Survey of Local Principals Shows Interest For School Gardens

Live Wright School Garden Survey Executive Summary

Local FACS Teachers Recognized for Their Farm to School Curriculum

Alyssa Ambrosius (Monticello High School FACS Teacher) and Karen Smith (Monticello Middle School) have been asked to publish the Farm to School curriculum they have created over the last 2 years! There curriculum is quite unique because it incorporates indoor raised garden beds, interdisciplinary learning and involving local growers to give students a new outlook on food. The beginning of their Farm to School journey was made possible with support of local Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP) dollars and Live Wright ($17,500 from 2010 – 2011). Although this project no longer receives grant funding, Karen and Alyssa have found effective ways to sustain and build their Farm to School concept for the classroom and beyond.

Karen and Alyssa are currently writing the lesson plans and hope for the curriculum to be released in January through LearningZoneXpress out of Owatonna, MN.  This company heard them speak at a state FACS conference last winter, sent them to speak at a national conference in Florida last summer, and now have given them a wonderful opportunity by publishing their FACS curriculum.  The company is even looking to have them speak at more conferences next summer!  When asked about this opportunity, Mrs. Smith shared, “The SHIP grant opened the door to a new way for us to teach foods and nutrition.  We now teach with the theme being food with integrity.  Food with integrity means thinking about what you put into your mouth and where it came from and what it does for your body.  We are excited and grateful for every opportunity we have had to share our passion for Farm to School with others!”

Changes Coming for Your Child’s Lunch at School

The USDA released significant changes earlier this year and schools are now preparing to create a food environment that many parents strive for their children when at home;

- Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;

- Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;

- Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;

- Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and

- Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The changes will be phased in over the next 3 years; the initial changes will be focused on school lunches. This is a step in the right direction, but we know change is hard. Eating healthier is more expensive and our school districts don’t necessarily have extra money just lying around. The job of being a school cook is often underappreciated and misunderstood.

We urge you be patient and understanding with what your school is going through. Ask questions and get involved! The intended outcome is well worth it; children having access/ability to eat healthier foods while at school. Which we can link to improved performance in school and maybe a happier child when they come home from school.

For more information on the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act check out:

http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/SchSup/FNS/index.html

http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Legislation/CNR_2010.htm

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CDC Releases State-level Obesity Prevalance for 2011

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has just released this map and other interesting data that helps to understand the prevalance of obesity across the United States. Click on the link below to access additional information about obesity among U.S. adults.

http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html

A New Study Signals Change in MN Kids' Health

Through the Annie E. Casey Foundation, a report has been released called, "KIDS COUNT". The information is quite extensive.

You can see how MN ranks, compares to other states and even find indicators at the county level.

Why should you care and look at the report?

MN continues to be a healthy place to raise children, but we are slipping. A number of factors are contributing to this trend, but most notable is the growing disparaties and socioeconomic factors.

Here is a link to the report:

KIDS COUNT Data Center

KIDS COUNT Overall Rank - Data Across States

Pitch the Commissioner - Wright County July 31, 2012

July 31 Commissioner Visit

You Are Invited to a Strategic Planning Session for Live Wright – July 12th!

We are trying to widen our reach and hear from voices out in our community about what you think can be done to continue our work to create healthy, livable communities.

All Community Leadership Team members, former grantees and community members are encouraged to attend. Please RSVP to livewrightwc@gmail.com if you are able to join us.

Since 2009, Live Wright has invested nearly $300,000 throughout Wright County to support policy, system and environmental changes to make the healthy choice, the healthier choice in local schools and in our communities. This work was started under the Statewide Health Improvement Program (SHIP). While we no longer receive those grant dollars, we are still faced with a mounting problem of the chronic diseases caused by physical inactivity, unhealthy eating and tobacco use.

So, what do we do? If you want to help us answer the question and be part of the solution – join Live Wright on July 12^th! Refreshments and healthy snacks will be provided.

When: 2:30 – 4:30pm

Where: Wright County Human Services, room 127.

Life is like riding a bicycle, to keep your balance, you must keep moving… Albert Einstein

Do you love to be outdoors? Do you like to meet new people? Do you want to be healthy, happy and fit? Then join the Buffalo Bike club. The club is rather new to the Buffalo- Hanover- Montrose area. It was founded in 2011. It has had great success and many active members. The Buffalo Bike Club is a great way to get out and meet new people in your community. There is no cost to be a member and no age limit. The Buffalo Bike Club allows a person to experience the benefits of riding bike and joining a club.

·         Bike riding increases physical benefits as you age.

·         It offers exercise without pain.

·         It is gentle on joints and helps preserve cartilage.

·         Bike riding increases the health of your heart as well as helps fight weight gain and waistline expansion.

·         Riding a bike outdoors gives you a better effective workout vs. a stationary bike indoors.

·         It is a great way to release stress, besides all that, its fun.

Not only does bike riding benefit your health, it also benefits the environment.

·         Riding bike is cheaper than driving a car.

·         It reduces your carbon foot print.

·         When you ride bike it allows you to wake up and smell the world around you.

Check out the Buffalo Bike Club on Face book   

Monthly meeting are held on the 3^rd Thursday of the month: June 21, July 19 and August 16 at 7 PM. All meetings are held in the Discovery Center, District Office Conference Room.

Rides are held the following Saturdays: June 23 (Luce Line), July 21 and August 18 (July and August locations TBD).

Substitute a Child’s “Screen Time” with “Sun Screen” this Summer

I recently came across this stat that I found troubling –

“Children now consume more than 7.5 hours of media every single day”

There are an abundance of local and county parks at our disposal here in Wright County. Additionally, parents can look to their local community ed for some great programs to get their children involved in this summer.  Check out your local school districts website for more information.

Obesity Costs Us To Many Lives and To Much Money

Today, numerous news oultets are telling the sobering story, as a nation we are simply maintaining our unhealthy weight.

The report suggests an additional 30 million Americans will be obese in 18 years. This would cost an additional $549.5 billion on medical expenditures, according to the report in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

About 35% of U.S. adults are obese today, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The obesity projections were released at the CDC's Weight of the Nation conference, which is focused on preventing this growing health problem. A four-part HBO documentary with the same title begins airing next week.

You Can Help a Local School win $15,000 for a NEW Playground!

Vote for Otsego!  Help us win $15,000 for a new playground!

Otsego Elementary School has been registered in a contest to win $15,000 and they need as many votes as possible to win.  They would use this money toward our new playground!

Go to http://www.savevotewin.com/ between March 15-31 and select Otsego to vote!  It takes less than a minute.  The school with the most votes wins and their local Cartridge World rep says there are not many schools registered - so let's go for it!  The school with the most votes wins, and two other schools win by random drawings.
Please forward this message on to friends and post it on facebook and/or twitter.  You can vote once per day with every email address you have.  Help them get funds for their school with little effort!

(This contest is sponsored by Cartridge World, a leading retailer of ink and toner cartridges.  A local Cartridge World store is giving everyone a discount coupon just for voting!  They are excited at the opportunity to partner with our local sales manager, Jason Waldron and the Otsego Cartridge World store.  Thank you for supporting their school and local business.  The winning school will be announced on April 30th.)

Year 2 Progress Brief - Minnesota Statewide Health Improvement Program

The state health department has submitted their SHIP progress report to the Minnesota Legislature.

It is certainly worth the time to read ttheir report, because it shows that the work we have been doing works and is making a difference in our communites. Change is being made across the state of Minnesota, something we can all be proud of.

Thank you to all our partners for helping our local SHIP work be so successful. We couldn't have done this without you. We are not one of the current SHIP grantees, but are continuing Live Wright and will continue to do what we can to make the healthy choice, the easy choice!

MN2020: A Safer Ride to School

Check out Live Wright at the Health Fair tomorrow!

Our booth will be in line with the observance of March being the National Nutrition Month, stop by to see an eye opening display of the sugar in common beverages.

A recent report shows that about 16% of calories in the diets of children and adolescents (during 2005 to 2008) came from added sugars!

Only 3 Days till the Challenge Begins! Don't Miss Out!

Only 3 Days Left to Join Live Wright in the BizicallyFIT Challenge! Need some incentive? 8 spots on the team remain. We will give you a Live Wright polo for joining our team and completing the challenge! http://healthiermn.com/why-you-need-this/bizically-fit-program 

 

Justice is Achievable, Even Against the Tobacco Industry

Screening of this documentary is coming to Minnesota soon!

Mark Your Calendars - Buffalo Health Fair is Mar. 3rd!

Buffalo Community Health Fair 2012

"Let Food Be Thy Medicine," - Hippocrates

Transportation and Health By the Numbers | Public Health

Transportation and Health By the Numbers Public Health

A recent workshop presents some interesting details about the connection of Transportation and our Health:

- Three trillion vehicle miles are traveled in the U.S. each year, according to the Federal Highway Research Administration.
- Between 1990 and 2009 the vehicle miles traveled for passenger cars and trucks has increased by 39 percent, said David Ragland, PhD, MPH, Director of the Safe Transportation Research and Education Center at the University of California at Berkeley.
- Every additional hour spent in a car is associated with a 6% increase in the risk of obesity, and every kilometer walked is associated with a 5% decrease in obesity risk, said Raymond.
- Thirty-six percent of adults don’t report any leisure time physical activity; 88% don’t meet federal guidelines for the recommended amount of activity.
- The estimated medical costs of inactivity top $75 billion per year.
- Walking and biking are the top leisure physical activities of choice in the U.S., and are also the top utilitarian physical activities.
- Public transit users walk a median of 19 minutes daily getting to and from transit stops. Nearly 30 percent of transit users exceed the 30 minutes of recommended physical activity per day.

Tobacco Control in Minnesota; The Grades Are In

The American Lung Association just released it's tenth annual State of Tobacco Control. Here is how Minnesota faired:

1. Tobacco Prevention and Control Spending: F
2. Smokefree Air: A
3. Cigarette Tax: C
4. Cessation: D

To see the complete state report, click here.

Live Wright Team Members Needed for the 2012 BizicallyFIT Health Challenge

Registration officially begins on January 23rd and the challenge will begin on February 13th! Live Wright has created a team on the 2012 BizicallyFIT Health Challenge. Space on the team is limited to 12 members, so don't miss your chance to be part of a fun, healthy start to 2012!