Jason O'Grady's Blog » Kids

Healthy Schools Initiative Coming to Northfield

jason — Tue, 11 Dec 2007 02:44:44 +0000

If the residents of Northfield need some motivation to get in shape, this may be it. According to an article today in the Press of A.C. the healthiest families at Northfield Community School could score a cool US$5,000.
Parents of children at Northfield Community School (NCS) are receiving information on the 2008 Healthy Schools Initiative. The regional contest for schools sponsored by AtlantiCare offers a prize of $5,000 to the school it deems the healthiest.

NCS will give five families with children in the school the chance to work with personal trainers for 12 weeks, as well as learning to cook healthy meals from top chefs from Harrah’s and the Local 54 Chef Apprentice program.

The personal training for the families (provided by Mainland Fitness) is worth about $6,000 making the combined prize value close to $10,000 per family.

Healthy Schools Initiative coming soon to Northfield

By DAVID BENSON Staff Writer, 609-272-7206

Published: Monday, December 10, 2007

NORTHFIELD – It pays to get healthy, although normally the benefits are limited to the spiritual, emotional and physical realms. But for five Northfield families willing to work hard at changing their lifestyles, the process will be worth about $10,000 for each family – and all of it’s free.This week, parents of children at the Northfield Community School will get information on how to take part in the 2008 Healthy Schools Initiative. AtlantiCare sponsors the regional contest for schools and offers a prize of $5,000 to the school it deems the healthiest.This year, for its part in the contest, NCS plans to give five families with children in the school the chance to work with personal trainers for 12 weeks, as well as learning to cook healthy meals from top chefs from Harrah’s and the Local 54 Chef Apprentice program.

“This is the Healthy Family Makeover contest,” said Carol Ferguson, a spokeswoman for the school. “By promoting health outside to the families, we hope to change the behavior of young people.”

Ferguson said personal training for the families, which will be provided by Mainland Fitness, is worth about $6,000 each. “When you add the others – cooking and nutritionists – it probably reaches close to $10,000 per family.”

Another big part of the program, she said, is a family scrapbook that documents life-changing behavior that contributes to a healthier lifestyle. Samantha Kiley Ficcaglia, coordinator for AtlantiCare’s Child Health and Wellness program, said every school and culture is different, but that the scrapbook could cut across any boundaries”It’s a visual-organizing tool,” Ficcaglia said. “It helps people see what constitutes a healthy lifestyle.”

Ficcaglia is developing the scrapbook that will be used at the NCS pilot program. But every family in NCS who chooses to participate in the Healthy Schools Initiative will be able to use the scrapbook.

“Schools can only do so much to help children get healthier,” Ficcaglia said. “Some must come from the families.”

By keeping track of things such as grocery purchases and meal planning, families can gradually move toward a healthier lifestyle, she said.

“This is also a way to take the Healthy Schools Initiative through the summer,” she said, “when the children are out of school.”

Ferguson calls the scrapbook the play-at-home version for those families that can’t take part in the Healthy Family Makeover.

Five families with children at NCS will be chosen later this month to take part in the makeover.

“If families want to participate, we will ask the family or a student from the family to write an essay describing themselves and their general health,” Ferguson said. “They would submit it to me at NCS and we will use that to screen it to 15 families.”

After the screening, five families will be selected and announced Dec. 18, Ferguson said.

The program will begin Jan. 2. At the end of 12 weeks, the family that best changed its lifestyle will be selected as the winner of the makeover contest. Ferguson said the winning family would be announced in April.

For more information, visit the Web site:

northfield.groupfusion.net/

This is the first in an occasional series about families getting fit at Northfield Community School.

To e-mail Dave Benson at The Press: DBenson@pressofac.com

“Slow Down in Our Town” Initiative (updated)

jason — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:56:32 +0000

I had an idea that I thought would be a potential winner for Northfield because it addresses one of my biggest personal problems with the city–speeding down our streets. It’s called “Slow Down in Our Town.”

Northfield has an excellent Community School on New Road at Cedarbridge Road which many students walk to, but the problem is that many motorists speed down Mill Road, Zion Road and Cedarbridge Road (to name just three). The problem is exarcerbated by the fact that most of our roads don’t have sidewalks on them leaving our children at risk.

“Slow Down in Our Town” is a 6″-round magnet that residents can purchase for $5 to put on the back of their vehicles to raise awareness about the speed limits on city streets. The magnets cost $2 to make and I propose that the additional $3 that’s raised from each sale be set aside to purchase larger, 24″ round signs that could be attached to our existing speed limit signs around the city to further raise awareness about the speed limits in Northfield.

It’s just a thought, but I think that it might work. Similar programs have been effective in other municipalities and there is no cost to the city. Dozens of people that I’ve talked to on the campaign trail (especially those on affected streets) have talked to me about this issue and it’s time to do something about it. I look forward to hearing your thoughts about it.

Update: If you’d like to find out more about the Slow Down in Our Town campaign or you’d like to buy a magnet, send an email to slowdowninourtown@gmail.com.

Free Hammonton clinic will scan toys for lead

jason — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 01:00:30 +0000

The Press of Atlantic City had a nice piece on a free clinic that will scan toys for lead in Hammonton. More than 21 million toys and products made in China have been recalled since August because they contain lead, according to Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The free clinic is a nice way to make parents feel a little safer.

A free lead screening for toys clinic will be held 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the former K&H Auto Supply, 216 Bellevue Ave., Hammonton. The event is organized by Health and Safety Services, an environmental inspection company.

Jim Proctor, the company president, will use an X-ray florescence device, a laser gun used to screen for lead paint, to examine the toys. There will be a limit of 10 items per family. Proctor said if a family wants further lead screening on an item, the company can remove a small piece of the toy and send the sample to be reviewed by EMSL Analytical, an environmental testing lab in Westmont, Camden County. The fee for the more detailed screening is $50 per item.

Proctor said he organized the event to help fellow parents feel more confident about their children’s toys. The event will also have information pamphlets on lead and lead poisoning and a raffle. For information, call 609-704-8850.

Dr. Jeffrey Weidenhammer of the Ashland University in Ohio recently discovered that a toy called “ugly teeth” contains 100 times the allowable levels of lead in the paint.

“We analysed the paint on the surface of the teeth. The orange teeth were the worst in terms of having six to seven percent lead by weight in the paint,”

That’s about 100 times the U.S. government standard on lead in paint which is .06 percent.