The White House Blog: Family
Supporting Military Families and Let’s Move!
Posted byon May 9, 2011 at 3:20 PM EDTCross-posted from the Let's Move! blog.
Today, First Lady Michelle Obama announced new collaborations to support our military families and ensure that everyone can get out and get moving.
Starting June 1, service members and their families will be able to visit the websites of the organizations to sign up for free sportsclub memberships and personal training.
Learn more about FamilyThe Gift of Good Health on Mother’s Day
Posted byon May 8, 2011 at 3:08 PM EDTPregnant women and new mothers deserve more than just flowers this Mother’s Day. They deserve the precious gift of good health for themselves and their babies. That’s why today I’d like to celebrate the benefits of text4baby, a free, mobile health information service that offers useful tips timed to a woman’s due date or baby’s date of birth.
The beauty of text4baby is its simplicity. Text BABY (or BEBE in Spanish) to 511411, and receive three free SMS messages every week on important issues like nutrition, oral health, and immunization schedules. Text4baby also connects women to public clinics and support services for prenatal and infant care in their area.
"We and the Entire Nation Are So Proud Of All Of You": Mother's Day with the First Lady and Dr. Biden
Posted byon May 8, 2011 at 2:40 PM EDTFor a group of military spouses, this Mother's Day will be one they never forget. First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden hosted a special Mother's Day tea to show their appreciation and thanks.
West Wing Week: "A Good Day For America"
Posted byon May 6, 2011 at 1:00 AM EDTThis week, the President announced the death of Osama bin Laden, visited New York City to honor the victims of 9/11 and their families, made sure the federal government was doing its part in the states devastated by storms and much more.
Learn more about Defense, Disabilities, Economy, Education, Family, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, Rural, Service, Veterans, Additional IssuesMilitary Spouse Appreciation Day
Posted byon May 5, 2011 at 6:03 PM EDTMay 6th, 2011 is Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Visit JoiningForces.gov to find out how you can get involved and support military families in your community.
President Obama has proclaimed May 6, 2011, Military Spouse Appreciation Day. Earlier this year, the Obama Administration released a report to bring together resources from across Government to support and engage military families. Through the Joining Forces initiative, First Lady Michelle Obama and Dr. Jill Biden are working to spark action from all sectors of society to address the unique challenges of military families. "On Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we have an opportunity to not only honor the husbands and wives of our service members, but also thank them by actively expressing our gratitude in both word and deed."
Here's the proclamation:
Military spouses serve as steady and supportive partners to the heroes in uniform who protect and defend our great Nation every day. Across America and around the world, military spouses serve our country in their own special way, helping families and friends through the stress of a deployment, caring for our wounded warriors, and supporting each other when a loved one has made the ultimate sacrifice.
Our service members and their families seldom ask for support or recognition. They carry out their duties to family and country with the quiet courage and strength that has always exemplified the American spirit. On Military Spouse Appreciation Day, we have an opportunity to not only honor the husbands and wives of our service members, but also thank them by actively expressing our gratitude in both word and deed.
Facing Foreclosure with Facts
Posted byon May 4, 2011 at 3:27 PM EDTThese days as families struggle with their finances, many will look to the faith-based community for answers because they don’t know where else to turn. For this reason, it‘s imperative that those of us at HUD equip faith based leaders with the information and resources they need to assist families facing foreclosure.
On March 23rd, HUD’s Center for Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships hosted a foreclosure prevention conference, “Families Facing Foreclosure with Facts, Not Fear.” Participants learned about ways to prevent foreclosure, avoid scams, and how to become a HUD-approved housing counseling agency. Mortgage lenders were also on hand to provide participants with a clear understanding of their role and how they can help during the foreclosure process. Faith-based leaders were also provided with a Toolkit on Foreclosure Prevention and Scam Awareness to use as a guide to further help raise awareness in their communities.
If you missed the conference, you can view an archive of the webcast as well as download informational brochures given during the conference.
If you have questions or comments about this post, send an email to partnerships (at) hud.gov.
Paula Lincoln serves as Acting Director at HUD’s Partnership Center.
Learn more about FamilyFirst Lady Michelle Obama Drops by a D.C. School to watch students do a Let’s Move! Flash Workout
Posted byon May 3, 2011 at 6:27 PM EDTCross-posted from www.letsmove.gov
You may have heard that the National Association of Broadcasters organized over 600 schools nationwide to perform a dance popularized by Beyonce in her video for “Move Your Body,” which encourages kids to get up and get moving. All the performances took place at 1:42 pm today. First Lady Michelle Obama stopped by Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, DC, to check out their event, and had some fun herself.
Learn more about , FamilyWorking Together to Keep Our Children Happy and Healthy
Posted byon May 3, 2011 at 4:34 PM EDTIt is an honor to have the opportunity to make our schools a healthier place for our children and to be recognized as a Champion of Change.
This is a cause that has been important to me for a long time. As a chef, I want people to like the food I prepare for them – but I also want it to be good for them. As Executive Chef for Universal Orlando Resort, I have the privilege of helping to guide the work of 28 chefs and 900 cooks who prepare food for more than 60 locations across both our theme parks and our entertainment complex. People often think of “theme park food” in a very specific way. But we’ve worked hard to make sure the food we offer is well balanced so that our guests can make healthy as well as delicious choices. Sure you can get a cheese burger. But you can also get a wide variety of healthy, fresh choices. Our guests tell us they love the fact that we help them make the right kind of choices.
And so I was thrilled to be able to take the same kind of approach to schools in Central Florida. I got to work with a lot of other local chefs and food service professionals. We worked together to shape some basic ideas and then went into individual schools to work with teams there. I have tried to help create a focus on food that tastes good and that is good for you. School children are a tough audience and we have a lot of work still ahead of us. You can’t change behaviors overnight – but we’re working on it.
Learn more about , FamilySupporting Military Families Year Round
Posted byon May 3, 2011 at 3:06 PM EDTEd. note: This was originally posted on the Family Matters blog run by the Department of Defense.
During the Month of the Military Child in April, there were picnics and parades, fairs and festivals in communities across the country—all to recognize and honor military children for their special contributions to our nation.
There is no issue nearer or dearer to my heart than reinforcing to our military children that they are, indeed, a key part of the military community and how equally important it is to recognize the sacrifices they make every day.
It’s one thing to be a military child during peacetime, quite another during a time of war. Every day, these young ones shoulder worry, stress and responsibility far beyond their years while mom or dad is deployed. It’s not just the missed birthdays and soccer games or helping mom with extra chores that dad would normally do. It’s the fear that their world can crumble at a moment’s notice.
When their parent comes home, the stress and challenges don’t necessarily disappear. It’s a safe bet dad didn’t return quite the same guy he was when he left. He, too, may have emotional and even physical challenges to face. And he, too, may be afraid…and perhaps even afraid to admit it.
Many of these kids have known only war…only worry.
Dealing with these things months and years on end, demands resilience and toughness – qualities innate to military children and something most are particularly proud of to be sure.
The Health and Well-being of Our Children
Posted byon May 2, 2011 at 5:54 PM EDTKudos to President Obama and First Lady Michelle for their efforts aimed at improving the health of Americans. I was honored earlier this month, as a 22 year child nutrition veteran, to be selected as part of Champions of Change for the healthy schools initiative.
White House Executive Chef Sam Kass and USDA Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Kevin Concannon led a “how do we empower the children to make healthy choices” discussion. Chef’s and registered dietitians around the table collaborated on ideas to enhance the outreach of the Chef’s Move to School Program, increase culinary training for school nutrition professionals, and educate students in and outside of the classroom through hands on cooking classes, school gardens, and cafeteria promotions.
Learn more about , Family
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