""Farm to You"" named 2010 Champion of Health in the state of Oklahoma

Monday, September 13, 2010

 

A collaborative project focused on Oklahoma school children’s health, “Farm to You”,  has been named the 2010 Children’s Health Champion and recipient of the Dr. Rodney Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health award, the highest honor of the Champions of Health awards.

Coordinated by the Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service (OCES), Farm to You is an exemplary demonstration of collaboration between state agencies, commodity and community partners with the common mission of delivering research-based information and programs to help Oklahoma youth address major health concerns that affect their quality of life. These concerns include increased rates of obesity, limited physical activity, low consumption of fruits and vegetables, high prevalence of tooth decay and a high rate of tobacco use among adolescents and teens. The educational initiative is designed to increase awareness of the relationships between agriculture, food and health.

Partners in the project that has reached over 31,000 Oklahoma school children include the Nutritional Sciences Department and Community Nutrition Education Programs in the College of Human Environmental Sciences at Oklahoma State University, Oklahoma Department of Health WIC Service, Oklahoma 4-H Youth Leadership and Development, and Southwest Dairy Farmers.

The “Farm to You” program consists of a distinctive 40-foot-by-40-foot enclosed walk-through exhibit that travels throughout the state to scheduled community sites. The exhibit is quickly assembled with the help of school and community volunteers. At each of nine stations, students spend about six minutes participating in activities demonstrating where food grows, how food is used by the body to grow and develop, and how health habits keep the body healthy. Students meet Farmer Pete at the Cheeseburger Farm where MyPyramid foods are grown. They follow that food to the market to investigate Nutrition Facts labels, and then go on to the Healthy Cool Café where they take responsibility for choosing a variety of healthy foods. The adventure continues through an oversized mouth where they practice flossing, then travel through the digestive system, muscles, bones and skin where they engage in activities to reinforce desired health behaviors.

The Dr. Rodney Huey Memorial Champion of Oklahoma Health award will be accepted at the 2010 Champions of Health Awards Ceremony and Dinner, 6 p.m., Oct. 18 at the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City. Winners will be honored in five categories: Children’s Health, the Uninsured, Senior Health, Community Health and Corporate Health.

Reservations to the Champions of Health awards ceremony and dinner are available for $50 each and may be purchased through Wednesday, Oct. 6 by calling 1-866-876-4376.

Table sponsorships for the event are available and benefit the Oklahoma Caring Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization which provides Oklahoma children with free immunizations and basic access to health care. For more information about sponsorships or the awards ceremony and dinner, go to championsofhealth.org.