, and educational websites.
The work, however, is just beginning because the numbers of children who
are not at healthy weights are increasing.
Educating parents is a critical step in solving the
childhood obesity epidemic. Someone you
know wants to know how to help their kids. You can help us educate parents with your
purchase of the new book, NOURISH AND FLOURISH, filled with valuable tips,
lists, and kid-tested recipes that put knowledge into the hands of parents. All
profits go to Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
Click here to order your copy of NOURISH AND
FLOURISH: http://www.amazon.com/Nourish-Flourish-Kid-Tested-Approved-Diabetes/dp/1475096909/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1350856103&sr=8-2&keywords=nourish+and+flourish
Have a healthy day!
Nancy Heinrich
Founder, Growing Healthy Kids, Inc.
