Health & Wellness Initiatives

During my time at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Marion County, I developed several programs and events to promote awareness of health and wellness for over 300 members and their families.

I established partnerships with other service providers in the county and collaborated with them to help educate our members about other organizational resources available to them, and the importance of utilizing the county's services.

Utilizing my connections from my previous business, Florida Local Exchange, I recruited farmers, chefs, and additional volunteers to help teach our members gardening and cooking skills.

I worked directly with the kids every day and I LOVED IT!

Pictured here are two of my most dedicated Kitchen Club members.

Below you will find detailed information on the many programs I created, organized, and implemented during my time as the Health & Wellness Coordinator at BGCMCFL.

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Garden Club

As part of the Marion County Hospital District (MCHD) grant initiatives, I developed vegetable gardens at all three club sites. This was by far, one of the most rewarding grant programs I created while I was there. I worked with local farmers and farming organizations and partnered with the Dunnellon Community Garden to educate the members about planting, growing and harvesting seasonal foods.

This hands-on approach to learning exposed the kids to nature, gave them an opportunity to grow their own foods, and also engage with other members at the club. Not only did we successfully develop gardens at each site, but we had a lot of fun doing it!

Below you will find some of the many pictures of the club members working in the gardens.

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Kitchen Club

A major component of the MCHD grant I managed involved getting the kids in the kitchen and teaching them how to prepare their own foods. Whether it was cauliflower picked straight from the garden or making a Spanish dish with chicken and rice, or yummy meatballs, or baked potatoes, these kids didn't hesitate to jump right in! Although there were numerous members who worked with me in the kitchen each school day, some of them really enjoyed it and found they had a love for good food...and some serious chef skills.

This experience taught me to plan, organize, and lead a team of little people. I forged genuine and meaningful relationships with the kids and they learned to trust me and confide in me. Bringing them together in the kitchen broke down age and race barriers and gave them a chance to learn something new.

Below are some photos from Kitchen Club and some of the snacks and meals we prepared while I was there.

Healthy Summer Snack Program

During the summer months, we received specific funding from the grant to provide healthy snacks to our members. To accomplish this, I would purchase items for the week for all three clubs and determine a daily snack menu depending on the club's size and membership.

Members worked with me as part of Kitchen Club to prepare and serve the snacks each day. Some of the things we discussed were reading nutrition labels and portion sizes and I can honestly say this was an incredible learning experience for all of us.

CenterState Snack Week

As an example of the partnerships created related to the grant that I managed, we invited local businesses to join us at the club and work with the members to prepare healthy snacks for our summer program. Their sponsorship and involvement gave the members validation and encouragement and reinforced the value of eating healthy.

Below you will see photos from the CenterState Bank sponsorship week. On this day, we prepped and grilled, made smoothies, and served over 180 kids. Members learned how to cut and marinate their favorite veggies and also how to use readily available ingredients to make a refreshing summer strawberry/banana smoothie!

Grub Bags

During the course of the grant program, the club received donated healthy food items from local businesses which I then separated equally into weekly Grub Bags. The Grub Bags were distributed to families in need each Friday, and contained shelf-stable items as well as fresh produce when it was available.

Below are a few pictures of members taking home their Grub Bags.

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Free Dental Week

I coordinated with professionals from the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) who set up a dental clinic on-site providing exams, cleanings, fluoride treatments, and sealants.The kids were seen during regular club hours so parents didn’t have to miss a minute of their work day. Adults were also able to receive free dental care.

Below are some of the photos from the club's Free Dental Week.

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Field Trip to Doctor's Pepper Farm

To teach the kids about where food comes from, I organized a field trip to one of my previous farm partners' pepper farm. Doctor Pepper, as he is known in the food community, gave us a tour of his growing facility, showed the kids how to harvest and weigh the peppers, and wrapped up the trip with a tractor ride through the farm. I loved seeing the kids interact with him and was so glad they got to experience a green house and participate in harvesting some of Doctor's Peppers!

Below are a few photos from the field trip.

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Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise

This event, in partnership with Reach and Motivate and Lead (R.A.M.A.L.), was open to the public and geared for adults in the community. Multiple vendors from organizations throughout the county participated and set up tables with information about their services.

As you can see from the flyer I created below, the speakers included a licensed mental health counselor, a financial advisor, and a life coach and was sponsored by Columbia Bank.

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Positive Body Image Campaign

In an effort to promote self-love and respect, I recruited local artists to paint positive quotes in the bathrooms of our Dunnellon club. Although the kids were able to participate a little bit, this project was completed by some incredibly talented volunteers and I have to say, I love how it came out.

Below are a few photos of the end result.