Just in time for summer meal planning, We Can! introduces two new tip sheets and three new supplemental tools to help families plan and prepare healthier meals.

• We Can! Parent Tips - Making Healthier Food Choices: Families can use this tip sheet to plan and prepare meals and snacks to help get the most nutrition out of the calories consumed.
• We Can! Parent Tips - Healthier Eating While Saving Money: Families can use this tip sheet to create a food plan that focuses on choosing healthier foods while saving money.
• Food Comparison Chart: Families can use this chart to learn how healthier choices can save calories and money.
• Grocery List Template: Families can print this sheet before a shopping trip and use it to help pick healthier items at the store.
• Weekly Meal Planner: Families can use this tool each week to help plan healthier meals.

This spring, We Can! hosted two regional trainings – one in Roswell, Georgia, and one in South Bend/Gary, Indiana. Each was a great success with strong attendance and local media coverage. The events attracted more than 200 attendees from 35 states and the District of Columbia. The attendees included dietitians, health educators, nurses, park and recreation professionals, among others.

The trainings also helped boost We Can!'s reach. In the weeks that followed, nearly 100 organizations signed up to become We Can! community sites.

Officials from NIH and local governments showed their support for We Can! and enthusiastically launched the We Can! City program. In South Bend, Dr. Judy Monroe, the State Health Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Health, and Phil St. Clair, Park Superintendent for the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department received their We Can! City designation. Then, at a special event in Gary, Indiana, Mayor Rudy Clay received Gary’s We Can! City sign.

The launch continued in Roswell, Georgia, where Dr. Griffin Rodgers, Director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases presented Mayor Jere Wood with Roswell’s designation. Upon receiving the sign, Mayor Wood proclaimed May 3, 2007, as We Can! Day and showcased their We Can! City designation to the audience.

Local media in each area, including nine newspapers, two TV stations, and seven radio stations, covered the launch of the We Can! City program. Coverage of the Roswell designation by the Atlanta Journal Constitution reached nearly two million people.

Other highlights of the trainings include a performance by local youth of their Media Smart Youth Big Production skits in Roswell and healthy cooking tips as demonstrated by members of the local chefs’ association in South Bend.

Much of the success of these events was due to the hard work of on-site organizers from the Roswell Recreation and Parks Department, the South Bend Parks and Recreation Department, and the Gary Youth Services Bureau. Their steadfast dedication to We Can! and their belief in the program made the regional training events outstanding successes. Because the regional trainings were so successful, We Can! plans to conduct two more later this year.

Today, more than 300 sites have committed to providing We Can! activities in their communities. This shows tremendous growth since We Can! launched two years ago with 14 Founding Intensive Community Sites and 20 General Community Sites.

We Can! continues to reach out and make a difference in the United States, Canada, Nigeria, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. NIH is getting the word out about We Can!, and community settings are signing up to join the movement.

Sign up to become a We Can! community site or a We Can! City.

Recently, We Can!’s national coordinator, Karen Donato, S.M., presented at the Association of State and Territorial Public Health Nutrition Directors (ASTPHND) conference, and at the Protecting Health in Rural New England symposium in Hancock, Massachusetts. State health officials who attended the New England symposium have expressed an interest in expanding We Can! statewide in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut. Other states have shown interest and have begun statewide activities, including Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, and Alabama.

Later this year, We Can! will present at two important events. On September 30, Ms. Donato and Kathy Cunningham from the Boston Founding Intensive Site, will present "We Can! Prevent Childhood Obesity: A Comprehensive Parent-Focused Program" at the American Dietetic Association’s national conference in Philadelphia.

On November 5, staff from NHLBI and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will present "We Can! Helps Children Achieve and Maintain Healthy Weight" at the American Public Health Association’s annual meeting in Washington, DC. We look forward to connecting with you at these conferences.

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