The Program
Kohl’s Cares has partnered with Marian Medical Center to educate Valley families and their children on healthy eating and exercise habits. Kohl's Healthy for Life Wellness Program, a year-round nutrition education and phyical activity program, is offered at community centers and at afterschool centers in the Santa Maria and Guadalupe areas.
The Goal:
- to teach children and families to make healthy lifestyle choices;
- to teach children and their parents how to make healthy food choices and
- to increase physical activity in youth.
The Kohl's Healthy for Life Wellness Program curriculum is based on the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans/My Pyramid model (or My Plate). The program provides nutrition education in five two-hour sessions through fun, interactive activities that involve family members of all ages. Lessons focus on understanding the My Plate model, label reading, appropriate portion size and vegatable consumption.
The Facts on Obesity
Statistics show that the rise of overweight children in the United States is of great concern, and the Santa Maria Valley is now struggling with this issue. According to the California Department of Education’s physical fitness test results for the Gold Coast Region for 2005-2006, among 5th, 7th and 9th graders in Orcutt and Santa Maria, 38.3% and 36.0% were overweight.
How You Can Help
One way that families locally can support this program is to purchase the quarterly plush items and books that can be found at any checkout at the Santa Maria Kohl’s Department store. At just $5 each, Kohl’s Cares books are a great affordable way to easily add high-quality well-known favorites to a child’s bookshelf, while supporting children’s health and education initiatives nationwide and in our own community. One hundred percent of the net profit benefits health and educational opportunities for children.
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At the recent Day of the Farmworker event, representatives from the Kohl's Cares Program presented Marian Medical Center with a check for $50,669 for the Kohl's Health for Life Wellness Program. Attendees of the event particpated in demontrations of yoga, Zumba and nutritional food preparation. Attendees also had the opportunity to register for the upcoming Healthy For Life classes. Nearly 175 people signed up for the series.
