Annie Coons says: “Let’s Move”

Annie Coons joined around a thousand children from across the state on Friday at Duffy’s Hope Field Day, hosted in conjunction with the Let’s Move initiative.  The event took place in Wilmington, an official Let’s Move city, and was the kick-off for Duffy’s Hope 10^th Anniversary Celebration.  Participants took part in field day activities, healthy lifestyle workshops and a celebrity softball game.

“Staying fit and active is extremely important to your health and well-being. It impacts every part of your life, and has even been proven to help students do better in school,” Annie said. “Let’s Move is a great initiative that is motivating kids to make smart choices, exercise, and have fun.”

Duffy’s Hope Field Day was hosted in conjunction with Let’s Move, a healthy eating initiative launched by First Lady Michelle Obama. Let’s Move targets childhood obesity and is committed to solving this challenge within a generation. By presenting parents helpful information and providing healthier foods in our schools, Let’s Move work so all families and children develop a more healthy and active lifestyle.

Duffy’s Hope Inc. is a nonprofit that has helped over 2,500 school-aged children. The organization targets underserved, impoverished, and at-risk youth in Wilmington, and provides advocacy and mentoring. The funds from Duffy’s Hope 10^th Anniversary Celebration weekend will support their mentoring program, H.O.P.E. (Helping Our Young People Excel).

Celebrating National Teacher Day

All of us can remember teachers who made a difference in our lives. Great teachers can encourage students to reach for their dreams and succeed in school. As we recognize National Teacher Day on May 8, we pause to thank the dedicated teachers in Delaware and across the nation who work tirelessly to educate their students.

Delaware is full of teachers who are working to ensure that the next generation of Delawareans have the resources they need to succeed. Senator Coons has made it a priority to visit a number of schools in Delaware. In particular, Chris had the pleasure of visiting Delaware Teacher of the Year Amber Augustus’ middle school class at John Bassett Moore (JBM) Intermediate School in Smyrna. Amber is a fifth grade math, science, and social studies teacher who is in her seventh year at JBM. During the visit, Chris toured the school and met with students, teacher, and administrators to discuss best practices.  

Chris has been an outspoken advocate for education reform. In March, he introduced legislation to help increase the number of low-income students able to access and complete a college education. The American Dream Accounts Act of 2012 encourages partnerships among schools, colleges, non-profits and businesses to develop secure, Web-based student accounts that contain information about academic preparedness, financial literacy and high-impact mentoring and would be tied to a college savings account.

Click here to learn more about National Teacher Day

Click here to learn more about Chris’ work to improve education in Delaware.

Senator Coons teams up with students for Food Bank of Delaware

WILMINGTON — Senator Coons joined 25 students at Bancroft Elementary School on Friday as they learned about the importance of giving back through community service at a food-packing project to mark a $125,000 donation from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to the Food Bank of Delaware.

The Foundation’s grant will allow the Food Bank of Delaware, in partnership with Children and Families First, and the Christina School District, to support three new food pantries at the Eastside Community School, serving Bancroft, Elbert-Palmer and Stubbs Elementary Schools. The funding will also provide hundreds of students with weekend food through the Food Bank’s Backpack Program. Chris feels strongly that partnerships like this truly have an impact and make a tremendous difference in the lives of our children and the community as a whole.

“Students can’t have a hunger for knowledge if they’re worrying about the hunger that comes from not having nutritious food on their plates,” Chris said. “Giving families access to the basic necessities that many of us take for granted, like food and hygiene products, will make a significant difference in their lives. JPMorgan Chase Foundation’s generous donation will give many local students the energy and nutrition they need to find success in school and to have positive interactions with friends and family.”

School officials will discretely identify 25 to 30 families who can select food from the pantry based on their household’s needs each week. In addition, the funding will also allow the Food Bank to provide 353 children with backpacks full of weekend food for an entire school year. The Backpack Program provides food to at-need children times when school is not in session and federal school meal programs are not available.

To learn more about both the School Pantry and Backpack programs, please contact the Food Bank of Delaware at 302-294-0185 or go to www.fbd.org.