As the Healthy Habits for Life grant program opens its fifth giving cycle, the BCBSKS Foundation is proud to announce an increased financial commitment to the program. We are committing $100,000 to fund grants that school staff members can use to develop programs that promote healthy lifestyle choices to their students during the 2011 calendar year.
We also expanding our efforts to get information in the hands of appropriate school personnel. Marketed exclusively to school nurses in the past, this year we are encouraging applications from physical education, health, and family and consumer science teachers, principals and other administrators as well as school nurses.
During the first four years of the program, we have awarded a total of 171 grants in excess of $162,000. These HHFL grants have benefited thousands of school-aged children and we would like to reach even more children by doubling our commitment to grant funding in this giving cycle.
We recognize that at a time when finding solutions for childhood obesity and improving the overall health and wellness of Kansas children is at the forefront of our state’s needs, school budgets are tighter than ever and many Kansas schools are struggling to find the resources they need for basic educational programs. We hope to fill some of those funding gaps by providing financial resources to schools that want to create programs to help their students:
Teachers and school personnel have unique opportunities to reach and teach students about healthy lifestyle choices by creating curriculum and programs that can be incorporated into the place where school-aged children spend a majority of their day: school. While at school, students are a captive audience and can be greatly influenced. And, since one of the best places to start developing healthy behaviors is during childhood, healthy habits as a youth often translate into healthy habits as an adult.
About the Program
View a list of 2009-10 winners and summaries of their programs.