The 2008 Bryan Woodward Community Grant Recipients are as follows:

• The Faces of  Hope - Richmond, VA
• YMCA of Greater Des Moines - Trim Kids
• Christus Schumpert Health System Foundation, Shreveport, LA - Project 5210
• Middle Tennessee State University Foundation, Nashville - Shape IQ
• Orvis Risner Elementary School, Edmond, OK - Healthy Kids Week
• Slidell, LA Memorial Hospital Foundation - Fit as a Firefighter

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The Faces of Hope - Richmond, VA - Project Name: Prevention before the Crisis

Program Activities and Description:
Prevention before the Crisis is a one-year program of physical activity and nutrition education for children ages 6-18 years old. These children are in the 85th – 95th percentile (at risk of overweight) and the 95th + (overweight) in terms of BMI (Body Mass Index). The program’s unique feature is that we work in the child’s home environment and with the family. The Support team consists of a fitness trainer and nutritionist personally assigned to the child. The HOPE staff and referral resources are available as needed. The Support team will develop a physical activity plan and nutrition plan especially for that child including their personal interest and cultural preferences. The Support team will work one-on-one with the family to achieve the child’s goals and report progress on a periodic basis throughout the program.

HOPE’S program is a combination of the “best practices” of various resources and programs, including but not limited to:

• The American Council on Exercise (ACE) fitness program

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services “We can! Energize our Community: Toolkit for Action”

• Virginia Department of Health’s “I am moving, I am learning: A proactive Approach for Addressing Childhood Obesity”

• U.S. Department of Agriculture – Center for Nutrition

• National Association for Sport and Physical Education

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YMCA of Greater Des Moines - Project Name: Trim Kids Program

Program Activities and Description:
Trim Kids is a multi-disciplinary 12-week plan for overweight children (ages 6-18 years), which gives parents and children an approach to lifetime weight management, thus decreasing the likelihood of developing diabetes.

Trim Kids is an established, individualized approach to weight management that understands the needs of overweight children vary with their ranges of obesity. Referrals from pediatricians are the primary source of applicants to the program, based on BMY over the 95th percentile. The 12-week program focuses on dietary intervention, physical exercise and behavioral/emotional counseling in order to comprehensively address the underlying issues of youth obesity and achieve and maintain long-term success.

The overall goal of Trim Kids is to prevent and manage youth obesity, lowering the likelihood of developing diabetes and other diseases.

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Christus Schumpert Health System Foundation, Shreveport, LA - Project Name: Project 5210

Program Activities and Description:
Project 5210 – the code for healthier children:

• 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day

• 2 hours or less of TV or computer viewing per day

• 1 hour of physical activity/exercise per day

• 0 tolerance for alcohol, tobacco and drugs

The childhood obesity program, Project 5210, is offered to the community free of charge and is composed of three sections: family, school and individual.

PROJECT 5210’s main goal is to increase the knowledge of nutrition, exercise, behavior and health for the child and parent while fostering an environment that strives for a healthy lifestyle for each unique participant. Success is not only based on weight loss, but on positive lifestyle changes and increase in knowledge that enables the child and parent to establish health habits throughout life. Besides nutritional education and knowledge of caloric intake, it is important for families to also understand the societal behaviors which are contributing to childhood obesity. PROJECT 5210 is an effective tool in combating childhood obesity by presenting a fun, interesting and reliable educational program for all children.

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Middle Tennessee State University Foundation, Nashville - Project Name: Shape IQ

Shape IQ will educate groups of university students on the importance of strength training, in addition to walking, in combating obesity.

Program Activities and Description:
In recent studies resistance band strength has been shown to be even more effective than other types. The reason: the utility and versatility of the method. The most crucial factor in strength training is consistency. Because of their portability, easy handling and storage the bands win out in overall consistency of use. They are very inexpensive in comparison to other equipment as well, which is another big plus.

Young people at college age are in the final formative stages of brain and personality development. The prefrontal cortex where executive function and right and wrong decision making is done is solidifying at this life stage. It is one of the biologically best times to instill a rational and positive lifestyle habit. Obesity is a problem that is much more easily prevented than it is changed. This program can play a pivotal role at a critical juncture in these young people’s lives. It will give them an avenue to practice a very important health habit for the rest of their lives. Adherents of the program can expect to raise their ratio of lean body mass while lowering their amount of body fat! It should be kept in mind that muscle burns many times more energy even at rest than fat does. The higher muscle to fat ratio will also facilitate movement exercise. An expected change would be more strength exercisers.

With a steady dose of this program going on, the community can expect a more and more healthy populace. It also can be expected that local health related insurance claims will eventually start to diminish.

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Orvis Risner Elementary School, Edmond, OK - Project Name: Healthy Kids Week

Program Activities and Description:
The objectives of Healthy Kids Week:

• Provide students with sound nutritional advice in which they will be able to make informed decisions about what they consume.

• Study the impact of nutrition and exercise on the student’s academic performance.

• Raise awareness of hidden calories, nutritional deficiencies, empty calories and basic nutritional recommendations.

This week included a school-wide assembly with guest Chef Dave Fouts who discussed the benefits of healthy eating in jeopardy game format. Chef Dave then guided the kitchen staff and was allowed to “tweak” the menu to provide a healthy meal that was less than 500 calories. This included a baked potato bar, turkey filling, fresh vegetable bar, baked tortillas and homemade strawberry shortcakes.

Chef Dave also conducted mini cooking demonstrations and nutritional information sessions in small group setting. These lessons provided essential information for the students and allowed them to ask some very important questions, such as: “How many calories should I consume in a day?” “How long will it take to me to burn off the calories from lunch?”

A poster contest and essay contest were also held. The topic for this contest was: “How healthy choices affect my Future.”

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Slidell, LA Memorial Hospital Foundation - Project Name: Fit as a Firefighter

Program Activities and Description:
The Fit as a Firefighter program’s mission is: For overweight children to gain knowledge of healthy nutritional and fitness choices while gaining the strength and self-confidence needed to develop a positive self image and personal coping mechanisms, along with learning about safety in their homes, schools and communities. Our goal is to improve the health of Louisiana’s families and ultimately chare this successful program with other organizations throughout the country. With childhood obesity being increasingly prevalent, the percentage will continue to rise if steps are not taken to prevent it.

The Fit as a Firefighter summer camp offers 80 families educational access to create healthy lifestyles through a free weeklong day camp and additional educational offerings to parents through the “Becoming Healthier” – Parent Nutrition Nights. The Fit as a Firefighter summer program offers the free camp to children of low to moderate incomes.  Periodic follow-up and consultations via email or phone interviews also are conducted throughout the year to provide support and additional education.