Dr. Paul Thomas is on a mission – he wants to not only increase the health of his patients, but he wants to improve the health and lives of all of the city of Detroit. Dr. Thomas is the head physician at Detroit’s Plum Health, a family medical practice. His goal is to be an […]
After she successfully battled breast cancer, Harrison Township resident Susan McGraw-Thibault focused like never before on her overall health. She watched her weight. She thought about exercising more. She dropped sugar from most of her drinks, avoiding things like soda or sweetened tea. Most importantly, she became a vegetarian, cutting out meat from her diet […]
The kids can hardly contain their excitement. It’s PE (physical education) time. They’re waiting for the “big” signal. “Baba” Eric Hoffman the PE teacher calls out the words Army, Air Force, or Navy. The kids have to run to each line correctly. Go to the wrong line and they’re out. It’s a warm-up game designed […]
There are childhood moments that will always be cherished. Growing up in Houston, Texas, Hanifa Adjuman (AKA “Mama Hanifa”) looked forward to every summer. Her maternal grandparents lived in a small, rural town called Navasota. She remembers drinking from a creek, playing with her cousins, growing food, and eating what they grew. “My great-grandmother lived […]
Vivian Murphy and Ajani Carter spent more than a combined 30 years teaching children in Detroit Public Schools classrooms. Their professional careers also included other positions where they served the public. But when it was finally time to retire from the workforce, Murphy and Carter still wanted to make a difference in their city, and […]
Can you change a school’s culture from the inside? More than 50 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program Education (SNAP-Ed) partners believe it is possible and are committed to providing comprehensive school-wide programs designed to teach kids healthy habits and address childhood obesity. There’s no one-size-fits-all strategy. The goal is to tailor resources with the individual needs […]
The classrooms at Timbuktu Academy of Science and Technology have emptied. Nine girls, different shades and sizes, march in single file down the hall, led by Zeina Carla Washington, AKA “Mama Zeina,” who power walks. Washington, who is the family service worker at the school, throws a comment over her shoulder if another teacher asks […]
It’s summer and the kids are out of school. For many of us the challenge is to find things for them to do to keep them healthy and busy during those months. But for many others, the challenge is how to feed their children breakfast. That’s true for more than half of Detroit’s children and […]
Danialle Karmanos had goose bumps. She was watching Detroit elementary school kids work it out on yoga mats practicing alongside each other. “There was energy happening and swirling in the room,” she says. “It was giving children who often live in extremely stressful situations inner peace.” That’s the goal of Karmanos’ Work It Out yoga […]
There’s a bill sitting in the Michigan House of Representatives that, if passed, would help grocery stores in underserved communities open, expand or renovate to bring more healthy foods to those neighborhoods. The “Healthy Foods Assistance Act,” or House Bill 5180, would direct funds through a public private partnership with the Michigan Good Food Fund […]