Individuals, organizations, schools, and companies around the nation are making healthy changes for youth and with youth in the environments they care about. We call these our success stories, but each story doesn’t necessarily start off as a success. There are always challenges and obstacles on the way to sustainable change. These are the stories of the committed people and groups who didn’t let anything stand in their way on their path to creating a healthier future for our nation’s youth.
Four Stories of Hope in West Virginia
Anyone who lives in West Virginia will tell you that the 2013-2014 school year was a tough one. Fierce winter weather forced some school districts to close for more than 30 days. Water contamination left more areas struggling to get back on track and the legislative session resulted in some health advocates feeling defeated.
Despite their challenges, rural communities are showing signs of hope. Read four stories that illustrate how people and organizations are making West Virginia a healthier place to live, work, and play.
Seeking Balance and Health in the Navajo Nation
In the area the size of West Virginia, spanning across parts of Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, sits the Navajo Nation. Rates of overweight, obesity and type 2 diabetes are currently extremely high in Native American communities but members of the community and schools are working together to make healthy changes for their children’s futures. Today there is a movement to reverse these rates, and encourage health and wellness while preserving culture and tradition.
Snack Shack to the Lunch Line
The Plain Local School District got an early start on transitioning to healthier foods three years ago when it decided to join the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program. Joining the program gave the district tangible goals and encouraged district and school staff to begin a complete overhaul of the food and beverage items they were selling to students through vending machines and a la carte lines (items sold separately in the cafeteria). The following year, when Ohio passed Senate Bill 210, nutritional guidelines for competitive foods (food sold outside of the federally reimbursed school meal program) in schools based on the Alliance’s nutritional guidelines, Plain Local was already in compliance.
Hands-On Programs
CP3 Afterschool Zone is a network of providers in one New Orleans neighborhood that has made a commitment to work together to provide a variety of safe, high-quality opportunities for central city youth. Last fall, CP3’s program director had a vision to create a class devoted to health and wellness for his K-1st grade students. With the help of Alliance resources and coaching, the director reviewed several healthy eating and physical activity curricula and chose lessons that fit into CP3’s hands-on, active-learning model. CP3 then partnered with Alliance staff to infuse the existing lesson plans with play and physical activity. The results: the 8-week Health & Play curriculum!
Alliance and PepsiCo
When President Bill Clinton joined forces with the American Heart Association (AHA) in 2005, he set his sights on making lasting and far-reaching changes. Changes that would help him achieve his goal of creating a healthier generation of children. Together, this powerful union launched the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. The first effort the Alliance embarked on was bringing together leaders in the beverage industry and asking them to change the way they do business in America’s public schools.
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