Walking School Bus Finale
After three years of operating, the New York Elementary Walking School Bus has completed its final semester. The program has been a great success with thirty-one students participating this year alone. “Bus drivers”, consisting of volunteers from the community, the University of Kansas and United Way’s AmeriCorp program and staff from New York Elementary and the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority, assured that students safely walked the 1.5 mile route between New York Elementary and Edgewood Homes. Despite the prolonged winter, the Walking School Bus operated 64 days this year with an average of 8 students walking per day. The students alone walked a total distance of 700 miles. That is one and a half times the length of the entire state of Kansas.
These students should be applauded for their commitment to a healthy and active lifestyle. At a celebration on Tuesday, May 21st, students were presented with a certificate of participation and a few prizes for a job well done. Members of Walk Kansas and the Lawrence Fire and Medical Department joined staffs from New York Elementary and the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority to present the awards. Each student received eight issues of the Walk Kansas Kids newsletter. Each newsletter has healthy information, activities and recipes the whole family can enjoy. We hope it will encourage students to continue walking and being active throughout the summer. Each student also received a ZOMBIE water bottle and dog tag courtesy of the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Douglas County Housing, Inc. After the presentation, students enjoyed a healthy snack before walking home with staff and recruits from the Lawrence Fire and Medical Department. Susan Johnson of Walk Kansas had this to say about the program, "The partnership between New York Elementary School and the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority to offer a Walking School Bus to younger students is an excellent example of the community working together to promote health and wellness. Not only does it help children achieve the recommended 60 minutes of physical activity a day, it also fosters a sense of teamwork and friendship. In addition, the Walking School Bus provides children the opportunity to learn about their own neighborhood, traffic safety as well as gain responsibility and a sense of independence."
Individual miles walked by these students were quite impressive. Twenty six of the thirty one participants walked more than ten miles throughout the school year. Six students walked more than twenty miles, two students walked more than thirty, four students walked more than forty, one student walked sixty miles and the participant logging the most miles was a New York Elementary kindergartner who walked a total of eighty-one miles.
We hope these students continue their healthy habits and encourage their peers to do so as well.
Veggie Party Prize Excites Youth About Service
In October 2012, the Douglas County Housing, Inc. Full Circle Youth Program hosted a Veggie Party as a part of the Produce for Kids Party With Your Produce Challenge. Youth and their families enjoyed an afternoon of edible art, veggie puppets, snacks and Veggie Bingo. Produce for Kids awarded the Full Circle Youth Program with a third place prize and a $100 gift card to DonorsChoose.org.
A group of Full Circle middle and high school students recently used this prize to donate toward classroom projects in the Lawrence/Kansas City area. After exploring the DonorsChoose.org website, students chose to donate the prize money to three elementary classrooms in need of piano keyboards, literacy learning centers and a innovative science experiments. This eye opening experience has inspired these youth to find other ways to contribute to the community. Plans are being developed for several community service projects this summer as well as smaller projects that will be continued throughout the school year.
Check out the results of the Kids Party With Your Produce Challenge at: http://www.produceforkids.com/sweepstakes/fall2012/teacher/index
The Full Circle Youth Program's Veggie Party is mentioned in the second to last paragraph.
Walking School Bus Keeps on Rolling
The New York Elementary Walking School Bus rolls through another great semester in stride! Now in its second year, the “bus” has continued to develop and this fall changed its route to better utilize East Lawrence’s Burroughs Creek Trail as a safe route home for students. The 1.5 mile route begins at New York Elementary and incorporates several “bus stops”, including Boys and Girls Club at East Heights, before ending at Edgewood Homes.
On Friday, November 30th, during a Character Counts assembly at New York Elementary, students were recognized for their hard work and persistence. Seventy five percent of participants walked at least ten miles throughout the semester with two students walking more than twenty, two more than thirty, and three students reaching over forty miles walked. Nearly thirty students participated in the Walking School Bus this semester with an average of fourteen students walking daily. Congratulations to all of the students who participated in this program and invested in a healthier future!
The “Walking School Bus” was created in 2011 by a partnership between New York Elementary, Douglas County Housing, Inc. and the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority. With a generous grant from the Live Well Lawrence Fund of the Douglas County Community Foundation, students and their families have been offered a fun and healthier alternative to motorized transportation. This program provides physical activity, encourages healthy lifestyles, and gives children a time to socialize with friends. After four semesters and with the help of the community, the New York Elementary Walking School Bus has been a great success! “The walking school bus builds on New York Elementary's belief in neighborhood schools. When kids walk home together, students from different grade levels a have a chance to be together and build lasting friendships,” said New York Elementary principal, Nancy DeGarmo. “I've walked with the walking school bus and love interacting with the kids and seeing them in a totally different environment. The kids have fun walking and so do the adults.” This semester the Walking School Bus was provided four days a week with some students walking nearly every day!
Volunteers continue to be of the utmost importance to this program. This semester, staff from Douglas County Housing, Inc. and New York Elementary as well as volunteers from United Way’s AmeriCorps program, several sororities at the University of Kansas and members of the community came together to safely walk students home. The staff at Douglas County Housing, Inc. and New York Elementary would like to thank these volunteers for their hours of commitment to making this program a success!
The Walking School Bus is in need of volunteers and community partnerships to help ensure the sustainability of the program. If you or your organization is interested in becoming a volunteer bus driver or helping with our program, please contact Mary Orem at morem@ldcha.org or by calling 331-4418.
Full Circle Garden Project - ZOMBIE Patch
Did you know that Edgewood Homes has a garden? Since May, participants of the Full Circle Youth Program have planted, watered and weeded a vegetable garden behind the Huppee Community Facility. We have built raised beds, started seeds, and transplanted starts. So far, we have harvested basil, tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumber and okra.
Known as the “ZOMBIE Patch”, the garden was created as a part of the ZOMBIE Health Initiative which addresses six identified health targets -- Zoning, as in healthy spaces, Outside activity, Movement of and Body image, Ingredients for meals, and Exercise. This project aims to prevent and reduce childhood obesity in youth by increasing regular participation in physical activity and nutrition based eating.
The ZOMBIE Patch has been producing (I)ngredients for out of school snacks. It has also taught youth about growing produce. Some of our veggies have even been sent home with our little gardeners!
In one of the more interesting aspects of the project, youth have started a compost bin that allows us to minimize the amount of waste being sent to the landfill. Composting allows fruit and vegetable scraps to decompose. The decomposed matter will be added to next year’s garden as fertilizer.
Future plans include the planting of a “Pizza Garden” to include tomatoes, basil, and other vegetables to be used as pizza toppings. This will allow youth to learn where their food comes from, participate in growing it, and most importantly eat delicious and nourishing pizza.
ZOMBIE Patch at Edgewood Homes by DouglasCountyHousing
Youth creating a scarecrow for their ZOMBIE Patch. by DouglasCountyHousing
ZOMBIE Health Walk/Bike/Run
The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Douglas County Housing, Inc., in partnership with the Kansas Health Foundation, hosted the ZOMBIE Walk/Bike/Run on July 28th, a community event promoting the six factors of the ZOMBIE health initiative. Approximately 100 participants were encouraged to dress like zombies and then donned zombie makeup to walk, bike and run a 1.5 mile route including the community of Edgewood and part of the Burroughs Creek Trail. Thank you to the volunteers and sponsors who helped make the first ever ZOMBIE walk/bike/run a success!
The ZOMBIE Health Initiative addresses six identified health targets -- Zoning, as in healthy spaces, Outside activity, Movement of and Body image, Ingredients for meals, and Exercise. This project aims to prevent and reduce childhood obesity in youth by increasing regular participation in physical activity and nutrition based eating. Participants learned about health and wellness activities, played water and other active games, had a watermelon feed and met local firemen while getting to tour a Lawrence fire truck!
Participants learned how to apply zombie makeup before the 1.5 mile walk/bike/run. by DouglasCountyHousing
Walkers, bikers and runners were all welcome! by DouglasCountyHousing
The event attracted zombies of all ages! Families with small children, teenagers and grandparents all came out to promote health and exercise! by DouglasCountyHousing
Youth and staff at the Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority Full Circle Youth Program planted a garden of vegetables earlier in the spring. Known as the “Zombie Patch”, the garden produces a healthy snack of vegetables while teaching youth about growing produce. by DouglasCountyHousing
Walkers were given bottles of water as they finished the 1.5 mile ZOMBIE trail. This zombie walked the trail twice. Participants were also given reusable shopping bags provided by Natural Grocers. These bags, or ZOMBIE kits, were filled with useful health and wellness information. by DouglasCountyHousing
Volunteer makeup artist Hailey Gillespie and two of her creations demonstrate their zombie skills during the games and festivities following the trail walk. by DouglasCountyHousing
Stephen Mason, a ZOMBIE route leader rides with zombie. Staff and volunteers wore bright Walking School Bus vests to promote safety and guide participants along the trail. by DouglasCountyHousing
The halfway point on the trail was marked with more activities and volunteers from the Boys and Girls Club! Walkers/bikers/runners stopped for a refreshing drink and activities such as pushups, hula hooping, hopscotch and jump roping! by DouglasCountyHousing
Walking the ZOMBIE trail to promote health awareness! by DouglasCountyHousing
The ZOMBIE walk was a great success! A big thank you again to the volunteers and participants who made this possible! by DouglasCountyHousing
ZOMBIE Health Walk/Bike/Run on July 28th!
The Lawrence-Douglas County Housing Authority and Douglas County Housing, Inc., in partnership with the Kansas Health Foundation, are hosting the ZOMBIE Walk/Bike/Run on July 28, a community event promoting the six factors of the ZOMBIE health initiative. This event will incorporate a 1.5 mile walk/bike/run with demonstrations by various community health agencies and organizations. Participants are strongly encouraged to dress like zombies. It starts at 9:00 am and we'll be meeting at the Barbara Huppee Community Facility which is located in Edgewood Homes. The address is 1600 Haskell Ave, #150.
The ZOMBIE Health Initiative addresses six identified health targets -- Zoning, as in healthy spaces, Outside activity, Movement of and Body image, Ingredients for meals, and Exercise. This project aims to prevent and reduce childhood obesity in youth who receive housing assistance by increasing regular participation in physical activity and nutrition based eating.
The ZOMBIE Walk will be a short walk around East Lawrence, starting and ending at the Edgewood Homes Community Facility located at 1600 Haskell Avenue, #150. Come learn about health and wellness activities in your community on July 28th from 9 AM to Noon and join us for a watermelon feed immediately after. Please contact Dan Clifford by emailing dclifford@ldcha.org or calling 785-331-4418 for more information or to let us know you are coming . You may also visit http://www.ldcha.org/residents/ZOMBIE.htm.
WHAT: ZOMBIE Walk/Bike/Run WHEN: July 28th, 9:00 am - 12:00 pm WHERE: Meet at Barbara Huppee Community Facility at Edgewood Homes; 1600 Haskell Ave, #150.
