MINNEAPOLIS – Fifty nonprofit community groups across the U.S. received grants totaling $500,000 from the General Mills Foundation to support pioneering programs that help children develop lifelong nutrition and physical fitness habits.
Now in its second year, the General Mills Champions program is a long-term partnership between the General Mills Foundation, the American Dietetic Association Foundation and the President’s Challenge. Additional components of the initiative include sponsorship of the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards (PALA), as well as the development of nutrition and fitness mentoring models.
The initiative provides grants of $10,000 to schools or nonprofit community groups with programs that equip children and their families with skills they need to eat a balanced diet and exercise on a regular basis.
This year’s grant winners include programs such as Splash! Kids Aquatic Program for low-income African-American families in Philadelphia. Others include the Reading, Running and Celery Sticks program in St. Louis that combines physical activities with a reading program for 3-5-year-olds; Portland’s Healthy Start Program-Nutrition and Fitness Services that targets first-time mothers between the ages of 16 and 20; Give Me Five, an after-school program in Paul, Idaho in which healthy snacks will be served, 20 minutes will be devoted to physical activities, and a registered dietitian will present a weekly nutrition activity for students.
“Our success with the program last year demonstrates the power of partnering with local organizations across America to provide young people with the tools they need to live healthy, balanced and active lives,” said Chris Shea, president of the General Mills Foundation. “The program dovetails with the long-term work of the President’s Challenge, the ADAF and General Mills.”
Utilizing its resources and expertise on nutrition issues, the ADAF plays a critical role in evaluating the grant proposals. In addition to the grants, the General Mills Foundation provides support for up to 50,000 young people who participate in the President’s Challenge and earn the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) for their commitment to a physically active and fit lifestyle.
Any community-based, nonprofit organization or agency is eligible to apply for this annual program for one of 50 grants of $10,000 each. Preschools, as well as elementary, middle and high schools are eligible. Among the requirements for receiving a General Mills Champions grant is that the program must include both a strong nutrition education and a physical activity component.
Information on the General Mills Champions program, grant applications, best practices and model programs that can be adopted by any organization are available at www.generalmills.com/foundation. Additional information on the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards can be found at www.presidentschallenge.org.
The General Mills Foundation, celebrating its 50th year of giving, is a champion for stronger communities. In fiscal year 2003, General Mills awarded $77 million to communities across the country – representing more than 5 percent of company pretax profits. Of that amount, the Foundation awarded a total of $20 million in grants in the targeted areas of youth nutrition and fitness, family life, education, and arts and culture.
The American Dietetic Association Foundation is the philanthropic arm of ADA. It is a 501(c)(3) charity devoted exclusively to nutrition and dietetics. The Foundation funds scholarships and awards, education and research projects, and ADA strategic initiatives that promote optimal nutrition health and well being of the public. It is the largest provider of scholarships and awards in the field of dietetics.
2004 General Mills Champions Grant Recipients:
Splash! Kids Aquatic Program
Arthritis Foundation, Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Fitness Counts: 1, 2, 3!
Be Active North Carolina, Inc.
Durham, North Carolina
Project: H.E.L.L.O. (Healthier Eating Life Line Options)
Beatrice Caffrey Youth Service, Inc.
Chicago, Illinois
The C.H.A.S.E. Program (Creating Healthy & Active School Environments)
Benicia Unified School District
Benicia, California
T.E.E.N. (Teen Education in Exercise and Nutrition)
Boys & Girls Club of Truckee Meadows Clinical Services Department
Reno, Nevada
Fitness Fusion
Boys & Girls Club of Allentown
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Dancing for Fitness
Buffalo Inner City Ballet
Buffalo, New York
Rural Alaska Program
Camp Fire USA Alaska Council
Anchorage, Alaska
Train the Trainers
Children’s Hunger Alliance
Columbus, Ohio
Choctaw Nation “I Have the Power”
Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma–Choctaw Nation Health Services Authority
Talihina, Oklahoma
Child Life and Education
Church Health Center (CHC)
Memphis, Tennessee
Learn and Earn
Cincinnati Recreation Commission Foundation
Cincinnati, Ohio
Program E.N.E.R.G.Y. (Education, Nutrition and Exercise for Growing
Youth) Colorado State University Foundation
Fort Collins, Colorado
Wellness is Cool
Columbia Valley Community Health
Wenatchee, Washington
Project Health
Community Action Project of Tulsa County, Inc.
Tulsa, Oklahoma
Lifelong Wellness for Kids
Conemaugh Health Care Systems
Johnstown, Pennsylvania
“It’s My Body!”
East Bay Asian Youth Center
Oakland, California
Project L.I.F.E. (Learning the Importance of Fitness Early)
East Islip Union Free School District
Islip Terrace, New York
Healthy Start Program–Nutrition and Fitness Services
Easter Seals Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Filer Elementary Walkers
Filer Elementary School
Filer, Idaho
180 Days to a Healthier School
Florence School District Three–Scranton Elementary School
Scranton, South Carolina
Atlanta After-School All-Stars Program
Georgia State University Research Foundation, Inc.
Atlanta, Georgia
Uniquely Me! Inside and Out, Loving the Skin You’re In and the Busy
Girls’ Guide to Exercise
Girl Scouts of Conifer Council
Texarkana, Arkansas
A Healthy You
Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Highway to Health
Girl Scouts Peacepipe Council
Redwood Falls, Minnesota
Reading, Running and Celery Sticks
Grace Hill Settlement House
St. Louis, Missouri
Calcium Girls (CAL-Girls)
Greater Minneapolis Girl Scout Council
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Windham Southeast Supervisory Union’s Nutrition and Fitness Challenge
Green Mountain Training Center for Healthy Schools and Communities
Brattleboro, Vermont
Choose F.U.N.! (Fitness Understanding Nutrition)
High Country Counseling and Resource Centers
Afton, Wyoming
Native Youth Posse
Ho-Chunk Community Development Corporation
Walthill, Nebraska
Food & Fitness Craze
Iowa 4-H Foundation
Ames, Iowa
Family Nutrition Education Project
La Rabida Children’s Hospital
Chicago, Illinois
Mighty Bites
Lakewood Legacy Foundation
Lakewood, Colorado
Walking on Sunshine
Lockhart Elementary Magnet
Tampa, Florida
Fit for Life
Lockhart Independent School District
Lockhart, Texas
Promoting Lifetime Activity for Youth (P.L.A.Y.)
Maricopa County Department of Public Health
Phoenix, Arizona
Girls Jumping in Memphis (G.J.I.M.)
Memphis and Shelby County Health Department–Community Development
Section
Memphis, Tennessee
E.F.F.E.C.T. (Establishing Fit Families through Education,
Communication and Training) Miami Valley Health Improvement Council,
Inc.
Fairborn, Ohio
Campeones De Salud (Healthy Champions)
Northside Inter-Church Agency, Inc.
Fort Worth, Texas
Youth Nutrition and Fitness Grant
Ohio University
Athens, Ohio
Give Me Five
Paul Elementary School
Paul, Idaho
Defeating Diabetes with Food and Fitness
Rocky Boy School
Box Elder, Montana
Berry Berry Good Childhood Overweight Prevention Project
Russell Child Development Center
Garden City, Kansas
Mission: Possible
San Jose Unified School District
San Jose, California
Triple F: Food and Fitness Frenzy
South Panola School District
Batesville, Mississippi
Good to Go
The Children’s Village
Dobbs Ferry, New York
Mind Body Connection: An Adolescent Nutrition and Fitness Program
Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley
Aurora, Illinois
On Target for Healthy Children
Waldo County Preschool & Family Services
Belfast, Maine
Get Up, Get Moving!
Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital Charitable Foundation
Yakima, Washington
“Y” Be Healthy
YMCA of Greater Miami
Miami, Florida
