The Ford Field players tunnel is tense with excitement. Team members gaze out at bright lights that beam down on thick football turf, awaiting the moment they’ll enter the stadium. An announcer’s words soon fill arena speakers as the jersey-clad teams rush from the tunnel into the oval-shaped glory of 65,000 spectator seats. But today, […]
Eating right: No matter how good our eating habits are, there are always things we can do better. Getting the right amount of food at the right times is important in every household, but particularly to those Flint households impacted by exposure to lead in the city’s municipal water supply. Infants’ and children’s tummies are […]
It’s a snap to double up that fresh, feel good feeling you get from fruits and vegetables. That’s the promise of the recently announced $5.1 million Double Up Food Bucks grant to the Fair Food Network, which will bring more healthy fruits and vegetables to Michigan families. The U.S. Department of Agriculture grant will be […]
Ride at your own risk. That was the gist of the message Michigan’s roadways seemingly imparted to non-motorists brave enough to attempt to traverse its roadways prior to the passage of Michigan’s Complete Streets legislation in 2010. “Without dedicated lanes, it’s really easy for bikers and pedestrians to get squeezed off roadways by large and […]
Our parks and playgrounds are our backyards, community fitness centers and nature preserves. Running, jumping and climbing gets the legs moving and the heart pumping. Kids who participate in physically active play at least two or three times a week are twice as likely to be fit than those who stay in the house watching […]
An optimist and advocate, J.J. Tighe offers compelling reasons why we should care passionately about community health. “Improving our health is paramount for us as individuals and as a State,” says Tighe, president and CEO of the Michigan Fitness Foundation (MFF). “Personal choice and responsibility when it comes to healthy choices is critical, so education […]
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 […]
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 time to give kids a 1980s summer. Get them up off the couch. Shut off the TV. Take away the cell phone, the iPad and the Wii and send them outside to play. Tell them to knock on the door and get other neighborhood kids outside to play baseball, ride a bike, climb a […]