Recent Stories
October 26, 2012
They came from all across the state of New Jersey and represented a cross section of school wellness team members, school nurses, school boards, faith-based organizations, community organizations, local legislators and policy makers. At more than 200 strong they had a single goal—to help communities and schools implement policies that promote physical activity for kids. Held at the Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Center for Health Wellness on Thursday, October 25th, the Communities and Schools in Motion conference engaged participates in a discussion around: The impact of physical activity on disease prevention and health promotion The available opportunities for physical activity in their communities and schools Partners and resources available to improve the health of the community Strategies for municipalities and schools partnering to create or enhance health policies National public health, planning and transportation consultant, Mark Fenton delivered the keynote address, “Creating More Livable, Walkable Communities.” Fenton is known for […]
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October 22, 2012
Great things are happening at Northgate Park thanks to the leadership of NJPHK-Camden and Cooper’s Ferry Partnership, the vision of Friends of Northgate Park, the commitment of the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties and the United Way of Camden County, and funding provided by Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey. All of these organizations have come together to reclaim and rebuild this valuable community resource in North Camden. “The work is happening in two phases,” explained Valeria Galarza, NJPHK-Camden project manager. “Phase one was building of the playground. Phase two will focus on improving the tennis and basketball courts as well as maintenance and safety, including tree trimming, better lighting, security cameras and fencing.” Phase one got underway in October 2012 when 430 volunteers came to Northgate Park to build a KaBOOM! playground of brightly colored molded plastic swings and slides. KaBOOM! is a national not-for-profit […]
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October 21, 2012
Originally published in CourierPostOnline Under a sunny autumn sky Saturday, more than 300 volunteers descended on Northgate Park to build a playground for local kids and their families. Planning for the playground began at a Design Day held in August when city children and community leaders met with organizers from KaBOOM!, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership and the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties. A dream playground was envisioned, and the children’s drawings were then used to create the final design. “This new playground is a true reflection of what lies in the hearts and minds of the children of our great city,” said Camden Mayor Dana Redd. “I am excited to work with all of the inspirational partners that have helped make fun and safe play a reality for North Camden.” Read full story… SHARE:
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October 20, 2012
Originally published in examiner.com Northgate Park was transformed into a haven for play Saturday, as volunteers from Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership and the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties came together with KaBOOM! to build a new playground in just one day. Over the years, the park on Elm Street in North Camden had become outdated, rundown and unsafe for families. More than 200 volunteers, most employees from Horizon participating in their “Day of Caring” event, improved the park by building and installing brightly-colored equipment, adding new picnic tables with game boards painted on top and planting new flowers. Read full story View Slideshow SHARE:
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October 20, 2012
Originally reported by Amy Buckman, Channel 6 Action News There’s a new place to play in Camden. and this one comes courtesy of some generous souls. SHARE:
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October 11, 2012
There’s an enormous amount of information available about health disparities among various socio-economic and ethnic populations. These disparities are impacted by a variety of issues such as income, education, geographic location and access to resources. Yet many who are working to improve conditions and create health equity for all individuals do not have access to the data they need – nor do they know how to leverage it to benefit the populations at risk. To that end, a special training workshop arranged with the help of the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK), was held October 10 at the YMCA of Newark and Vicinity entitled: “Data Makes a Difference: Practical Tips for Using Data to Address Health Disparities.” The goal was to help NJPHK community partners, their members, staff and volunteers, develop or expand their knowledge of how to identify, analyze, interpret and harness available data to improve their […]
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October 5, 2012
Passage of the USDA’s Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 requires schools across New Jersey and the country to “get an education,” so to speak, when it comes to incorporating more fresh fruits and vegetables in school feeding programs – an idea which NJPHK whole-heartedly supports. To help schools meet the requirements and deadlines mandated by the new rule, the Partnership, along with Shaping NJ, sponsored an educational program called “Kitchen Essentials: Knife Skills and Healthy Recipes on October 5.” It was hosted by the NJ Farm to School Network for about 40 attendees at Hudson County Community College Culinary Arts Center in Jersey City. Many of the attendees came from schools in the five communities where the Partnership is active, and most were school food service directors. The course was taught by representatives from NuWay Concessionaires, the West New York Schools, and The Food Trust, which is the lead […]
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October 4, 2012
Originally published in preventobesity.net In urban settings such as Trenton, N.J., it can be tough for residents to find the ingredients they need to craft healthy meals. That’s why a group of young girls from the Trenton branch of the YMCA recently spent th afternoon showing fellow residents how to craft healthy and affordable dishes using ingredients found at their local bodega. The girls teamed up with Chef Dave Nuss from the Children’s Aid Society of New York to prepare dishes such as canned fruit smoothies, cheese quesadillas and corn and bean salad outside of the Monchy convenience store on Aug. 23. The group then offered Monchy customers and passersby the opportunity to try the snacks. “They used only ingredients that were found in Monchy. They had to be healthy,” says Marissa Davis, project manager for the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Trenton. “I think the folks really liked the corn bean […]
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October 3, 2012
Originally published in philly.com Seven South Jersey charter schools or districts were among 64 high-poverty districts statewide where less than 31 percent of eligible students receive subsidized school breakfasts, according a report being released today in Newark. On the plus side, the Woodlynne Borough school district and Camden’s Promise Charter School were two of 13 schools were on that list last year but worked their way off this year. Woodlynne went from 28 percent of the eligible students getting breakfast to 34 percent. Camden’s Promise rose from 24 percent to 38 percent. The findings are contained in a report issued by Advocates for Children of New Jersey, a nonprofit children research and action organization. It is the group’s second annual school breakfast report. Read full story SHARE:
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October 2, 2012
Originally published in NewarkPatch Dr. Nwando Anyaoku, a pediatrician at the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey in Newark, knows of a patient who weighs 425 pounds and suffers from a litany of obesity-related problems: she’s had hip and knee replacements, is diabetic, has high blood pressure. She’s also just 13 years old. While an extreme case, Anyaoku notes that this young girl is hardly alone amongst her peers: an estimated 45 percent of the city’s youth are overweight or obese. She’s become accustomed to treating children for what in decades past were usually afflictions of the middle-aged or older, like hypertension. Anyaoku was at Nat Turner Park last week for a ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the “Born Learning Trail,” a slice of the park dedicated to combatting this worrisome trend by getting kids into the exercise habit early. Read full story… SHARE:
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