Program Works to Engage Whole Family in Healthy Choices
With support from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the Twin Counties will enhance the Triple Play program – which focuses on increasing kids’ daily physical activity, teaching them about good nutrition, and helping them develop healthy relationships – at three Boys & Girls Club locations in Edgecombe and Nash Counties. The investment is part of Healthy Places NC, a long-term Trust effort to improve the quality of life and health in rural, financially disadvantaged North Carolina counties.
The Twin Counties received $382,800 in funding for Triple Play, which is a national health and wellness program developed in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that works to increase daily physical activity, good nutrition, and the development of healthy relationships among children. The project targets both children’s behaviors and their environment through teaching and family engagement that encourages healthy habits and exposure to different types of physical activities. In addition to expanding the Triple Play program, the Boys & Girls Clubs also received funding to improve fitness areas and renovate a central kitchen to support a nutrition program that includes cooking classes and a healthy eating curriculum.
“Thanks to the generosity of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Edgecombe and Nash Counties will have an opportunity to help change the future landscape of the community. The Triple Play program develops the mind, body, and soul of Club members by increasing their understanding of a healthy lifestyle and improving their physical fitness,” said Ron Green, chief professional officer of the Boys & Girls Club. “With this new grant, we will expand the existing Triple Play program to create Triple Play Plus, which will engage more youth in intentional programming to increase healthy eating and active living habits and behaviors.”
Additional grants include:
- UNC Chapel Hill received a grant of $192,265 to implement a data-driven, coordinated process for analysis and dissemination of local health data, which will be utilized by multiple stakeholders to drive community change in Edgecombe and Nash Counties. Working in conjunction with the Twin Counties Partnership for Healthier Communities, the North Carolina Institute of Public Health plans to collect, analyze, and distribute targeted and local health information and data, and assist the coalition with action planning.
- The Trust awarded $132,263 for a leadership capacity building program that will be held in the Twin Counties area and target 25 individuals who work at nonprofit organizations to improve the health of the community. The program has two components—two multi-day training programs and integrated coaching support.
“There is exciting work underway in the Twin Counties, especially around identifying healthier options and opportunities for young people,” said Allen Smart, Interim President and Vice President of Programs at the Trust. “Through Healthy Places NC, we are working to recognize and assist organizations and community members across Edgecombe and Nash Counties that are working hard to improve the health of residents in their communities.”
The Twin Counties joined the Healthy Places NC initiative in early 2015. The Trust plans to invest $100 million in 10 to 12 rural counties over a 10-year period. To date, the Trust has invited seven counties—Beaufort, Burke, Edgecombe, Halifax, McDowell, Nash and Rockingham—to participate and will announce additional counties in the coming years. In each county, Healthy Places’ work and projects are driven by the community’s concerns, as well as by where the Trust thinks there’s an opportunity for sustainable, long-term change. For a complete list of grants approved by the Trust’s Health Care Division this spring, click here.