Family Fitness Grants Awarded

Coudersport, Austin, and Galeton school districts each received a $10,000 grant through the Healthy High 5 School Challenge Grant Program to fund the Family Fitness Challenge for students in each of the schools.

The Family Fitness Challenge is a 10-week fitness and nutrition program for school aged children. Curriculum for the program was developed by Penn State University. Additional enhancements were made by Charles Cole Memorial Hospital’s Childhood Obesity Task Force, who also assisted with writing the grant, and includes pediatricians, registered dieticians and an exercise specialist.

“The Highmark Healthy High 5 School Challenge Grant Program is geared toward helping schools address their unique health and wellness challenges,” said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. “This grant provides the Coudersport, Austin and Galeton school districts with the resources and tools to implement an innovative program that will help their students establish lifelong, healthy habits.”

Highmark Healthy High 5 is a five-year, $100 million children’s health promotion initiative of the Highmark Foundation. The mission of the initiative is to improve the health of children and adolescents ages 6 to 18 by providing them with the tools and practices needed to make informed decisions about living healthier lives.

Highmark Healthy High 5 addresses five critical children’s health promotion issues – nutrition, physical activity, self esteem, grieving, and bullying prevention – by raising awareness, changing behavior through grants and programs, and providing resources to parents, schools, and communities served by the Highmark Foundation.

Representatives from Charles Cole Memorial Hospital and Coudersport, Austin, and Galeton schools recently met to discuss the Family Fitness Program which received grant funding from the Highmark Foundation. Pictured from left are Ellen Shinn, Russ Streich, and Sarah Fry. In back are, Patrice Levavasseur, Donna Thomas, Sherry Cowburn, Kim Reese, and Dr. Mary Ann Rigas.
(Photo courtesy of Charles Cole Memorial Hospital)