Heart Walk 2016

You are invited to join MUSC and the American Heart Association at the 2016 Lowcountry Heart Walk!

Saturday, September 24
Liberty Square, 360 Concord Street
8 AM Activities Start | 9 AM Walk Start

Join us for a celebration that promotes physical activity and heart healthy living. This fun, family and dog friendly event draws over 5,000 participants for a beautiful 3 mile walk through historical downtown Charleston.

Join your school’s team today at www.lowcountryscheartwalk.org. If you raise $25 for the AHA you will receive a free MUSC Children’s Hospital Heart Walk T-Shirt!

How to train so YOU can run the Cooper River Bridge Run in April!

Want to sign up for the Cooper River Bridge Run (April 2, 2016) yet a little intimidated by a 10K? Don't be!!! Join our friends over at Fleet Feet Sports in Mt. Pleasant or Summerville for their 10K training program. It's a program designed to help you run a 10k in 10 weeks. It starts in January and ends just before the bridge run so you can be in tip-top shape for the race! 

***Also, don't forget to donate to the Medical University of South Carolina's Boeing Center for Children's Wellness when you sign up for the race!!! 

Click here to sign up Fleet Feet 10k Training Program

Cooper River Bridge Run Sign-up

Sign-up for the 39th Annual Cooper River Bridge Run taking place on April 2, 2016!

Prices are starting to rise so register while they are low (prices go up on November 16th)! Most importantly, please don't forget to donate to the Medical University of South Carolina's Boeing Center for Children's Wellness! We can't wait to see all of you bright and early on race day!!! Register Here 


With a view like this one, who wouldn't want to run???

Fort Johnson Middle School's Green Apple Day of Service

Take a look at how Fort Johnson Middle School's wellness committee came together to create a sustainable gardening project for their school. What a fun way to get points on the School Wellness Checklist! Scroll down to see who the wellness committee collaborated with to make this garden become a reality: 

The USGBC- South Carolina Chapter, A1A South Carolina and Conservation Voters of SC invite communities each year to take action on campuses in SC and around the world for the Green Apple Day of Service.  This year, Fort Johnson Middle School Wellness Committee collaborated with Project Engineer/Manager Kyle Taylor, Chairman, USGBC Lowcountry and Construction Manager Joe Dukes, Community Service Chair, USGBC Lowcountry, to plan a school sustainability project and create a positive environmental change on the school campus. Kyle Taylor and Joe Dukes, assisted by parent volunteers and students, installed a trellis, fragrant vines, and blueberry bushes to the existing garden.  The perimeter of the garden was framed with shrubs.  Lastly, winter crops, donated by parents, were planted in the garden and will be maintained by the sixth grade science classes. The intent is to improve aesthetics and add bird and insect habitats. A commemorative sign, designed by Heather Hawkins of Charleston Sign and Banner, was placed in the garden.  Pictures were provided by photographer Meridith Garrigan (A Spot in Time Photograph). The garden and surrounding area provides ample space for students to gain hands on gardening experience and functions as an outdoor learning space. 

Curious to know how you can participate in next year's Green Apple Day of Service? Find out here!

Cooking Matters at the Store (Grocery Store Tours)

Invitation from the Lowcountry Food Bank (this will earn you points on  your school's School Wellness Checklist): Are you a savvy shopper? Can you Help us teach Families how to shop smart on a budget?

Please join us for Lowcountry Food Bank’s

Cooking Matters at the Store Tour Training Tuesday, October 20 10:00 am – 12:00 pm OR 4:00 am – 6:00 pm Lowcountry Food Bank,Community Room 1 2864 Azalea Drive, Charleston, SC 29405

Our interactive store tours provide families with the skills they need to stretch their food budget as well as resources to prepare healthy meals and a $10 gift card to practice their new skills.  This training will teach volunteers how to lead an engaging 90 minute tour teaching key shopping skills:

• finding whole grains • buying fruits and vegetables on a budget •

•comparing unit prices • reading food labels •

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TNY5swANjrA

As part of our team of volunteers, you’ll help teach families that nutritious cooking can be delicious, enjoyable—and most important—affordable.

Please email Dana Mitchel, dmitchel@lcfbank.org, to RSVP for this store tour training.

National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

Join us in celebrating National Childhood Obesity Awareness month this September! Nearly 1 in every 3 children between the ages of 2-19 is obese. According to the Center for Disease Control, some key contributing factors causing obesity are overly present television and media, the marketing of unhealthy foods, lack of daily physical activity, increased portion sizes and higher consumption of sugary beverages. Here are some great resources to get your students involved in making healthier and smarter decisions when it comes to preparing meals:

USDA ChooseMyPlate.gov

MyPlate recipes

USDA Two Bite Club

Let's Go H2O

CATCH

SC Farm to School Grants Available to Schools

The South Carolina Farm to Institution Program has released their 2015-2016 Farm to School RFP. Schools have an opportunity to receive a grant totaling $4,000 to implement the Farm to School project, teach students about healthy eating and support local farmers.

For more information and to apply click here.

Denmark-Olar High School Garden 

Our New Location!

Last Friday, March 6, the MUSC Boeing Center for Children’s Wellness hosted an Open House at our new office in Charleston!

Thank you to all who came out! We are excited about our new location and expanding program which now includes the South Carolina Program for Infant/Toddler Care (SCPITC).

Fuel Up to Play 60 Grants Awarded!

We want to send out our congratulations to those schools who received the 2014/2015 school year Fuel Up to Play 60 grants whom are also participating in the Boeing Center for Children's Wellness Checklist Competition in South Carolina School Districts. Great job teams!!

These schools include:

• Bamberg-Erhardt Middle School (Bamberg District 1)
• Bamberg-Erhardt High School (Bamberg District 1)
• Daniel Jenkins Creative Learning Center (Charleston)
• Cainhoy Elementary School (Berkeley)
• Jennie More Elementary School  (Charleston)
• Richard Carroll Elementary School (Bamberg District 1)

Schools who received this grant are awarded $4000.00 to spend on nutrition and physical activity related items and programs.  These grants are available to qualified K-12 schools to "kick start healthy changes".

If your School Wellness Committee is interested in applying for next year, applications open in Spring 2015.

The next deadline to apply is Tuesday, June 16, 2015.

Awarded applicants will receive funds to be used in the 2015/2016 school year. 

For more information, please see the Fuel Up to Play 60 website.

Plan for 2015-2016!

SC Walk to School Day 2015 is March 4th!

Remember, your school may receive 2 points on the School Wellness Checklist for participating in South Carolina Walk to School Day.

For more information: visit The South Carolina Safe Routes to School Resource Center

Lowcountry Food Day - October 24, 2014

There are lots of events for Lowcountry Food Day for staff and students to enjoy! Some events qualify for points on your School Wellness Checklist!  

CCSD schools: Lowcountry Food Day falls on a teacher work day. Consider sharing this information with your students' families as they may want to participate in the free events!

CCSD Teachers Kids Yoga Training Discount

CCSD Teachers:

Kids Yogaverse Teacher Training

Starting today- teachers can get a 25% discount off the 18 hour Kids Yoga Teacher Training at CPY for school teachers with ID - Sign up now!

Cooper Rover Bridge Run 2015 Grant Applcation

Grant applications are now being accepted for the 2015 CRBR!  Applications are due 10/10/2014!

Schools are encouraged to apply using this form.  You can receive points on your School Wellness Checklist for participating as a school team in the CRBR!  Its a win-win:)

From the CRBR and the Coastal Community Foundation:

"The Cooper River Bridge Run is the best organized and the best conducted 10-K race in the world. It includes world-class competition in a unique setting with unparalleled participant satisfaction and also helps broaden community cooperation and participation in healthy events throughout the year. The CRBR serves as a model of health motivation for other communities throughout the world. In 2006, CRBR created a fund at Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) to distribute grants to Lowcountry non-profit organizations that advance the CRBR objective of the promotion of regular physical activity for a healthy lifestyle. Applicants are encouraged to focus on the following outcomes: public awareness of the importance of regular physical exercise; providing opportunity for regular physical exercise; and/or increasing opportunity for participation in the CRBR by underserved populations."

Also, join us on the bridge this coming Saturday at 9am (9/13) on the Charleston side!

Farm to School and the School Wellness Checklist

Farm to School items were added to the School Wellness Checklist this year to support the efforts of the Farm to School program. We're really excited to offer these points:

• Cafeteria provides and promotes 2 locally grown fruits and/or vegetables per month (5 points)
• School Garden - using the garden as a classroom to teach about nutrition (3 points)

There are tons of resources, including FREE teaching materials on the Farm to School website!  

We want to let you all know that we will need to see example menus if you claim the points for serving locally grown produce in the cafeteria. Please share this with your cafeteria managers! The food production record from that week with the item(s) circled works well.

We are more than happy to help with the verification for this item!!

Schools have nothing but great things to say about partnerships with local farms, so have some fun with it!

MUSC Heart Walk

Guest Post from MUSC and AHA Heart Walk:

**You can receive points on your School Wellness Checklist for participation as a team!!**

Please join the MUSC Children’s Hospital “Little Hearts” at the Lowcountry Heart Walk this year!  We had great participation from elementary schools last year and would love to have walkers from each Charleston County school this year.  Here’s how it works…..

1. Assemble a team of walkers from your school
2. Go to  www.lowcountryscheartwalk.org
3. Proceed to the “Register Here” link and click “Start a team”
4. Start your school’s team by clicking “New Team Under Company” and choose the MUSC          Little Hearts group
5. Use your school’s name as the team name and follow the prompts to complete your registration

Just like last year, each walker that raises $25 through their school’s team will receive a MUSC Little Hearts t-shirt. Your $25 donation will go straight to the American Heart Association for the charitable work they do at MUSC and throughout our community.

If you and your teammates are eligible for a free t-shirt, email your size(s) to Emily Warr from MUSC Children’s Hospital at heavener@musc.edu   Details about shirt delivery/pick-up will be announced closer to the event.

Available sizes are:
Adult
S, M, L, XL, XXL
Youth
XS, S, M, L, XL

We hope you’ll join us for this awesome community event!

Fit Family Challenge- Register Today!

The SC Hospital Association, Coca Cola, CVS, and MUSC are challenging families in South Carolina to get active and eat healthy. Encourage your teachers, students, and families to join this healthy lifestyle program with free classes and expert advice and nutrition tips, using the handy online fitness tracker to earn points for your family. Enter daily activities and healthy habits to earn points and win prizes. This is a great way to kick off the summer staying healthy!

Register today! The Challenge ends July 10!

http://fitfamilychallengesc.com/ 

Belle Hall Elementary's School Garden Success!

Belle Hall Elementary in Charleston County School District was featured in the Moultrie News last week! Check out the photos below of their school garden. Third grade students were also able to taste the vegetables they have grown this year. Keep up the great work!

National Walking Day!

Walking To School to Promote Heart Healthy Living!

On Wednesday April 2nd 2014, Fort Dorchester Elementary School students, parents, teachers and staff, participated in the American Heart Association's National Walking Day.  Everyone met in the parking lot of Wescott Golf Course at 6:40 and then headed out for the 20 minute walk to school!  All participants enjoyed the weather and the opportunity to experience healthy exercising with a brisk morning walk.  Thanks to the FDES school family, for promoting heart healthy living and for getting our school day off to a great start! 

Drinking Water Campaign in Dorchester 2!

Schools in Dorchester County School District 2 are also promoting water drinking as a healthy option for students and faculty!


Check out Givhans Alternative Program's health newsletter their school nurse and wellness committee put together. The school also has signs up over the drinking water fountains and throughout the school. Keep up the great work!

Let's Go H20- Water Drinking Campaign

Schools in Charleston County School District are kicking off a water drinking campaign called "Let's Go H20!" Last week James Simons Elementary and Sullivan's Island Elementary held a promotional day to emphasize the importance of drinking water.

Let's Go H20 is part of the Eat Smart, Move More Charleston Tri-County Let's Go mission to make the healthy choice the easy choice. Check out these two links for more information and resources:
http://eatsmartmovemoresc.org/charleston-tri-county/
http://letsgosc.org