Spotlight On: Equality

eQuality, a day program for adults with developmental disabilities, is located in suburban Minneapolis.  Its goal is to help those individuals with developmental disabilities maximize their potential and become active participants in their communities – and in life itself!  eQuality focuses on vocational training, education and recreation for its associates.  eQuality prides itself on connecting its associates and their families with peers, employers and communities.  Many associates work part-time and then participate in recreation and educational activities for the remainder of the day.

In 2010 eQuality partnered with the Sajai® Foundation to promote exercise and healthy eating habits to adults with developmental disabilities.  Two groups of associates completed both Wise Kids®, and it was so successful that they subsequently completed Wise Kids Outdoors to supplement a greenhouse/gardening project that they were doing.

“The associates always tell the staff that they can’t wait until the next lesson to see what it will be!” shared one job coach. “[Wise Kids] greatly helps that those who would like to be healthy but really do not understand the hows and whys.” The associates immediately incorporated their new knowledge from Wise Kids into their lives, consciously trying to make healthy choices when possible.  One associate has substantially cut down in the amount of soda that he drinks, substituting it with water instead!
eQuality is another great program taking active steps to create Healthier Kids (we all are kids at heart, right?), Healthier Communities, and a Healthier World!

Spotlight On: Plymouth Christian Youth Center

Located in inner-city North Minneapolis, Plymouth Christian Youth Center (PCYC) is a nonprofit organization serving youth and families that was founded in 1954. Despite the many barriers that they face in their lives, more than 6,000 young people each year go to PCYC to learn and grow as individuals as well as within a community. In fact, its mission attests to that spirit of learning and growth, by “enrich[ing] the skills, prospects, and spirit of North Minneapolis area youth and adults, in partnership with families and communities.”

This past summer, despite tough economic times and an overwhelmed budget, PCYC remained determined to bring health and wellness to the forefront of its summer children’s program, using teachable moments to help kids understand the value of healthy living. With a thoroughly engaged staff, not only did PCYC revamp its children’s meal program, walking away from a no-cost meal source to seek out healthier options, but it literally brought healthy food to life for the youth enrolled in its summer program. In conjunction with the Wise Kids Outdoors program and a grant from the University of Minnesota, PCYC planted a garden full of nutritious vegetables so that the children would learn how easy it is to grow nutritious food – and how good it tastes! The Wise Kids Outdoors program really sparked the children’s natural curiosity about the outdoors and helped them realize and appreciate that nature can be found right outside your door, even if you live in a city!

Plymouth Christian Youth Center is another great program taking active steps to create Healthier Kids, Healthier Communities, and a Healthier World!

Spotlight On: Milwaukee Thoreau

The largest city in Wisconsin, Milwaukee is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. It’s the main cultural and economic center of the state, with recent additions such as the Milwaukee Riverwalk, Miller Park, Milwaukee Art Museum and Pier Wisconsin. It’s also well known for its brewing and manufacturing.

Within the city, Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) provides quality education to approximately 90,000 students and is the largest school district in Wisconsin. During the summer of 2009, Milwaukee Recreation (a division of MPS) coordinated a 9-week trial of the Wise Kids® program at the 65th Street School in their afterschool camp program. After very positive research results, Northwestern Mutual Foundation agreed to provide grant dollars to facilitate an expansion of the program in 2010. “Studies show that we can help tip the scales against childhood obesity when we teach kids about healthy habits,” said Northwestern Mutual Foundation President Kimberley Goode. “The partnership with Milwaukee Recreation and the Säjai Foundation enables us to address the core causes of childhood obesity, make a long-term investment in local children and help secure future generations.”

Thanks to this grant, six MPS after-school camps were able to implement the 9-lesson Wise Kids program this spring. A standout among them was Camp Thoreau. The staff and kids at Camp Thoreau took the program to a whole new level and got the whole group of staff and 60+ kids fired up about living a healthy life. They embraced the program from day one and added their own activities and field trips along the way, including a trip to a local organic garden/farm, morning calisthenics, and even physical challenges for parents, leaders and janitorial staff. Camp Director Karen Rosio recalls, “during Spring Break the kids watched the movie Supersize Me. One little girl’s father would bring her fast food every day for lunch but on Friday he came at noon and just grinned and said his daughter had requested that he bring a lunch that was healthy and contained fruit. We were really amazed that it took hold that quickly and the parent responded in such a positive way.”

The program concluded with a family night that included a gym full of kids and parents doing “Hip Hop Abs”, kickball and double dutch on the playground, and a wonderful salad bar prepared by the kids.

Camp Thoreau—another great group taking active steps to create Healthier Kids, Healthier Communities, and a Healthier World!

Spotlight On: Brooklyn Park, MN

Brooklyn Park, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River, is the sixth largest city in the state of Minnesota. This Minneapolis suburb inhabits over 17,000 acres with a population of 73,000. In 2009, the kids at Brooklyn Park’s Zanewood Recreation Center learned all about Energy Balance through the Wise Kids programs. Not only did they participate in Wise Kids, but they went on to do Wise Kids Two and then began Wise Kids Outdoors in March 2010. They are the first organization in the country to do all three programs back-to-back.

According to Zanewood’s Program Coordinator Jeremy Penkert, the Wise Kids family of programs does a great job of breaking down the information and showing kids ways to improve their health daily. Penkert says, “Wise Kids programs are a great way to educate youth about healthy lifestyles and teach children how to take care of the environment.”

While doing the Wise Kids lessons, “(the) kids really enjoyed the use of the pedometers for different activities. They thought it was amazing to see how many steps they take just walking to and from the bus stop. It really was an eye-opening experience for all who participated in this activity.” But they didn’t stop there; the staff at Zanewood went above and beyond by making up their own games to supplement the kit materials. Penkert explains, “One activity that comes to mind that the kids loved was a game of ‘Healthy Jeopardy.’ We used this game to engage the participants and review the concepts of Wise Kids 1 and 2.”

The transition from Wise Kids to Wise Kids Two and then to the missions of Wise Kids Outdoors was very simple. After reviewing the Energy Balance concept, the kids got down to the business of learning about Serving Size, Water, Muscles, and Bones in Wise Kids Two. By the time the Minnesota weather started to show early signs of spring, the kids were ready for their first outdoor mission from Wise Kids Outdoors, where both kids and staff enjoyed the change of pace and scenery. Penkert adds, “I feel that the participants and staff have enjoyed the Wise Kids Outdoors program the most. The kids enjoy getting dirty and feel more engaged from the activities of Wise Kids Outdoors. They also feel a great sense of responsibility to take care of the parks and playgrounds in which they play in every day.”

Zanewood Recreation Center—another great group taking active steps to create Healthier Kids, Healthier Communities, and a Healthier World!

Spotlight On: City of Covina

Located 22 miles east of Los Angeles at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains, the City of Covina, California boasts about 50,000 residents. Its Parks and Recreation Department is actively working to improve the health of its citizens. The city’s website makes the goal clear: “The Covina Parks & Recreation Department’s mission is to provide a multitude of recreational opportunities to have the public use their energies, while enriching their lives and improving their health and sense of well-being…Through the programs and services that are offered by the Parks & Recreation Department, the public has an opportunity to “get healthy, get happy, and live longer.”

In 2009, the Covina Parks and Recreation Department offered Wise Kids Outdoors within its summer camp as a result of receiving a National Recreation and Parks Association Youth Wellness Program Resource Grant. Thirty-six children participated in the program, where they benefited from enthusiastic leaders who stressed positive attitudes and experiences for both the participants and the leaders. As a result, a strong bond between and among the participants and leaders developed, making the summer camp an enriching experience that the kids and leaders won’t soon forget. “Wise Kids Outdoors really enhanced the Summer Day Camp experience for both children and staff. Participants enjoyed the fun, educational activities and staff had a great time facilitating them,” explained Tara Rizzolo, Community Services Supervisor. The leaders really brought the missions to life, setting up recycling stations at the camp after learning about recycling within Wise Kids Outdoors. The survey results from the participants were simply phenomenal! In the pre-program survey, 58% of the participants said they preferred to play outdoors than indoors. But in the post-program survey, all of the participants preferred the outdoors! Similarly, in the pre-survey, 36% of the participants stated that they ate healthy snacks with their friends, but in the post-survey that number had risen to 90%. When the program started, only 40% of the participants thought that taking care of nature was important, but when they were done, they all agreed on its importance. These are amazing results, and it shows how the leaders and participants genuinely learned to enjoy and appreciate nature and developed some healthy living habits at the same time!

They truly are taking active steps to create Healthier Kids, Healthier Communities and a Healthier World!