WELLNESS FOR PEACE IN SCHOOLS: Develop and Implement Healthy Food & Healthy Environments for Kids

See Sample Guide on How to do it: Nancy Easton, recently named a “food revolution hero” by chef activist Jamie Oliver and part of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Lets Move! initiative, is founder and executive director of Wellness in the Schools, or WITS, a nonprofit organization that encourages healthy eating and fitness for children in public schools. “Since we’ve been doing this, we’ve really seen it become a revolution and a movement,” said Easton at St. Philip’s Episcopal School in Coral Gables on Friday. Her initiative essentially focuses on drastically improving the lunch period, in an effort to improve the overall health of children. Since 2005, her organization has rocketed from helping 16 children in just one school to 30,000 students in 50 schools across New York, Kentucky and Florida. After graduating from Princeton University in 1988, Easton witnessed firsthand in New York City what she considers the impact of poor diet and lack of physical activity on children’s ability to focus. Soon after, she was inspired to start her own organization. She refers to it as a Peace Corps for the wellness world. WITS implements its three-year program in 10 schools each year. The program includes a re-writing of the lunch menu, training for the school lunch workers with the new menu, and outside support getting the least-active kids active and prevention of playground bullying. “We’re essentially a public-private partnership that helps support what’s already happening in the public schools,” Easton said. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/coral-gables/article2167762.html#storylink=cpy