Community Site News

We Can!™ is collaborating with communities, cities, and counties around the country (and world!). These sites take an active role in creating healthier hometown environments that promote a healthy weight to families and youth. This section of the We Can! Web site provides news stories that involve the We Can! community.

 

Kentucky Fish and Wildlife Service-Member Thankful for New Rx for Health
Posted February 4, 2009

You may know Kentucky for its bluegrass, bourbon, and thoroughbred racing. What you might not know is that the state has the world’s longest cave system, the greatest length of navigable waterways and streams in the lower 48 states, and a We Can! community site that takes advantage of these natural resources.
Read more.

 

Berrien Takes the "Brr!" Out of Winter Walking… and Focuses on Fitness in the New Year
Posted February 4, 2009

Most folks wait for warmer weather to kick off their New Year's resolutions, but not We Can! organizers in Berrien County, Michigan. Biting temperatures didn't keep them from organizing a children's walk to visit Santa Claus at the North Pole. That's because they took the walk indoors, to a mall Santa.
Read more.

 

New Year’s Resolution: Inner-City Pensacola Gets in Shape
Posted February 4, 2009

The new year offers a new opportunity for the Health Solutions Team—a collaboration of West Florida groups—to find ways to lower the growing percentage of overweight children in Escambia County, FL, especially inner-city Pensacola.
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Vietnamese Virginians Dive Head-first into We Can! Programming
Posted February 4, 2009

Vietnamese immigrant and mother of two Tran Nguyen is tickled pink over a portion-measurement trick—using her fist to measure appropriate portion size. She learned it while taking four We Can! classes in Fairfax, Virginia.
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New Year Brings New We Can! County
Posted February 4, 2009

Knoxville, located in Knox County in East Tennessee at the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains, is a community committed to finding ways to improve the health and well being of its residents. On January 8, 2009, Knox County furthered this commitment by becoming a We Can! County.
Read more.

 

Moving Mountains: West Virginia Offers State Grants to Run We Can!
Posted February 4, 2009

You can’t move a mountain. But if you’re We Can!, you can sure move the Mountain State… figuratively, at least. Having heard of We Can!’s presence nationwide, officials at the West Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Healthy Schools did some investigating. They decided our program provided the best fit to help its young Mountaineers climb the hill to better health.
Read more.

 

We Can! Is One Hot Potato in Boise, Idaho
Posted February 4, 2009

Over a year ago, on January 15, 2008, Nancy Rush, R.D., We Can! community site leader and Community Health Promotion Manager for Idaho’s Central District Health Department, kicked off her first set of classes based on We Can!
Read more.

 

Campaign Season Far from Over in Delaware
Posted February 4, 2009

Neither low temperatures, nor impending inaugural festivities just “down the block,” kept some 3,500 people from turning out for a special Martin Luther King Celebration in Wilmington, DE, on January 19.
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National Council of Negro Women Leaders Learn Ways to Help Kids Avoid Holiday Bulge
Posted December 16, 2008

This fall, NCNW leaders gathered at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute for Child Health and Human Development to learn how to both present and train others on two health-education programs adapted from the We Can! curricula.
Read more.

 

Sunshine State Sheds Light on We Can! Activities
Posted December 16, 2008

We Can! activities cropped up across Florida literally kicking the holiday season into high gear in some places, including Marathon Scholars & T.U.F.F. Kids and a We Can! Overview Telebriefing.
Read more.

 

We Can! in Chinese
Posted November 5, 2008

The Nutrition Services Division of San Francisco's Chinatown Public Health Center has been running We Can! programming for a little over a year now, and tailoring it to better speak to its primary audience of Chinese Americans.
Read more.

 

Boston Trainers Help Spread the Word
Posted November 5, 2008

Ensuring that We Can! Parent Program facilitators are well trained is why on the Boston Public Health Commission hosted a free "Train the Trainer" session on September 15. They used downloadable materials from the We Can! Energize Our Families: Parent Program Leader's Guide together with the Parent Handbook.
Read more.

 

We Can! Newcomer Applauds Acting Sugeon General
Posted November 5, 2008

The South Dakota Discovery Center—a brand new We Can! site in Pierre, South Dakota—represented the We Can! program at a local round table conducted by Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven Galson on October 16.
Read more.

 

Fruitful Fall for We Can!
Posted November 5, 2008

In September, We Can! supporters in Indiana didn’t need to be encouraged to spread the We Can! message to a captive, festival audience. They dove right in. Parkview Hospital seized the opportunity offered by the "Fort-4 Fitness Health Festival" on September 26–27 in Fort Wayne.
Read more.

The Volunteer State Lives Up to Its Name
Posted October 23, 2008

The Volunteer State is living up to its name. Tennesseans from small towns to big cities, and from the grassroots to the grass "tops," expanded the scope of We Can! programming in their communities, and became better educated about healthy eating and physical activity.
Read more.

 

Filled to the Rafters in Fairfax County, VA
Posted October 23, 2008

Despite the early morning hour, a We Can! training was met with great enthusiasm by various program managers in Fairfax County, in early September 2008.
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We Can! Sweeping into Community Health Centers Coast to Coast
Posted October 23, 2008

Due in part to the help of new partners (see Partner Profile), We Can! is quickly catching on with community health centers and their patients.
Read more.

 

¡Podemos!: We Can! en Español!
Posted October 23, 2008

Unity Health Care’s Cardoza Health Center is reaching out to the people it serves—in Spanish. Their effort is having a ripple effect through word of mouth. With statistics showing that the Hispanic community has seen an increase in the number of overweight children, the need for We Can! programs and materials in Spanish has never been greater.
Read more.

 

We Can! and Acting U.S. Surgeon General Promote Turnoff Week 2008
Posted April 30, 2008

Turnoff Week 2008 (April 21-27) was very important to both We Can! and the Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson, M.D., M.P.H. The nationwide campaign raises public awareness about the effects of too much screen time and provides a great opportunity for children and families to spend less time in front of the TV and video games and adopt a healthier way of life.
Read more.

 

Acting U.S. Surgeon General and NIH Director Announce Expanded We Can! Efforts
Posted January 29, 2008

In November 2007, We Can! held a media event at the Boston Children’s Museum, with simultaneous events held in eight other cities. Acting U.S. Surgeon General Rear Admiral Steven K. Galson was in attendance to discuss We Can!’s inclusion in the HHS Childhood Overweight and Obesity Prevention Initiative.
Read more.

 

More than 250 Attend We Can! Trainings
Posted January 29, 2008

In fall 2007, We Can! hosted two regional trainings that helped the movement grow: over 250 people attended, and over 75 new sites signed up in the following weeks.
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500 Birmingham Adults and Children Come together for a We Can! Fun Run and Walk
Posted January 29, 2008

In Birmingham, Alabama, the Bethel Community Learning Center hosted a 5K Fun Run and Walk, for all Birmingham citizens to get moving and learn about healthy lifestyles.
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Moer Foundation uses We Can! to Educate Boston Parents and Youth
Posted January 29, 2008

In Boston last fall, the Moer Foundation used We Can! program materials to discuss the importance of healthy eating with local parents and children.
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Kentucky We Can! Coordinator Runs Parent Programs Across the State
Posted October 2, 2007

Anita Courtney’s work in Kentucky is an example of statewide We Can! outreach. Ms. Courtney facilitates the We Can! Parent Program and uses a train-the-trainer model to get other We Can! leaders up to speed. Ms. Courtney's experience can help you make a difference through We Can!
Read more.

 

We Can! County Holds Kickoff Event
Posted October 2, 2007

We Can! is proud to announce its very first We Can! County. Armstrong, PA, recently launched its HEAL Armstrong program in county schools.
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We Can! City Spotlight: Gary, IN
Posted October 2, 2007

Since becoming a We Can! City, Gary, IN, has been leveraging its efforts to have an impact on the state level, including working with the Governor of Indiana.
Read more.

 

Boston Site Gets We Can! Into Public Schools
Posted October 2, 2007

Boston Steps is collaborating with Boston Public Schools to support hosting We Can! parent classes.
Read more.

 

South Bend Serves as a Mentor to New Site in Columbus, Indiana
Posted October 2, 2007

The South Bend, Indiana, We Can! Community Site has been conducting outreach work to mentor newer We Can! sites in their area.
Read more.

 

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