Palm Beach County Schools Honored by National Alliance for a Healthier Generation
Kimberly Sandmaier, District Wellness Coordinator, Karen Jones, Berkshire Elementary Wellness Champion and Ulrike Vernachio, South Olive Elementary Welness Champion along with other Florida school winners.
To earn this award, these schools worked hard to make significant changes in the areas of healthy eating, physical activity and staff wellness by meeting or exceeding stringent standards set by the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s Healthy Schools Program, to help them reverse the national trend in childhood obesity. Representatives from Berkshire Elementary and South Olive Elementary participated in an award ceremony last weekend in Little Rock, Arkansas at the William J Clinton Presidential Center.
“This recognition represents all the work that these schools, the School District, and its partners are doing to make our community healthier. We would like to especially thank our Wellness Champions, Karen Jones from Berkshire Elementary and Ulrike Vernachio from South Olive Elementary,” said Kim Sandmaier, District Wellness Coordinator.
Schools are eligible for Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum National Recognition Awards based on their level of achievement. These National Recognition Award winners join 251 other schools from across the nation that are receiving this honor for their healthy achievements. Twenty-five Florida schools received a National Recognition Award through the Healthy Schools Program, more than any other state.
For more information contact Kim Sandmaier at (561) 434-8044 or via e-mail at kimberly.Sandmaier@palmbeachschools.org.
About the Alliance for a Healthier Generation
The goal of the Alliance is to reduce the nationwide prevalence of childhood obesity by 2015, and to empower kids nationwide to make healthy lifestyle choices. The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation joined forces in May of 2005 to create a healthier generation by addressing one of the nation’s leading public health threats – childhood obesity. The Alliance works to positively affect the places that can make a difference to a child’s health: homes, schools, restaurants, doctor’s offices and communities. For more information please visit: www.HealthierGeneration.org.
About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to improving the health and health care of all Americans, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, meaningful and timely change. For more than 35 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
###
Public Affairs Contact: Natalia Arenas – (561) 357-7662 – natalia.arenas@palmbeachschools.org
