Walk-A-Thon Mania!
May 4, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
2011 North Junior High Walk-A-Thon
In the coming weeks hundreds of kids from the area will be lacing up their shoes and hitting the pavement to raise money for their schools. Don’t worry, they’re not walking door-to-door selling products – they’re walking for better health.
Walk-a-thons are making a huge come-back! That’s right…the old-fashioned walk-a-thon! Schools and parent teacher groups are partnering with BLEND to bring this healthy and active fundraiser back to life. And, everyone is loving it!
Why do kids and parents like walk-A-thons?
- It’s easy and simple! No confusing forms to fill out.
- There is no delivering of goods.
- Kids are getting out of school to have fun and be active!
- Parents are only asked to donate/fundraise one time instead of multiple times per year.
- Large or small donations are welcomed! (kids are turning in pennies and nickels to support their school)
Why is this such a hit with local schools?
- There are no upfront costs or contracts.
- There is no more sorting and delivering of goods.
- Walk-a-thons generate profits without selling products.
- 100% of funds stay at the school.
- Increases student participation in fundraising efforts.
- Walk-a-thons promote physical activity.
- Schools may qualify for a $500 mini-grant.
THE EXCITEMENT BUILDS!
BLEND has been supporting healthy fundraising in local schools for a couple of years and the excitement continues to build. More and more schools are switching from fundraising practices that push kids to sell unhealthy food products to fundraising efforts that considers the overall health of the students. In fact, four St. Cloud Area School District schools are implementing their 1st annual walk-a-thon this spring – Clearview Elementary (May 11), Kennedy Community School (May 11), Westwood Elementary (May 25), and Talahi Elementary (May 25).
They’re in good company. Lincoln Elementary school is hosting their 4th annual walk-a-thon on May 24th and Stride Academy Schools has set their walk-a-thon date for June 21st. Seven other schools are planning their 2nd, 3rd, and even 7th annual healthy fundraisers in the fall 2012. We can’t wait to hear about their successes.
We know that 2011 walk-a-thons were wildly successful! South Junior High has planned their Walkin’ Wildcats walk-a-thon since 2006. Last year, South students raised over $33,000. Unbelievable, right! Even more incredible, in their first-ever attempts, Madison Elementary and North Junior High schools raised over $16,000 and $13,000!
Other schools are reaching beyond students and staff to raise money the healthy, active way. Several schools sought out the support of their greater community and planned a 1K and 5K run/walk. Sacred Heart School (Freeport) and Talahi Elementary School did just that – both raising nearly $1,500. Check out other success stories!
Sacred Heart School 1K/5K Walk and Run
This is no joke – schools are tipping the scales and exceeding their fundraising goals like never before. Walk-a-thons are a win-win for schools, kids and our community! They’ve proven to be enormously successful for Central MN schools – raising nearly $80,000 in 2011. Please support our students seeking donations for their school’s healthy fundraising efforts. Learn more about walk-a-thons and how your school could be the next to plan a walk-a-thon!
Be sure to watch all of the school walk-a-thon videos on the BLEND YouTube Channel.
Health is in the Air – by Lydia!
May 2, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
My high school play “Little Shop of Horrors - plant eating a snack! (Don't worry, Ivy's okay!)
I feel like I say this on every post, but my GOODNESS have I been busy!
The high school play “Little Shop of Horrors” just ended, and I was a lead! The play went really well, and it’s kind of funny how it relates: it’s all about an alien plant who eats people, and my favorite NuVal® saying is “the closer to nature, the healthier,” except this time nature is eating the people. That’s kind of macabre now that I read that sentence. Oh well!
The musical was a hilarious! On Saturday we had two shows, so in between the whole cast and crew scattered to find food. I went to Val’s (burger joint), which may not be the healthiest, but keeping NuVal® in mind, I made sure to order extra vegetables for my burger! I was impressed by other members of my cast who selected Subway® because they said it was healthier. Way to trade up!!
I think that “it’s healthier” mood has really been pervading the school lately. With the spring weather, people are starting to go out and exercise more and healthiness seems to be a theme in a lot of conversations. One of my friends told me just yesterday he was trying to eat healthier so he could be his best in track. This is all very encouraging! Health is in the air!
Yours, LydiaP.s. Watch my latest video! Enjoy!
Biking for a Healthier Community!
April 30, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Guest post from Chad Johnson – the St. Cloud Area YMCA’s Health and Wellness Director, personal trainer and a Lifestyle Coach for the I CAN Prevent Diabetes program.
2011 River Ride Bike Event
Saturday morning, about 7:00am, just waking up for my morning coffee - I looked out the window at the busy streets below. I wished to see a street full of bikers, runners and walkers instead of cars and trucks…and, more cars and trucks! For a moment I imagined what it would be like in Minneapolis…St. Paul…or, Duluth where it’s an every day occurrence to see people walking, running and biking to go places. Oh how I wish this was our community and every community!
Don’t get me wrong, St. Cloud has made leaps and bounds in becoming a healthier city. I am very proud to represent Wellness at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA, and I will never give up on continuing the journey on helping my home town community!
One of the ways I am able to do this is through the Bernick’s Family Fitness Series. This series of events is presented by the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA in conjunction with the St. Cloud Times and 104.7 KCLD! Our goal with this series is to give families an opportunity to try fun, seasonal, family-friendly events that all ages can enjoy.
Coming up on May 19th, the Wells Fargo River Ride Bike Event (formerly the BLEND Bike Parade) will take place at the St. Cloud Area Family YMCA! This community event combines the River Ride Bike Parade and the Mayor’s Bike Ride in one giant Bike Celebration!
St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis enjoying the 2011 River Ride Bike Parade
This event is designed to get families out and active while educating everyone on bike safety and how to commute through the city. There will be a 10 mile ride and a 3 mile bike parade! What I am most proud of with this event is that the route will mainly take place on designated bike routes through the city. This is such a vital piece to the event because we want this community to understand that biking can be something done on a daily basis. It will improve your health while saving gas money at the same time!
It is required that all participants wear a helmet and follow all street laws while biking.
Click here to learn more about the Bernick’s Family Fitness Series!
Click here to register for this event!
Keep a look out for upcoming Bernick’s Family Fitness series events!
• Anderson Trucking Service, Inc. Family Field Day, August 11th, 2012
• Health Partners Wishbone Walk/Run, Thanksgiving Day, 2012
The Wells Fargo River Bike Event and Anderson Trucking Service, Inc. Family Field Day are part of the BLEND Fit Kids Club Series! The BLEND Fit Kids Club Series awards prizes to kids (14 years and younger) for getting active and participating in area fitness events!
Hope to see all of you out there supporting our community’s health!
Thank you and good luck!
Chad Johnson
Health and Wellness Director
St. Cloud Area Family YMCA
chadj@scymca.org
Farm to School: Growing Our Future
April 26, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Meadowbrook Elementary (Hopkins School District) Principle Greta Evans-Becker helps students in their school garden.
Earlier this week the U of M Extension and the MN Dept. of Health invited community leaders, schools, farmers, and parents across Central MN to attend a free screening and discussion of a 30-minute documentary on the Farm to School partnerships in our state. This in-depth documentary, Farm to School: Growing our Future, provides viewers with ways communities can work together to improve children’s health and education with sustainable actions to build healthy, strong communities.
Farm to School is a program that connects schools (K-12) and local farms with the purpose of serving healthy meals in school cafeterias, improving student nutrition, providing agriculture, health and nutrition education opportunities, and supporting local and regional farmers.
Farm to School provides a model for positively influencing children’s eating habits. There is a distinct connection between healthy food choices and knowing where food comes from, how it grows, and who grows it. This knowledge has proven to impact how a child thinks about and enjoys food.
What’s more – healthy diets positively and directly impact students’ academic performance. What students eat directly affects their ability to perform in the classroom. Efforts by Minnesota schools and producers to work together and put farm-fresh foods on lunch trays around the state are helping MSNA fulfill its vision of making quality, nutritious foods available to all students as an integral part of their education.
In Minnesota, more than a half million students (68% of K-12 students) are now engaged in Farm to School according to a pair of surveys released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) and the Minnesota School Nutrition Association (MSNA). IATP estimates that $1.3 million of Farm to School foods were purchased by Minnesota school districts last year alone.
These numbers are profound. We are now seeing the Farm to School benefits: more students are eating fresh and healthy foods, more farmers are selling to nearby schools, and more of our food dollars are circulating in the local economy.
Did you attend a local screening and discussion session? Tell us about it! Or, watch the video and share your thoughts with BLEND.
To attend a screening and discussion session outside the Central MN area visit the U of M Extension website!
Although the St. Cloud screening has passed, if you have questions or comments about the Farm to School: Growing our Future documentary or about Farm to School in general, please contact Mary Caskey.
Making Hula Hoops for Fun and Fitness!
April 25, 2012 by KathyG · Leave a Comment
Deb Johansen (blue BLEND shirt on the right) helping KidStop kids decorate their hula hoops with duct tape!
BLEND partners with many youth-serving organizations, schools and teachers, medical professionals, and fitness groups in Central MN to learn about new ideas and innovative ways to promote fun and physical activity to kids and families. While planning activities for the Earth Day Run BLEND Kids Health & Fitness Expo - BLEND asked members of their Physical Activity Committee to come up with ideas for give-aways – something kids could take home and continue to play and be active with even after the event. Some suggested were balls, Frisbees and jump ropes…good ideas but BLEND has done that before.
Deb Johansen, a member of the committee and a developmental adapted physical education teacher for Roosevelt Early Childhood Center in St. Cloud Area School District 742, encouraged BLEND to give away hula hoops to kids who attend the event. Naturally, questions were asked.
PA Committee: “where would we get the hula hoops – who’s your supplier?” Deb’s response: “you don’t buy them…you make them!” PA Committee: Huh – out of what!?! Deb’s response: Irrigation tubing – what else?
For those who know Deb it’s no surprise to hear her ambitious and inventive ideas. You see Deb knows a few things about kids, creativity and activities. She has been a teacher for more than thirty years and the founder of ARISE, A Recreational Inclusion Support Endeavor, whose mission is to support children with disabilities in accessing community and recreation activities with their able-bodied peers and in learning leisure and recreational skills they can enjoy throughout their lives. She also develops specialized equipment to assist children to be active.
So it was – BLEND made hula hoops out of irrigation tubing! With the generosity of The Home Depot Foundation and their Team Depot Crew – BLEND constructed more than 820 hula hoops and gave them away to kids attending the BLEND Kids Health & Fitness Expo on Friday, April 20, 2012!
With more than 2,400 kids and family members attending the expo you could only imagine the number of times the question was asked ”how did you make the hula hoops?” It’s crazy simple and anyone can do it – just follow the instructions below and in no time you will have your very own hula hoop!
How to Make Your Very Own Hula Hoop!
Supplies Needed:
- 3/4″ 160 PSI NSF Pipe (irrigation tubing)*
- 3/4″ Poly Insert Coupling Connector (one per hula hoop)*
- PVC and plastic tubing cutter*
- Heat gun* or hair dryer
- Tape measure*
- Duct tape*
* Products found at your local Home Depot store.
1. Measure and Cut! Determine how big you want your hula hoop. BLEND made 9.5 foot hula hoops for the expo. Use a tape measure or a flexible sewing tape measure to mark the length of tubing. Cut with the tubing cutter.
2. Heat Tubing! Have your coupling insert nearby. You will need to heat the tubing so the coupling insert can easily slide in the tubing. Heat one cut end of the tubing with the heat gun. If using a construction heat gun you will only need to heat the tubing for 30 – 45 seconds. You will notice the tubing will turn glossy. Do not hold in one spot or the tubing will start to melt – move the heat gun around. If using a hair dryer be sure to set it at the hottest setting and heat for 2 – 3 minutes – again, moving the dryer around the end and along the surface of the tubing. Be careful – the tubing gets a little warm.
3. Insert Coupling! Once the tubing is heated it’s time to insert the coupling connector. Push the coupling piece into the tubing until it reaches the center marks. This may take some effort. If the insert doesn’t go in then simply continue to heat the tubing until the coupling piece slides in where it needs to be. Cool completely before proceeding to step 4.
4. Bring Together! You’re almost done. Now take the other end of the tubing and repeat steps 2 and 3. Heat tubing and slide the exposed half of the coupling insert into the tubing - trying to meet the ends. It’s not critical the ends meet as the duct tape will hide the seam.
5. Duct Tape! Once you have constructed your hula hoop and the tubing is cool it’s time to decorate. Cut (or rip) duct tape into 3-4 inch piece – tape the seam and decorate hoop. The Home Depot sells a huge assortment of duct tape from printed (leopard, checkered, flames, etc) to solids giving kids the option to decorate with flare or simplicity!
In the end, Deb Johansen gave BLEND an amazing idea – something that would get kids up and active…and, something that will last for years to come. For those who attended the Earth Day Run BLEND Kids Health and Fitness Expo - THANK YOU!!! BLEND looks forward to seeing you again next year! A little secret - Deb is already thinking of something new to give away to kids for next year’s event! Stay tuned!
