Twenty years ago the neighborhood where Chicago's Eden Place Nature Center now sits lingered in pollution and lead poisoning caused by freight trains to the West, idling long hours next to their homes, and the Dan Ryan Expressway to the East, whose heavy volume of cars spewing leaded gas contributed to dense air and toxic soil for residents. Seeing residents become accustomed to the resulting health issues – including severe asthma and numerous tracheotomies, community activists decided the air pollution and illegal dumping on the vacant lots needed to stop.

Six months ago the Apps for Healthy Kids competition called upon Americans to design engaging online or mobile games and tools to educate people of all ages about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. As part of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! initiative, this challenge brought together solvers from across the Nation.

Today, the First Lady hosted a special event for the spouses of Chiefs of State and Heads of Government participating in the United Nations General Assembly at the Stone Barns Center, a non-profit farm and education center north of New York City.

Editors note: Organizing a meetup is a great way to get involved and support your community.  Below, a team of Federal employees share how they set up their first meetup. We are a team of six Federal employees enrolled in a 9-month long Executive Leadership Program (ELP). We come from different agencies, Department of Education, US Department of Agriculture, General Services Administration, Department of Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, and Department of Defense – Navy.  As part of ELP, we were tasked to come up with a team project that was designed around an issue or policy matter facing an agency, non-profit organization, or other entity.