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Team ACTIVE Life Stories
ACTIVE Life is dedicated to organizing the movement for healthy living in America. Unhealthy is the norm in our culture, and it's critical that we collectively work together to bring about healthy change in communities across the country. We created Team ACTIVE Life to empower and enable people and places wanting to create healthy change in their communities. Team ACTIVE Life Stories is our way of sharing the inspirational experiences of our members with the world.
Anna Hill- President, Dolphin Heights
ACTIVE Life (AL): How did you find out about ACTIVE Life and the SNAP-Ed Program?
Anna Hill (AH): Our Program was referred to ACTIVE Life and the SNAP-Ed program thru Central Dallas Ministries and the director of the afterschool snack program, Renee Caldwell.
AL: What made you decide to try and implement the SNAP-Ed program in your community?
AH: I made the decision based on what I saw the children eating when they came from school; they were eating fast food at home and from the vending machines at school.
AL: What was the health environment like at your organization before the program?
AH: Our health environment before joining was like most other programs no fruits or emphasis on eating healthy.
AL: After?
AH: After exercising active life lessons which educated the children in healthy eating habits and taking what they learned home to their parents was proof enough that we should continue to do so.
AL: How have you personally participated in the program?
AH: My assistant and I read thru and prepare the lessons to be taught to the kids. The kids decided they wanted to break the lessons into two-part lessons so we will begin for example; Lesson 9 .1 and 9.2, we total two lessons per four day attendance. To include the parents and get them involved we send the kids home with activelife lesson homework. Then the parents have to participate and look and read the labels and choose healthy eating/cooking habits at home.
AL: What are some specific ways which you have observed the SNAP-Ed Program working at your community organization site?
AH: Three specific ways I see this program helping everyone is education to parents and kids. It is helping the family as a whole in choosing healthy eating habits. I see the kids being taught science learning what oxygen really means to our bodies. They will be ahead of some when they reach higher grade levels and for these kids to know the difference between fiber what it does and why it is healthy is saying a lot.
AL: Would you recommend the SNAP-Ed program to other eligible organizations? Why?
AH: I would support SNAP-ED programs to other eligible orgs because this is another way to get the word out about changing our eating habits, this would help Hispanic and African-Americans to understand why they have health problems like diabetes, high blood pressure knowing this then they have a choice to change their eating habits along with exercise.
AL: What has been the best part of your experience with SNAP-Ed?
AH: The best part of my experience with SNAP-ED was to see the children begin to take interest in what they were eating and learning how to choose a healthy snack.
AL: Have you observed the lessons from the SNAP-Ed curriculum carrying weight with the kids? How are your organization's instructors implementing the lessons learned from this program within your own lives?
AH: SNAP-ED curriculum has carried great weight and education for my group of kids including their families. They come back and tell us how their parents have begun to listen to them when they read a food label or ask for a healthy food choice instead of fast foods. As for me and my assistant we are right in there with the kids though my assistant is vegetarian and I cook healthy for myself, mother and close friend. Veggies and fruits play a major role in our lifestyles.
AL: Why do you think that healthy should be the norm in America?
AH: I believe the norm in America should be for all to think healthy lifestyles, healthy eating habits and exercising more. When we look at ourselves on Television all we see is fat, fat and more fat bodies both children and parents, this should tell all of us something is wrong. As a leading Nation we should all be focused on health. Even First Lady Michelle Obama was on a special speaking about gardening and eating healthy.
Kayla Mitchell - Young Leaders for Healthy Change Scholarship Recipient
ACTIVE Life (AL): How did you learn about the Young Leaders for Healthy Change Program?
Kayla Mitchell (KM): Well, we went to Spicewood, TX to one of the Texas Tobacco Events where we met Kate (Bouwkamp) and she started telling us about ACTIVE Life. She told us about the Young Leaders Program and how to access the website and then one of our sponsors told us about the scholarship and the service project and we came together to brainstorm about ideas. When we signed up we were learning things, actually learning things. Some of the programs here, they’re just programs... this was one of the ones where you actually learn something. It was one I could stick with.
AL: What was your favorite part about the program?
KM: My favorite part was…well there were many. What I liked we that it was convenient - I’m in a lot of organizations and stuff so I can [work on the project] on my own time but there is still a deadline. So I can get on anytime during the week but there is still discipline.
AL: Do you feel like you're healthier now that you've participated in the program?
KM: Of course! Yes, the little tips that Kate gave us, and the whole program... I feel like I’m more energized, I feel happier, and like I can do it, you know?
AL: Are you continuing to put into action some of the things you learned about healthy lifestyles?
KM: Yes, one of the things we’re going to do with my group is we’re going to teach the kids- they’re talking about making it a class. We’re going to actually teach it to other students. They are talking about making it a requirement to be in the ACE (Afterschool Centers on Education) program so that will be pretty fun.
AL: So are you going to do it again this semester?
KM: Of course, yes.
AL: Did you share some of what you learned with your family and friends outside of the program?
KM: Yes, one of the things (challenges) was about having a healthy breakfast. So, one day I was eating oatmeal for breakfast and my dad came and he saw me and said, “What are you eating?” And I said well I’m not going to get McDonald’s today I’m just going to eat oatmeal and he said, “Well let me try it out.” Now the whole family can’t get off the oatmeal!
AL: Would you reccommend this program to your friends and peers?
KM: Yes, and I still do.
AL: What do you want to do when you graduate high school?
KM: When I graduate high school, I have many plans. I want to first, go to Rice University and major in psychology and minor in sociology. After I get my bachelor’s degree I want to go to Harvard Law School.
AL: That's awesome, good for you! So, why do you think healthy should be the norm in America?
KM: Because, really and truly, I am tired of seeing people die over preventable diseases like diabetes and heart disease. I've had three family members die because of diabetes and heart disease. I got tired of it right then and there.
Terry Brown - Director of Capital Metro Child Care & Learning Center
Terry Brown is a true Activist whose commitment and dedication to healthy living is clear. As the Director of the Bright Horizons Capital Metro Child Care & Learning Center, Terry has the opportunity to have a true impact on young children by sharing with them the tools to live a healthy lifestyle. In March 2010, Terry was asked to participate in ACTIVE Life for Places’ pilot program which taught entities such as childcare centers, schools, community organizations, and worksites how to create an environment that embraces, celebrates, and supports an ACTIVE Lifestyle. Terry was kind enough to take time out of her always busy day to share her expereince with ACTIVE Life, hoping to insipre additional childcare centers and schools to make their environements healthier and more active.
ACTIVE Life (AL): What is your involvement with ACTIVE Life?
Terry Brown (TB): ACTIVE Life came into my life in March 2010 when I was asked to be part of a pilot program. I went to an initial training on a Saturday with about 12 other people. We learned all about the program and exactly what was requested of us. We learned about ACTIVE Life’s dream of beginning to change the way families look at the physical parts and the nutritional aspects of health.
AL: Have you enjoyed and benefited from Team ACTIVE Life for Places?
I love it! Just love it. It has been remarkable. Our center here is on the east side of Austin. We’re very diverse culturally and socioeconomically. We see a lot of single families and a lot of parents struggling with jobs. I really feel that this center is a foundation in many of the families’ lives here. I think that the reasons that we’ve benefited from ACTIVE Life is that we’ve been able to teach the people that come here on a daily basis about health and nutrition at all levels.
For the ACTIVE Life pilot, we added either a cooking activity that reflected nutritional foods or snacks, or a purposeful physical activity into our weekly lesson plans. Because my staff is all different ages, that was easy for some and really difficult for others. Also, some of my staff, frankly, wasn’t very fit or very health conscious. As their director, I felt that “Wow, this is a perfect way to enter health into all of their lives overall”. So, we sat down and decided that since this was a pilot, we were going to do it well. I was met with overwhelming positivity from the staff. In fact, one of the staff members who used to reach for ice cream at lunch now reaches for fruit and has lost 15 pounds since March and I think that is wonderful!
With our families, it’s been a little more of a struggle because families are really busy today. Convenience foods are higher in calories and are easier to get, but are typically less healthy. While they may not be as satisfying overall in health, they satisfy for a little bit and are like a quick fix, which is all they need. Our biggest challenge has been how to teach families to bring in appropriate foods, because you're not going to do that within a pilot program; that is going to become a life skill.
Since the implementation of ACTIVE Life's pilot program, we’ve seen here at the center is that our menus have gotten so much better. For example, we’ve gone from just regular milk to organic milk and I think that example has educated a lot of our families. Also, we have refined our menus to have a lot more fresh fruits and fresh vegetables, as much as our budget can afford. And we now offer a vegetarian alternative, which a lot of centers that I’ve run over the years have never had. I think that has challenged us to stay within the budget, but at the same time we know that healthy alternatives are much better for our families and it provides more choices. So we’re really walking the walk and talking the talk!
AL: Are your kids familiar with ACTIVE Life and if so, do they enjoy it?
TB: For our little ones, our infants and toddlers, I’m not sure if they know what the term ACTIVE Life is outside of our center, but I do know that they know the term ACTIVE Life within our center. We have put together an ACTIVE Life area which is in the middle of our hallway, so everybody walks by it every day, and they have become a really big fan of that. The posters are down low where the children can see them, and they are seeing pictures of fresh fruits and vegetables. The parents e-mail me pictures of them doing activities from home. We’ve had to suggest that they need to get involved too. With a group of fewer than 60 families, less than a third participate on an average basis. But that is one lifeand one family that wasn’t affected before!
This country is overweight, with little children now taking cholesterol medication, and it took a long time to get there, and it is going to take a long time to get it back. I think we all need to work together, but I also think that change needs to starts in the places where children are spend a good majority of their time. Our children are here between 8 and 10 hours every day, they're hearing about ACTIVE Life, they're hearing about healthy food, they're hearing about purposeful movements, and I thinkin that is a good thing and that is where much of our health efforts should start.
AL: Would you recommend Team ACTIVE Life for Places to other childcare centers?
TB: Most definitely. In fact, I think my colleagues at Bright Horizons are really envious of the fact that we have this program. I think it is a critical part of where we’re headed with this center. We’re a small, very intimate center, so we can really impact a lot of lives quicker than if we had three or four hundred children, because the children get to actually see us on a regular basis. Sometimes I think that it just takes quality interactions with parents to bring them in and show them exactly what we are doing and buying and how they can extend that at home, on the weekends, and keep that going.
Look at the energy children have; I really do feel that so many of my families go home and sit. What I’ve noticed is, you can usually tell when children, specifically infants and toddlers, don’t play outside because we will take them outside and just the way they look at the ground, and like to feel the grass, and see the pebbles, it is unfamiliar turf to them. Some of the processes that Bright Horizons brings to the table are a lot of parent-teacher conferences, a lot of one-on-one interaction, lesson plans, highlights of the day, and documentation boards. All so that they can see what we are doing, like purposeful movements, and they can actually see ACTIVE Life being done. That’s where it starts; you have got to have that example being set. You’ve got to say to parents, your child went outside today, your child crawled along the grass, and your child threw a ball. You have to say that and you have to show that in pictures so that families get it. Because it is so easy, because everybody works so hard, to just go home and turn on the TV or let the children play video games. But you’ve got to be purposeful with your message. I think ACTIVE Life has made us purposeful and has made us get it.
AL: How will you continue to integrate ACTIVE Life into your center? 
TB: ACTIVE Life will always be a part of our center here. For example, just because our pilot ends in August, our lesson plans will still be printed with green ink when it is either a healthy snack that staff are making with the children or a purposeful activity. We love that and I think that it sends a healthy message. We are going to continue to tweak our menus and make sure that they get better and better the more knowledgeable we get about nutrition. When we tour our families, we talk about ACTIVE Life and how we were privileged to be part of a pilot program. Even though it may be ending, we’re going to continue that message to our families because it’s the right message. And hopefully as we continue to weave the tapestry of diversity here, we will be able to tailor messages to specific cultures. Because of the ethnic diversity that is so unique here, coming from so many different countries and eating so many different foods, one of the activities that we want to have at our next Foundation meeting, which involves the parents, is inspired by ACTIVE Life and how some of those foods are healthier than others. What we’re going to do is have a potluck with foods from the countries that are represented by our families and make sure that they are healthy choices from their culture. That’s just another dynamic of how we can make healthy change work. Everybody needs to learn to make healthy choices.
AL: What do you think it will take for our country to solve the health crisis?
TB: Everybody. Everybody jumping on board. I don’t care where they come from, just jump on board. I know Michelle Obama has a huge effort at the White House with her garden. One of the things that I hope happens here is that we are able to receive more money, whether its grant funds or whether I carve out a special place in our budget, to be able to grow a garden and actually be able to harvest the fruits and vegetables so that the children really know where they come from. Because so many of our families don’t know where food comes from because they don’t cook and they eat processed foods. It’s just going back to basics. I really think nutrition education need to start young, with our infants and our toddlers, so they understand where food comes from and that message can spill over into the home. I think that being in education is the best way for me to make my message heard.
As per the question, change needs to occur everywhere; information needs to be on the packaging that the parents look at H-E-B, it needs to be flooded in the media. And it needs to be purposeful again, I keep using that word, but it helps get it across. Just doing what we normally do isn’t good enough. Those of us who are fortunate to be healthy need to push that message through and not compromise. For example, we just had a staff meeting with healthy sandwiches and fruits. Again, it’s all budget driven, but you can still make those choices. We didn’t compromise. You have to make it happen; you can’t just say it’s going to happen. You have to live it, and work it, and make it, so that the families and the staff that are here really get it. I feel very responsible; it is my job.
(Terry Brown is the Director of the Capitol Metro Learning and Child Care Center and was a participant in ACTIVE Life's Spring 2010 pilot program, ACTIVE Early.)
Click the link to learn more Capitol Metro Learning and Child Care Center, and to learn how you can create an environment (for free!) that embraces, celebrates, and supports an ACTIVE Lifestyle for a school, child care center or worksite, click here.
Samantha K., 2010 Young Leaders for Healthy Change Participant & Scholarship Winner
Samantha participated in the 2010 Young Leader's for Healthy Change program and did so well that she won a scholarship! She continues to demonstrate great leadership and remains devoted to creating and maintaining healthy change for her and her community. We're privillaged to have had her as a participant!
"Participating in the challenge has been been an eye-opening experience in many ways," says Samantha. "I've learned how to work in a team, and that planning a service project or big event isn't always easy."
Her involvement with the Young Leaders for Healthy Change program is a reflection of her committment towards healthy living. Samantha recruited 12 people to join her team, undoubtedly creating health change in her community! In addition to ACTIVE Life, Samantha has worked for and supported Girls Empowerment Network Austin, where she helps middle school girls learn about and deal with issues young girls face today including, schooling, body image and how to live a healthy lifestyle.
Samantha is bringing her passion for helping others toTexas A&M Corpus Christi this fall, where she plans to earn her Masters in Science and Nursing.
"I've realized that I want a career devoted to others," she explained.
Eventually, Samantha hopes to become a nurse practitioner so that she can continue on the path of giving back. Thanks for all of your hard work and support, Samantha! We wish you all the best and know that you'll continue to be a leader for healthy change in the future.