This Fall: FF Wellness Corps & 3 New Schools in Boston

It’s been an exciting fall! We expanded to three new elementary schools in Boston - the Aggasiz in Jamaica Plain and the Conley and Philbrick schools in Roslindale – and launched an exciting new pilot program that places trained wellness leaders in our schools in Boston!

Fitness Forward Wellness Corps

Schools constantly struggle to keep wellness on the agenda. Especially in a time of heavy belt tightening, school wellness champions can end up with more than they handle. In response to this clear need for additional resources, Fitness Forward, created a pilot program in Boston called the Fitness Forward Wellness Corps. The pilot, launched this fall, matches trained wellness leaders with Fitness Forward schools and provides about five hours of additional man power to each of our schools’ wellness efforts each week. Trained by the Boston Public School Wellness Department and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation (AHG), our 12 leaders, each serving one of our 12 schools, are promoting wellness by leading recess activities, helping schools complete their AHG school inventory, and signing them up with Donors Choose in order to request additional material resources the school might need like basketballs or hula hoops.

Wendy Williams
We are happy to announce that Wendy Williams, a long-time partner and supporter of Fitness Forward, joined our Boston Board of Directors this fall! Wendy brings a wealth of knowledge to the board from her former role as Health and Wellness Director for Boston Connects and her current role at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts.

Boston Wellness Leader Spotlight: Ashley Carter
Ashley is a graduate of Williams College and is currently coaching the women’s downhill ski team at Boston College, working on completing her prerequisite classes for a master’s level nutrition program, and spending her Tuesdays promoting wellness at Aggasiz Elementary in Jamaica Plain. In her short time there, Ashley has made an incredible difference already. When she arrived she noticed that after students finished their lunch they had the choice of buying ice cream or chips and that the sale of these items was getting in the way of students getting recess. After the Wellness Leaders’ training by Caitlin Westfall of the Boston Public School Wellness Department and Paul McAndrew of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, Ashley knew this wasn’t allowed. The sale of ice cream and chips is prohibited in Boston schools and the wellness department is working with Food and Nutrition Services to get those items removed from the school’s food order. At the same time, Ashley began to work on the problem of recess accessibility. She met with the cafeteria staff to explain her role at the school and offer her help. On Tuesdays she takes the students outside and leads active activities to get the students moving. All students now enjoy recess one day a week because of her and it’s just the beginning!

Boston University Launches a Fitness Forward Club!
A group of former and current Fitness Forward interns and volunteers, led the establishment of a BU Fitness Forward Club this fall. The club, led my a former summer intern, Waylon Chen, will focus on providing Fitness Forward Boston with volunteer staffing at school and community events and host fundraising events to benefit Boston-based programming.

Zaineb

Today we helped out at a lively field day at Samuel Adams elementary school in East Boston complete with tug-of-war and water balloon tosses in beautiful Piers Park. The highlight was talking to Zaineb, the Ultimate D2F Champion at Samuel Adams. First I asked her what kind of name Zaineb was because I thought it was so beautiful and unusual (at least to me). She sweetly informed me that it's Moroccan. As I was giving her the fancy certificate and pair of Boston Museum of Science passes that comes with the honor of having participated every single possible month and earning the most points in her school, I asked her what she liked about the Drive 2 Fitness. "Well, before I would just go home and eat something in front of the TV and this sort of gives me a schedule." She went on, "when you first came I didn't really want to do it, but my mom said I should try but now I really like it!" As she left the field day, I watched as she excitedly showed off her certificate and pointed to the two Museum of Science passes with a huge smile on her face.

A Full & Wonderful Day!

Ellis - Haley - Emerson! We were all over the city today but I want to focus on this morning for this post.

Waylon, Young, Caroline (three amazing interns), and I spent the morning at Ellis Elementary in Roxbury helping out with their Field Day! Young and Caroline manned the bouncy castle, I manned the hula hoop station and judged the competitions (and participated!), and Waylon worked the Basketball shooting station! I had the opportunity to chat with many wonderful students at Ellis but here was my favorite conversation:

Melvin: Hey, I won a cool prize from the Drive 2 Fitness. I'm one of the best participants in my class!

Ann (Me): Oh yeah? What'd you win?

Melvin: A 100-point certificate and a folder with scorecards that I have to fill out this summer!

Me: Well, you don't have to fill out the scorecards this summer - only if you want to.

Melvin: Well, I want to!

Me: Cool. Why's that?

Melvin: Because you get cool prizes and plus, I have to work on eating healthier anyway. That's why I'm chubby.

Me: I'm so glad you like it!

Melvin: Yeah, my dad and I are trying to be really healthy. He goes running every morning and to the gym at night.

Me: Cool.

Melvin: And he makes me a big salad for dinner with meat that's... I don't know how to say that in English...

Me: Say it in Spanish. I speak Spanish.

Melvin: Sin grasa.

Me: Without fat or lean.

Melvin: yeah, without fat.

Me: So does your dad do the Drive 2 Fitness with you?

Melvin: Yeah, he helps me a lot.

This is why we do what we do. For kids like Melvin.

From left to right: Ann (Me), Young, Melvin, and below Eliana.

End of the Year Celebrations Have Begun!

Today we started our End of the Year Celebrations! Here's part of what we did today at Emerson Elementary in Roxbury - talking about Sugar-Added Drinks and handing out yummy unsweetened crimsonberry iced tea!

Nutrition Workshop Science Club for Girls

Yesterday we had the wonderful opportunity to connect with members of the Science Club for Girls and their April vacation guests (all in grades 1-5) to facilitate a 5-station kick-off event and play a few games that reinforced the five healthy behaviors we promote. It was an incredible group!

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A Poem & A Breakthrough

Yesterday I stopped by O'Donnell Elementary to pick up March scorecards and check in with Mr. B, the P.E. teacher there who is our school champion.

A third grader named Johana Guillen had written a poem that he was to give to me. It reads:

Drive 2 Fitness is the best,

Especially when you get to take a rest,

I love to play in the Spring,

'Cause you can do anything.

Since, I love to play,

I play almost everyday.

Our gym teacher helps me,

His name is Mr. B.

Drive 2 Fitness is the best,

Now it's time to take a rest.

Mr. B told me yesterday how much he values the Drive 2 Fitness program. "I was a skeptic," he told me. "But I really think this is important." He went on to say how excited he was that we are inspiring children to lead healthy lives and that he's thrilled to be doing this work so that whenever it is that these young people become motivated to lead healthier lives that they will have the knowledge and tools to do so. "And the forms," he said. "Well, that's a basic life skill to have. They're going to be filling out forms the rest of their lives!"

Michelle Obama launches Let's Move!

Our very own Jason Langheier (Founder and Chair of Fitness Forward) was invited down to DC to attend the launch of Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" initiative to tackle childhood obesity. Check out their kick-off here!

Healthy Art Contest 2009 - Our Boston Winner!!!

Congratulations to Sheren Moustafa of O'Donnell Elementary School, our Boston National Prize Winner!