Healthy Habits Earn Award for Disney-Sponsored Boys & Girls Club in Pine Hills

The Walt Disney World-sponsored Boys & Girls Club in Pine Hills was recently recognized by the Boys & Girls Club of America with the 2009 Honor Award for Program Excellence in the Health and Life Skills category for its Go Healthy! initiative.

Part of a broader program already offered by the Boys & Girls Club called “Healthy Habits,” Go Healthy is an experiential learning initiative focused on four aspects of healthy living, including physical activity, diet management, behavior modification and family lifestyle management. The main goal of the program was to motivate youngsters, teens and parents to implement changes in their daily living.

The program engaged Boys & Girls Club members in a variety of projects including recreational activities with Cast Members from Disney’s Wide World of Sports, cooking classes with Walt Disney World Chefs, a health fair and family day. To encourage family participation at home, a weekly newsletter offered recommendations for family activities and recipes, among other items.

“We appreciate Disney Cast Members for providing expertise in several areas, making it more entertaining and enjoyable for the children and parents who participated,” said Bart McFadden, service director for the Boys and Girls Club. “By engaging families in a fun and interactive way, we hope that the Go Healthy! program will have a sustainable impact over a longer period of time."

Approximately 80 families participated in the eight-week program.

The Boys & Girls Club worked closely with the Walt Disney World Resort teams to write, develop, implement and execute the program. Disney VoluntEARS enhanced the program by adding new Disney-branded elements and incorporating developmental assets including family support and communication, positive peer influence and personal power.