First Lady Michelle Obama last week visited New Hampshire where she applauded that state's great work in making healthier kids a priority and recognized their success at tailoring the Let’s Move! goals to meet community-specific needs.
Mrs. Obama stressed that programs encouraging kids to stay active before and after school and to take part in growing their own fruits and vegetables in a community center garden are demonstrate exactly how Let's Move! can and should work on the ground:
Ed. note: This was originally posted on the White House Blog.
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has declared March 8, 2012 as "What's on My Plate?" day to help raise awareness about the importance of choosing healthy, nutritious foods to fill our plates.
Posted by Heidi Christensen, Associate Director at the HHS Center for Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships on March 7, 2012
One of the highlights of this year’s Annual Health Summit in Orlando, FL sponsored by the North American Division of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, was the Adventist InStep for Life Celebration and Awards event. This year’s program marked the extraordinary achievements of Adventist hospitals, health ministers and congregations who are leading the way in increasing opportunities for physical activity and access to healthy, affordable food in their communities.
On Friday, First Lady Michelle Obama was in Charlotte, North Carolina to celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. The CIAA is the oldest African-American athletic conference in the U.S. and the First Lady joined area school children for a Let's Move! event on the court before the annual CIAA Basketball Tournament.
Posted by Ali Kelley, Deputy Associate Director for Let’s Move Outside! on February 27, 2012
This January marked the fourth annual Learn to Ski and Snowboard Month (LSSM). The month-long effort aims to get children and adults of all experience levels on the slopes for an active start to the New Year. LSSM began in 2009 with a few select programs and has since grown to include more than 300 ski resorts in 33 states. Throughout the month of January, these resorts provided introductory ski and snowboard lessons to more than 80,000 children and adults across the country for free or at a reduced price.
Faith and community groups are leading the way! That was the theme of First Lady Michelle Obama’s speech celebrating the second anniversary of Let’s Move! last weekend. The First Lady visited Northland, A Church Distributed in Longwood, Florida as part of her three-day anniversary tour celebrating the nationwide initiative she launched to end childhood obesity in a generation. At the event, the First Lady spoke to over 3,000 Let’s Move Faith and Communities supporters of diverse backgrounds, including congregants, community members, and leaders from 120 congregations and organizations in the Central Florida area, representing 15 different faiths and denominations. The First Lady was graciously welcomed by Dr. Joel Hunter, senior pastor of Northland, and Mrs. Becky Hunter.
Posted by Jennifer Seymour, Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on February 15, 2012
As we mark the second anniversary of Let’s Move! , we are celebrating the progress that has been made in providing children with a healthier future. One Let’s Move! initiative, Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSB2S), has committed to placing 6,000 salad bars in schools nationwide. The goal of LMSB2S is to help schools increase the amount and variety of fruits and vegetables that are offered. This goal supports the new USDA school meal patterns and will encourage kids to eat more fruits and vegetables.
Posted by Laura Jernegan, Intern in the Youth Office, Department of the Interior on February 14, 2012
Recess is often a child’s favorite part of the school day, but it is also one of the most fundamental venues for children to learn the healthy habits of physical activity that help to minimize the likelihood of childhood and adult obesity, as well as its related health risks. Many children living with physical and developmental challenges may not have the same opportunities for physical activity as their peers. Dreams for Kids changes that by giving children with physical and developmental challenges the opportunity to participate in the First Lady’s Let’s Move! Campaign though their Extreme Recess Program.
Posted by Yvonne M. Davis, MPH, Education Specialist with the Bureau of Indian Education on February 14, 2012
The students at Flandreau Indian School (FIS) are embarking on a traditional, yet new, method of preparing healthier foods. What makes this project unique is that students are cooking with buffalo meat for various dishes and developing their own recipes. These types of activities are performed after school or as weekend projects and are structured with information to educate the students about why buffalo meat is a healthier choice.
Posted by Marissa Duswalt, RD, Truman Albright Fellow, USDA Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships on February 13, 2012
In the heart of New York City, Mt. Carmel-Holy Rosary School is as a beacon of hope for the communities of East Harlem. The Catholic school serves 280 students in Pre-K through 8th grade, and one hundred percent of students qualify for Free Lunch in the National School Lunch Program. According to the New York City Department of Health, more than 4 in 10 elementary school children in East and Central Harlem are overweight or obese. East Harlem currently has the highest rate of childhood asthma hospitalizations in New York City, and over 25% of the area’s children suffer from the condition. Principal Suzanne Kaszynski is taking big strides to address those trends with MyPlate, USDA’s new food icon, in a school-wide effort to prevent childhood obesity and long-term risks for chronic disease.
First Lady Michelle Obama participates in a running event during the “Getting Active is Fun” event at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando Florida, during the First Lady’s tour celebrating the second anniversary of the “Let’s Move!” initiative. (Official White House Photo by Chuck Kennedy)
In Iowa, she danced the Interlude and in Orlando, she did the Platypus Walk. First Lady Michelle Obama led a crowd of Florida schoolchildren and Disney stars in a dance inspired by the cartoon "Phineas and Ferb" during a Let's Move event at ESPN's Wide World of Sports on the third and final day of the Let's Move Birthday tour. Check it out:
On the third and final day of her Let's Move 2nd Birthday tour, First Lady Michelle Obama visited Northland Church in Orlando, Florida to thank faith and community leaders from 120 congregations and organizations who represented15 different faiths and denominations. Mrs Obama praised the group, and their congregations, for their tireless efforts in helping fulfull the core mission of the initiative: eliminating childhood obesity in a generation.
