Success Stories
Looking for ideas to help your organization get moving? Check out the stories below and at Communities on the Move to learn about the great work faith-based and neighborhood organizations are doing across the country to improve the health of their communities! Share your story with us by emailing partnerships@hhs.gov or collaborate@usda.gov.
Faith and Community Success Stories
Working with Faith and Community Leaders to Help Families Live Healthier and More Active Lives
This year, Let’s Move Faith & Communities is teaming up with the National Institutes of Health’s We Can! (Ways to Enhance Children’s Activity & Nutrition)® program! We Can! is a national education program designed to provide families, caregivers and communities the science-based tips, tools and strategies that they can use to help children eat right, move more and reduce screen time.
Watch the Winning Videos of Communities on the Move Video Challenge
How is your community moving? The First Lady recognized two winning videos at the White House yesterday for their incredible work to make their communities healthier.
Watch the Communities on the Move Video Challenge Event Live
Today, watch First Lady Michelle Obama and Sam Kass, the White House Assistant Chef and Senior Policy Advisor for Healthy Food Initiatives, honor the winners of the Communities on the Move Video Challenge.
Change Is Happening in Mississippi
First Lady Michelle Obama visited Clinton, Mississippi today to highlight the progress made across the state to decrease childhood obesity. From elementary schools all the way to the state capitol, people are stepping up and working together for the health of our kids. So what is Mississippi's secret to success?
An Outdoor Learning Center for Kids
Sometimes a passionate community is all it takes to make change really happen. Just take a look at how far Fireside Elementary School in Louisville, Colorado has come since 2007. Like other schools around the country, Fireside Elementary School wanted to teach kids about healthy eating. Despite being under tight financial means, the school was able to improve school meals, thanks to the Boulder Valley’s School Food Project, which rallied members within the community around this important cause to raise money for all schools within the Boulder district, including Fireside Elementary. A group of parents also volunteered their time to help build a school garden.
Healthy Eating Habits Start from the Ground Up
You can't have a great city without great schools. And you can't have great schools if students arrive each morning poorly nourished and out of shape.
The connection between a city and its schools was the prime motivating factor that pushed me to run for Mayor in 2008. Our collaborative success -- raising awareness about the critical connection between Sacramento and its schools -- was a major factor in deciding to continue the work for a second term.
Girl Scout Earns Highest Achievement, Inspired by Let's Move!
Everywhere I turned, I saw the great problem of childhood obesity. Things had changed over the short time from my childhood. Today's children were not getting the physical activity or food they needed. I was going to change that with the use of my Girl Scouts Gold Award. I was inspired by First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let's Move! initiative and by my younger cousin DJ, who is obese. I have a great love of sports and knew there had to be something to tie healthy living together with sports. Then the idea was born.
4-H Youth Leaders Motivate Campers toward Good Health
Ed. Note: This article is a cross post from USDA's Blog
The Louisiana State 4-H Food and Fitness Camp is joining the Let’s Move! initiative to combat childhood obesity through improved nutrition and increased physical activity. As a camp for fourth and fifth graders designed and run by high school 4-H teens, the program motivates campers to eat healthier and move more.
This year, the 4-H Food and Fitness Camp incorporated a jungle safari-themed experience, showing campers that eating right and exercising can be fun! Dressed in wild animal costumes and surrounded by fake vines, the campers and counselors played games and learned about nutrition.
Communities on the Move Video Challenge Winners Announced
The winners of the Communities on the Move Video Challenge have been chosen! Since First Lady Michelle Obama announced the Video Challenge in February, Let’s Move Faith and Communities has been inspired by every congregation and community that submitted a video highlighting how they are promoting healthy lifestyles for kids. From putting on nutrition-themed puppet shows in Connecticut to advocating for safer play spaces in Colorado and preaching healthy living from the pulpit in Florida, the ideas in these videos demonstrate the commitment that communities across the country have to reversing the trend of childhood obesity within a generation.
Kicking off the Summer Meals!
Once school gets out, where do your kids get nutritious meals for breakfast and lunch? Many families have trouble getting meals on the table over the summer, but this week marked the start of summer food service at thousands of sites across the country where kids can get healthy meals and snacks.
