DONNA, TX (May 28, 2010) – IDEA Public Schools was recently awarded the $10,000 Champions for Healthy Kids Grant from The General Mills Foundation to fund a comprehensive wellness program entitled “Bright IDEA: Keeping Kids Healthy.”
“The grant will help us implement creative ways to encourage our students to adopt a balance diet and physically active lifestyles,” said IDEA Public Schools Wellness Coordinator Ashley C. Dickerson.
Over 1,100 organizations applied for a championship grant and IDEA Public Schools was one of the 50 national recipients.
Dickerson, who submitted the grant proposal in December, said the grant funds farm lessons, class physical activity competitions, cooking clubs and nutritional education activities.
The grant also helps build community outreach through quarterly health newsletters, an active wellness website, Family Fall Festivals, and a community-wide wellness event in the spring.
“The rationale is to focus on both students and families because changes in both the school and home environment are more likely to have an impact on health,” Dickerson said. The General Mills grant is the fourth wellness-targeted grant IDEA Public Schools has received this year. In February, IDEA was awarded three separate grants focused on promoting student wellness from the Texas Department of State Healthy Services, the Lowe’s Toolbox for Education and the Silent Hero Program that together total $14,500.
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