Recent Stories

Healthy Family Retreat—Family, Fun and Lifelong Healthy Tips

February 20, 2016

Click the video below to view highlights of the retreat. Zip lining across the sky is generally not an activity associated with city life.  So when Frost Valley YMCA teamed up with the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) to host its first Healthy Family Retreat in November 2015, more than 80 individuals joined the adventure. Buses full of families and NJPHK team leaders from Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, Trenton and Vineland rolled up the highway and arrived late Friday night at Frost Valley YMCA. Located on over 5,500 acres in the heart of the Catskill Mountains, two hours north of New Jersey, Frost Valley YMCA provides people of all ages and abilities with a variety of enriching, outdoor experiences. After a good night’s sleep, everyone got up early Saturday morning to partake in a variety of healthy activities and experiences. “We initially split the families into three groups that included cooking, gardening and […]

READ MORE

Soccer Academy A Win-Win for Children and New Brunswick Community

February 20, 2016

Youth Coach Captain Mike Bobadilla doesn’t hold back in expressing his passion about the Soccer Academy he leads in New Brunswick. Back in 2000, a friend asked him to assist him with a summer youth soccer team and, since that time, it’s been a major part of his DNA. The program started with 30 kids a few times a week in Archibald Park. By the end of the season, the program had grown to nearly 100 kids. Unfortunately, due to lack of funding and resources, the program was discontinued. “In the back of my mind, I knew how vital the program had been in keeping kids off the street and decided to create a summer academy in 2008,” said Captain Bobadilla, who worked on the local police department’s night shift. Called the Bobadilla Soccer Academy, 125 kids were initially recruited for a six-week summer soccer program at Roosevelt School and […]

READ MORE

Travel Plans Completed for Four Vineland Schools

February 20, 2016

Discontinued sidewalks, poor sight lines, non-ADA compliant curb ramps, lack of bicycle facilities and speeding traffic are just some of the hazards that children can face as they try to walk or bike to school. Live Healthy Vineland, an extension of the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Vineland (NJPHK-V), the Cumberland Cape Atlantic YMCA and the Vineland Health Department are working with the Vineland Engineering Department and Cross Country Connection TMA to identify such infrastructure flaws in the built environment surrounding Vineland schools. Pinpointing these hazards is an important step in preparing a school travel plan and applying for funding to make walking and biking safer activities. A Safe Routes to School Travel Plan identifies flaws in the existing built environment that inhibit safe bicycling and walking to and from school. Remedies are prescribed, such as the installment of traffic calming devices, construction of sidewalks and bike lanes, or the […]

READ MORE

February is Heart Month

February 1, 2016

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. To prevent heart disease and increase awareness of its effects, the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) is proudly participating in American Heart Month. New Jersey has the 27th highest death rate from cardiovascular disease in the country.* Certain factors play important roles in a person’s chances of developing heart disease. These risk factors include: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity. Some risk factors can be changed, treated, or modified, and some cannot. Many risk factors can be controlled early in life, lowering the risk of heart disease later in life. Other risk factors are passed down through family members (they are hereditary) or are the result of another illness or disease. Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 […]

READ MORE