National Non-profit Earth Force Receives $300K to Focus on Healthy Eating and Active Living in Three Rural Colorado Communities
Denver, CO (PRWEB) March 21, 2014 -- The Colorado Health Foundation graciously awarded national nonprofit Earth Force $300,000 over the next three years to support healthy eating and active living in the counties of Garfield, Lake, and Huerfano, Colorado. The Engaging Youth in Healthy Eating and Active Living (HEAL) program is in partnership with LiveWell Colorado, concentrating on a statewide health-focused strategy.
“Engaging Youth in HEAL will put youth in the driver’s seat to develop solutions to healthy eating and active living challenges,” says Lisa Bardwell, President/CEO of Earth Force. “Through our partnership with Livewell Colorado, we use Collective Impact to build community support around access to fresh food and recreational exercise for youth and adults.”
The program will work to increase the number of children who receive healthy meals at school and have access to healthy food and drinks in vending machines, as well as increase convenient access to recreational exercise and fruits and vegetables for underserved Coloradans in the target communities.
The Colorado Health Foundation previously funded the development of the Health Equity Toolkit, which creates in-the-classroom connections to facilitate young people’s investigation of issues related to health disparities in their communities. Engaging Youth in HEAL will use the toolkit to introduce students to the social determinants of health, such as access to healthy food, recreation, and a clean and safe environment and invites them to identify problems and develop project-based solutions. Students assess their own choices as they relate to their health and how their surrounding social and physical environments impact their ability to make healthy choices.
“In order to address childhood obesity, our kids need to be leading the way. Through this partnership with Earth Force, we are empowering kids to make meaningful change for themselves and their communities to live a healthy lifestyle. And that will last long into the future,” said Gabriel Guillaume, Interim President and CEO of LiveWell Colorado.
For more information about Earth Force, Livewell Colorado, and Engaging Youth in HEAL, contact Lisa Bardwell at lbardwell(at)earthforce(dot)org or visit http://www.earthforce.org.
About Earth Force
Earth Force is a national 501(c)(3) organization. Our mission is to engage young people as active citizens who improve the environment and their communities now and in the future. Through Earth Force and our network of diverse partners, young people get hands-on, real-world opportunities to practice civic skills, acquire a deep understanding of the environment, and develop the skills and motivation to become lifelong leaders in addressing community issues. For more information about Earth Force, please visit http://www.earthforce.org or follow us at @earthforce.
About LiveWell Colorado
LiveWell Colorado is a nonprofit organization committed to reducing obesity in Colorado by promoting healthy eating and active living. In addition to educating and inspiring people to make healthy choices, LiveWell Colorado focuses on policy, environmental and lifestyle changes that remove barriers and increase access to healthy behaviors. Working in partnership with obesity prevention initiatives across the state, LiveWell Colorado aims to provide every Coloradan with access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activity in the places they live, work, learn and play.
Kristen Mueller, Earth Force Inc., http://www.earthforce.org, +1 (314) 640-4413, [email protected]
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