Posted by Jaime Mulligan, White House New Media Analyst for Public Health on March 23, 2011
On Monday, April 25, the First Family will welcome children from around the D.C. area to the White House for the annual White House Easter Egg Roll. Starting today, elementary and middle school students from D.C, Maryland, and Virginia are invited to submit their poster design for the White House Easter Egg Roll Poster Contest. The winning poster will be selected by the First Lady and will serve as the official poster for the Easter Egg Roll.
Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on March 22, 2011
In February of last year, I spoke at the National Press Club and outlined a vision and path for improving the health and well-being of kids across the nation by enhancing our nutrition assistance programs. I made a commitment that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) would continue to help bridge the nutrition gap when school is out because our efforts to combat hunger and improve nutrition cannot end when the school bell rings on the last day of the school week or year.
Posted by Arn Menconi, Founder and Executive Director, SOS Outreach on March 21, 2011
Last weekend, almost 450 kids around the country hit the slopes for a weekend of snowboarding and skiing with youth outdoor nonprofit SOS Outreach in Colorado, California, Washington, New Mexico and Arizona.
Posted by Kyle Lierman, White House Sports Liaison on March 18, 2011
Last week, the Stanley Cup Champion Chicago Blackhawks stopped by the White House. As part of their visit, they helped run a street hockey workout with some local kids. First Lady Michelle Obama, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, and USA Hockey Executive Director Dave Ogrean also participated. The clinic is part of new collaboration between Mrs. Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative, the NHL and USA Hockey to encourage American children to lead active and healthy lives. Watch the video here:
Posted by Dr. James Galloway, Acting HHS Regional Director and HHS Regional Health Administrator for Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin on March 17, 2011
The middle of March in the upper Midwest is not ordinarily a time to have much of a conversation about fresh fruits and vegetables, but the people I met in Detroit this morning are far from ordinary. Let’s Move! Detroit’s community partner Green Ribbon Collaborative, invited me to stop by the Eastern Market, one of the oldest urban farmers’ markets in the country, to learn how their unique partnership is making fresh produce a more appealing option for busy families.
Posted by Debbie Smoot, Regional Public Affairs Director, USDA Food and Nutrition Service, Southeast Region, Atlanta, GA on March 17, 2011
Most Olympians will tell you that going for the “gold” is never an easy road. They will also tell you that it is an achievement that requires dedication and hard work, but the rewards are well worth the effort. Those rewards are even greater when the outcome improves the health and well-being of children.
Posted by Robin Schepper, Executive Director of Let’s Move! on March 17, 2011
Cross-posted from the White House blog
Yesterday afternoon, First Lady Michelle Obama replanted the White House garden on the South Lawn with elementary students from local DC schools. Now in its third year, the garden includes spinach, peas, lettuce, broccoli, blueberries, raspberries and other vegetables and herbs.
Posted by Judy Baker, Regional Director for Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, and Missouri on March 17, 2011
At the request of Mayor Carson Ross, the Blue Springs, Missouri City Council unanimously passed a resolution of commitment on March 7 supporting the Let’s Move! initiative. Blue Springs will tackle preventing childhood obesity from multiple angles, focusing on involvement of diverse segments in the community, collaboration, and measurable results. Many community partners, such as the school district, local hospital, YMCA, and the fire department have signed letters of commitment to the initiative.
Posted by Dennis Michael, Mayor of Rancho Cucamonga, CA on March 15, 2011
Our City of Rancho Cucamonga, California is located in the largest county in the contiguous United States and the fourth most obese. The county has the highest death rate from heart disease and the ninth highest death rate from diabetes. The county, moreover, has the state’s worst access to healthy food with six times as many unhealthy food retail outlets as healthy ones. Two out of every three residents are considered obese or overweight and three out of every four school children do not meet fitness standards.
Posted by Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey on March 15, 2011
On February 16th, President Obama announced the release of the America’s Great Outdoors Report. The report lays out a conservation and recreation agenda for the 21st century, which was created with and for the American people. As a result of 21 youth listening sessions, we heard loud and clear that access is one of the biggest barriers in providing urban youth the opportunity to recreate and have fun in the outdoors.
Posted by Annie Ceccarini, Outreach Coordinator, The People’s Garden Initiative on March 15, 2011
Last month USDA facilitated a school garden design session and since that time, landscape architects Matt Arnn and Bob Snieckus have been working hard to incorporate parent, teacher and student ideas into an ideal plan that would transform the large expanse of asphalt at Powell Elementary School in Washington, DC into a People’s Garden.
Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on March 9, 2011
We know that to win the future, we have to ensure that our kids have access to nutritious meals and healthy lifestyles.
Last September, First Lady Michelle Obama launched the Recipes for Healthy Kids competition to bring together chefs, school nutrition professionals, students and parents who work in teams to develop nutritious, delicious, kid-approved recipes for use in schools.
Posted by Judy Baker, HHS Regional Director for Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, & Nebraska on March 7, 2011
Dozens of St. Louis elementary school students kicked off the second year of Let’s Move! with a dancing, stretching, and stepping celebration at Ford Community Education and Full Service School.
Posted by James Arena-DeRosa, Regional Administrator for USDA’s Food and Nutrition Service on March 4, 2011
After a cold and snowy month of school closings, the sun shone on February 10, just in time to present eight elementary schools in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, with Bronze awards in the HealthierUS School Challenge.
Posted by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on March 3, 2011
In the President’s recent State of Union Address, he spoke candidly about winning the future. I can’t think of a better way to achieve that than by ensuring our Nation’s children are provided a healthy school environment to learn, grow and thrive.
