Libby Ezell | Buy at photos.djournal.com
Ava Lincks, 6, gets a HealthWorks! tattoo from volunteer Skye Kinard on Saturday at the birthday celebration of HealthWorks!.
Libby Ezell | Buy at photos.djournal.com
Aryana Hajek, 6 makes a pinecone birdfeeder Saturday at Health-works!.
By Zack Orsborn
Daily Journal
TUPELO – At Saturday’s community-wide celebration of the seventh birthday of HealthWorks!, Faye Butler brought her grandchildren, Callie Roberts, 8, and Brody Roberts, 7, to experience the Winter Wonderland theme packed along with interactive games to expand their imaginations.
“They’ve been here before, and they truly take pleasure in it,” Butler said. “They’ve learned a lot. I believe it’s a good environment for children. I love playing games along with them. It brings me spine to my younger years.”
For seven years, HealthWorks!, along with the motto “infectiously contaminating fun,” has actually impacted not only children’s viewpoints on Good health and nutrition, However parents have actually learned from their youngsters concerning leading a healthier lifestyle.
The interactive Good health museum and Good health resource created partnerships along with Memorial Good health System of Indiana, the Good health Care Foundation of North Mississippi and North Mississippi Good health Services along with the goal of enhancing Good health in the region.
HealthWorks! has actually served much more compared to 125,000 kids, parents, teachers and Good health professionals and created a Good health education program to spread throughout schools.
While Mississippi ranked No. 1 in the country in obesity, the number has actually dropped to the third most overweight state.
Kathy Tucker, director of HealthWorks!, and her staff began focusing on being innovative and responding to the requires of the community.
“We opened as a field trip destination, and we are still, However we are so much more,” Tucker said. “We’re a Good health education resource for schools, families and for the entire community. We’re constantly attempting brand-new points and responding in brand-new means to troubles and opportunities that come up.”
Collaborating along with North Mississippi Medical Center, HealthWorks! formed the Fit Families and Transformation program to offer resources for families along with youngsters that are inactive or overweight.
Over the years, Tucker said, HealthWorks! has actually learned that supporting families and sharing short article makes lifestyle changes truly work.
A couple of years ago, Tucker saw the impact of the Fit Families program along with a young fifth-grade girl from Marshall County. She attended a HealthWorks! field trip and decided to make a lifestyle change.
“She and her mom were able to adjustment their diet, activity and lifestyle,” Tucker said. “She was able to participate in dance group and basketball at school. She lost a significant quantity of weight for a young person.”
Boosting confidence
Jane Clair Shettles, HealthWorks! high-flying youngster motivator, worked as a temporary bodily education teacher at Lawhon Elementary School prior to Kathy Tucker asked her to join in on the HealthWorks! energy.
She worked portion time at the North Mississippi Medical Focus Health Center, which gave her the experience to advice along with the Fit Families program.
Libby Ezell | Buy at photos.djournal.com
Emily Morris, 9, and her sister Haily, 7 right, visit the Snowman Hat Decorating station, run by Sara Beth Cruse, left, Saturday at the seventh birthday celebration of HealthWorks!.
When she was a P.E. teacher, she taught students that had a hard time along with feeling they didn’t fit in or felt overweight.
“Surprisingly, several of them are in our program right now,” Shettles said. “It’s rather exciting to see that they are fitting in along with a group of 20-plus kids. They feel like they are a portion of a team.”
Shettles has actually seen the kids’ self-confidence and self-esteem boosted, even in her own youngsters that love coming to HealthWorks!
“Their Good health has actually been greatly impacted for the better, especially As soon as they are here along with the others teachers and educators,” she said. “They like to hear it from them rather than their parents. It’s much better received from an outsider.”
Rebekah Wilson, high-flying youngster motivator, planned the seventh birthday party, collecting much more compared to 17 volunteers.
Children roamed about the different winter-themed activities. HealthWorks! additionally played off the word “wonder” to grab youngsters to think.
“We have actually a number of stations set up like ‘I wonder exactly what birds consume in the winter?’ where the youngsters can easily make bird feeders,” she said. “Or ‘I wonder exactly what this tastes like?’ and ‘I wonder that will certainly win the Super Bowl?’ It’s not simply to have actually enjoyable However additionally be creative and to learn something.”
Since Wilson began working at HealthWorks! 6 months ago, she said her life has actually been impacted much more compared to she could ever have actually imagined. Seeing youngsters come in along with smiles on their faces all set to learn makes her day, she said.
“As soon as they take the short article they learned at HealthWorks! and share it along with their parents, that’s more exciting and rewarding,” Wilson said.
In the year to come, HealthWorks! does not strategy to gone energy. Wilson said she desires to see HealthWorks! grow even more.
“We would certainly love to see HealthWorks! be a resource for so several people in the community,” she said. “We reach a lot of schools, However if we could reach organizations and companies, we could be a fantastic Good health education resource for all of the Northeast Mississippi.”
zack.orsborn@journalinc.com
Twitter: @thedaily_zack
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