Santa came early this year delivering more than $48,000 in grant funds to the Healthy School Team Leaders for each of the 12 Winter Park Consortium schools at their holiday party at the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) on December 11.
Representatives of the Dairy Council of Florida played the part of Santa, presenting king-sized versions of grant checks to HST Leaders and their principals who joined them for the party. They also brought along a photo booth, games and a bicycle blender to add to the festivities.
Above: Bike blending on the Fender Blender Pro
The grants were awarded through the Dairy Council of Florida’s Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP60) program. The program was created by the National Football League in collaboration with the National Dairy Council to decrease child obesity. As part of the program, schools are invited to apply for grant funding for programs and activities that encourage healthy eating and physical activity.
Grant dollars will be used for a variety of projects ranging from the purchase of blender bikes children ride to make smoothies to the creation of a cooking club, the support for healthy food and smoothie tastings, and the addition of a white board to promote healthy eating.
To promote physical activity, the grants will be used to buy pedometers, bicycle helmets, roller skates and related safety supplies, bicycles, heart rate monitors and a table tennis set.
The partnership with the Dairy Council of Florida is new this school year, and was made possible with the help of Melodie Griffin. She serves as an independent contractor to the Winter Park Health Foundation (WPHF) responsible for coordinating bi-monthly HST leader meetings, providing technical support and helping identify resources and external funding sources to help leaders in meet their goals.
Do you know of a school that needs help funding a bike blender in 2014? Please direct them here!
Story Source: http://healthykidstoday.org/2013/12/dairy-council-awards-48000-plus-to-healthy-school-teams/