Posted by Allison Eckhardt, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA’s National Institute for Food and Agriculture on April 12, 2011
“I pledge my Head to clearer thinking, my Heart to greater loyalty, my Hands to larger service and my Health to better living, for my club, my community, my country, and my world.” This is the pledge that 300 4-H youth and volunteers gave on Monday when the 2011 National 4-H Conference kicked off in Bethesda, Md. Youth and adults from 47 states and territories, as well a delegation from Canada, took part in an event that has happened in the Washington area since the 1920s, when 4-Hers slept in tents on the Washington Mall in front of the USDA headquarters. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, or NIFA, is the parent organization to 4-H National Headquarters. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Education Secretary Arne Duncan spoke to 4-Hers about community service, valuing education, and embracing positive health and nutrition habits.
Posted by Lauren Marchetti, Director, National Center for Safe Routes to Schools on April 12, 2011
Shortly after the signs of spring begin to show – be it rain or snow showers – folks in the Safe Routes to School world begin to think about Walk to School Day registration. This year’s event will be celebrated across America on Wednesday, October 5, and I hope Let’s Move! supporters can join the fun. After all, it’s an international celebration of families and communities being active – together – on the way to school.
Posted by Dr. Rebecca Bunnell, ScD, Med, Program Director, Communities Putting Prevention to Work on April 11, 2011
In Auburn, Washington, more than 30 percent of Auburn adults are obese, and the area is home to the highest levels of adult obesity in the Seattle-King County area. But Auburn High School students have embarked an effort to change that. The school’s campaign, titled COMMIT TO FIT, encourages healthy behaviors and rewards participants for smart choices.
Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on April 11, 2011
Soon after moving into the White House, the First Lady along with local elementary school children planted The Kitchen Garden at the White House, the first garden of its kind on White House grounds since Eleanor Roosevelt’s Victory Garden during World War II.
Posted by Cindy McArthur, National Partnership Office, U.S. Forest Service on April 7, 2011
Under a bright Hawaiian sun, a group of girls ages 11 to 18 planted a special vegetable garden that will not only teach others about ecosystems but will also help endangered sea turtles. The project is inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! campaign and the USDA People’s Garden Initiative. The girls, who attend the same church in Mililani, Hawaii, needed a community service project. Sea Life Park on Oahu had land and a seed of an idea to plant a garden. The U.S. Forest Service helped to bring the two groups together.
Posted by Kathryn Sosbe, Office of Communication, U.S. Forest Service on April 7, 2011
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday the infusion of $1 million from the current U.S. Forest Service budget toward projects and programs that get kids outside to experience the great outdoors, connect with nature and help nurture future land stewards.
Posted by Sefa Aina and Hines Ward on April 7, 2011
Over the weekend, more than 1500 Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) youth and family members joined celebrity fitness trainer, Jillian Michaels, and professional athletes Troy Polamalu and Marcus McNeil at the University of California, Los Angeles, to answer the First Lady’s call. Our goal: draw attention to the increasing rate of childhood obesity among NHPI youth and promote physical activity and healthy living.
Posted by Debbie Smoot, Director, Public Affairs Southeast Region, USDA, Food and Nutrition Service on April 7, 2011
Back in January, we posted a blog about the Chefs Move to Schools initiative, called Chef Helps Special Needs School Children Explore New Foods. The story highlighted the efforts of Morning Star School, Orlando, Fla., and created a windfall of support in the local community for the Morning Star Foodies. The Morning Star Foodies are the special needs students involved in the school’s Let’s Move! program.
Posted by Jaime Mulligan on April 7, 2011
Recently, First Lady Michelle Obama, along with school children from DC-area schools Bancroft Elementary and Harriet Tubman Elementary, planted the kitchen garden. Now in its third year, this planting season the garden included spinach, peas, lettuce, broccoli, blueberries, raspberries and other vegetables and herbs.
