Community Foundation Grants $20,245 to Address Childhood Obesity

Eighth annual “Healthy Kids Grants” cycle supports 11 schools in Northern Virginia

The Community Foundation for Northern Virginia awarded $20,245 in Healthy Kids Grants to address the main causes of childhood obesity by supporting programs that increase physical activity and/or improve nutrition in Northern Virginia public schools. The 2018-2019 school year is the eighth annual Healthy Kids grants cycle, with a total of $138,245 awarded to date.

Healthy Kids Grants are made possible by grants from the Chin Family Charitable Fund and the J.O.Y. Charitable Fund, donor advised funds with the Community Foundation.

“We are so grateful for the opportunity the Community Foundation of Northern Virginia has given us to continue providing yoga to students with special needs. Students will be able to continue their journey in learning ways to (in their words) ‘calm down, help with frustration, and be happy.’ We are hoping to develop a lifelong love of yoga that our students can take with them once they leave Marshall Road,” said Jean L. Wyman, School Social Worker, Marshall Road Elementary.

“Real Food for Kids’ Food Day is a well-regarded program in Fairfax County Public Schools and we’re excited to partner with them to bring it to Lynbrook Elementary School. It’s an ideal complement to our new FoodCorps program and other health and wellness elements at the school that support the connections our students are making between what they eat and how it affects them in the classroom,” said Jay Nocco, Principal of Lynbrook Elementary School.

The 2018-2019 Healthy Kids Grants were awarded to the following programs:

Arlington Career Center - Kick Asana: Teen Yoga and Mindfulness, $2,000

City of Arlington
This project will increase physical activity for high school students with vigorous yoga, assess effectiveness of mindfulness practices on stress, and create videos with our TV Production and Culinary Arts programs to teach middle school students healthy exercise, eating and mindfulness habits.

Bailey’s Primary Elementary School – Bailey’s Biking for Fitness, $2,000

Fairfax County (Falls Church)
All students at Bailey’s Primary Elementary School will go through a school based bicycle skills, safety, and fitness program each year. Through PE class, they will learn how to ride a bike, stay safe while riding, and learn how to use bicycle riding as a means to stay fit and healthy for a lifetime.

Centreville Elementary School – Healthy Cooking from the Garden to the Table, $1,440

Fairfax County (Centreville)
This program will support healthy eating in homes by offering an after school cooking class for families & students. Children will select ingredients from the school gardens and create a meal that they can eat. This project will increase healthy eating in approximately 500 students, grades K-6.

Coles Elementary – WOW (Work Out Weekly) Club, $2,000

Prince William County (Manassas)
This project increases physical activity for 147 fourth and fifth grade students through daily core strengthening and cardiovascular exercises before students go to their homeroom classes. Students will use an existing outdoor fitness trail as well as weights and resistance bands.

Falls Church High School – Wobble Work, $2,000

City of Falls Church
In pursuit of promoting a healthier lifestyle for their students and staff and to coincide with the yoga ball chairs in the library, they would like to put wobble chairs at some of the tables for students and teachers in continued promotion of better posture and building core muscles.

Goshen Post Elementary School – Jogging and Walking Superstars (JAWS), $1,855

Loudoun County (Aldie)
This project will increase activity levels of about 250-300 students grades K-5 by offering a morning running club offered two times a week before school. Each time the students will meet at the track twenty minutes before school starts on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Laurel Ridge Elementary School – Keepin’ it Kinesthetic, $2,000

Fairfax County (Fairfax)
This project will build upon the success of the Pedaling for Progress Healthy Kids grant from last year by allowing students to be active while learning.

Lynbrook Elementary School – Food Day, $2,000

Fairfax County (Springfield)
The goal of Food Day is to build awareness of and inclination for healthy choices and gauge a change in knowledge and attitudes about foods and exercise among preschool and elementary school students.

Marshall Road Elementary School – Yoga for Students with Special Needs, $2,000

Fairfax County (Vienna)
This project is designed to bring yoga and mindfulness to students with special needs. Some of these students will be expanding upon the skills they learned in year 1 (also funded by a Healthy Kids grant) and deepen their practice in order to further regulate their emotions and improve academic performance.

Saratoga Elementary School – Stallions (Re) Energized for Excellence, $950

Fairfax County (Springfield)
This project will increase physical activity among 200-300 2nd through 6th grade students by continuing a before school walking/jogging club that was initially funded by a Healthy Kids grant in 2017. The club allows students to walk/jog prior to entering the classroom, which helps increase mental alertness and readiness for the school day.

Westfield High School – Girls’ Only Fitness Class (GOFC) at Westfield HS (WHS), $2,000

Fairfax County (Chantilly)
The GOFC is an elective class offered to females only at WHS who are non-athletes, not in PE class, want to learn what healthy eating & good nutrition is, how to reduce their stress, what activities they can do for the rest of their lives to stay fit, how to defend themselves & stay safe from harm.

Grantees were approved by the Community Foundation’s Board of Directors after having been selected by a volunteer committee including Jesse Ellis, Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services; Joan Kasprowicz, Community Leader and past Community Foundation Board member; Amy Kay, Community Leader and Business Women’s Giving Circle member; and Susan Nolan, Community Foundation Board member.

For more information about the Healthy Kids Grants program, please contact Sari Raskin This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..