If you move it, they will come…

Nov 19, 2018 | News

This was the mantra for the Summit Planning Committee this year, when they agreed to move the summit from Columbia to a new location.  The reason for this decision is that Eat Smart Move More South Carolina is a statewide organization, and that training opportunities, including the summit, should be offered throughout the state. Spartanburg was selected for the 2018 Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities. Over 200 healthy eating and active living specialists and community coalition members around South Carolina and North Carolina attended this year. They had opportunities to network and learn about strategies to improve access to fresh foods and safe places for physical activity.

“Spartanburg seemed like the perfect place for this year’s Leadership Summit, because this community demonstrates a commitment to healthy eating and active living in communities, schools, worksites and churches, through initiatives like Way to Wellville,” said Beth Franco, Executive Director of Eat Smart Move More South Carolina. “Hosting the event in Spartanburg just seemed right.”

Based on the feedback, many participants appreciated the opportunities to network and to learn about what other communities were doing. One participant said, “In additional to the wonderful information, there is a tremendous amount of energy generated by this conference that in turn energizes me to go back to my community and continue working hard to improve the health and wellness of my town.”

Fran Butterfoss, President of Coalitions Work; Dr. Darryl Owings, Superintendent of Spartanburg School District Six; and Christina Cody, South Carolina’s first Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader, served as keynotes speakers over the two-day Summit.

One of the highlights for participants was Dr. Darryl Owings’ presentation on Spartanburg District Six Farm to School program. Dr. Owings spoke about how his vision of providing students with healthy food options in school meals led to the creation of a district-run farm that produces organic fruits and vegetables for the schools year round.  The school district partners with Cragmoor Farms to manage a 49-acre farm in Roebuck, SC that produces enough fresh fruits and vegetables to feed students in the district. In addition to providing educational opportunities on the farm and in the classroom, the district hosts a farmer’s market to provide the community with access to organic produce as well.  Dr. Owings emphasized the importance of partnership as key to the success of this initiative.

“Dr. Owings had an amazing story to share, and hopefully with inspire other communities to realize that starting with a vision and building a plan and partnerships can lead to sustainable and exciting change.” said Franco.

Christina Cody, was another keynote speaker that was popular with participants.  Christina is a Wellness Coordinator at the Cherokee School District, was recognized as South Carolina’s first Culture of Health Leader that is sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.  The Culture of Healthy Leader program is a competitive leadership development opportunity for people working in every field and profession who want to use their influence to advance health and equity.

Christina shared, “Applications for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Culture of Health Leader program will be open in January for anyone interested in applying. This program is top-notch and is so rewarding. I would be honored to have another South Carolinian to work with on this venture.”

In addition to the keynote speakers and 20 breakout sessions, there were opportunities for everyone to be physically active.  Christina Cody led us in Squat Karaoke after lunch again this year!  There was also a Scavenger Hunt through downtown Spartanburg, and Yoga.

On Monday, ESMMSC hosted a reception to honor 12 local leaders who were nominated by their colleagues and recognized throughout the year with our Local Leadership Profile.  These individuals included a legislator, health worker, and a farmer.  Congratulations to these individuals and thank you for your service!

Need Continuing Education? We’ve got you covered!

Oct 9, 2018 | News

Continuing education is an important part of any professional’s career and the work they do. Not only do CEUs help keep accreditations current, but they also keep you in the know about the most current practices in your field. The Leadership Summit Planning Committee always keeps CEUs in the forefront. This year, the Leadership Summit has been approved for the following CEU accreditations: Dietitians, Social Workers, and Educators. Planners and CHES/MCHES CEUs are still pending approval by the appropriate governing organizations.

Dieticians and Educators
Participants may receive RD/RDN/DTR/NDTR CEUs for up to eight hours based on the Summit sessions that are attended.

Educators can get up to eight CEU hours based on the Summit sessions that are attended. Participation certificates will be provided for those seeking credits for renewal of their SC professional educator certification. Credits are subject to the approval of the participant’s educational district or entity. In order to receive renewal credits via this option, the educator must provide:

• The training objectives and/or training outline
• A certificate or other official documentation verifying successful completion of the training program, including the date(s) and the number of hours of direct participation

The allotted hours for Dietitians and Educators are as follows:

October 29, 2018

• 2 hours for pre-conference workshop
• 1 hour for keynote session (Fran Butterfoss)
• 1 hour for concurrent session one
• 1 hour for concurrent session two

October 30, 2018

• 1 hour for keynote session (Christina Cody and Darryl Owings)
• 1 hour for concurrent session one
• 1 hour for concurrent session two

Social Workers
Participants may receive CEUs for up to eight hours based on the Summit sessions that are attended. Four Summit sessions led by a MSW/LMSW qualify for Social Work CEUs.  See allotted hours below:

October 29, 2018

• 2 hours for pre-conference workshop
• 1 hour for keynote session (Fran Butterfoss)
• 1 hour for concurrent session one
• 1 hour for concurrent session two

October 30, 2018

• 1 hour for keynote session (Christina Cody and Darryl Owings)
• 1 hour for concurrent session one
• 1 hour for concurrent session two

Sessions Qualifying as Social Work CEUs:

• Follow the App! From Application to Appetizer: Increasing Resource Access and Promoting Healthy Eating Among SNAP Recipients
  Liz Walsh, LMSW, SC Thrive; Beverly Wilson, MPH, Foodshare; and Dan Weidenbenner, Mill Village Farms
• Identifying: Addressing Food Insecurity in a Higher Ed Setting
  Jackie Knight Wilt, MPH, CHES and Dianna Colvin, MPH, MSW, CHES; Healthy Carolina, USC
• Reclaiming and Rebuilding Your Built Environment
  Amy Johnson-Ely and Corrine Reed, MSW; Palmetto Cycling Coalition
• Race Equity and Inclusion: Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Culture within Your Community Coalition
  Chynna A. Phillips, MSW, MPH, Sisters of Charity Foundation; Trimease K. Carter, MSW, ESMMSC; Jennifer Gunter, PhD, SC Collaborative of Race and Reconciliation; and Saundra A. Ligon, SC Human Affairs Commission

CHES/MCHES
Eat Smart Move More South Carolina has applied for CEUs through the appropriate governing organization. We are confident that all Leadership Summit sessions will be approved once again.

To get CEU credit, you must be registered for the Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities. Upon arriving at the registration desk, you will be directed to a CEU table where you will complete a sign-in sheet using your name, email address, and other required identifiable information. Following the Leadership Summit, you will receive appropriate documentation via email.

If you haven’t reregistered for the Leadership Summit, click here! Early bird registration ends Friday, October 12.

Pre-Conference Workshops will get You Fired Up

Sep 11, 2018 | News

Jump start your Leadership Summit experience by attending one of two pre-conference workshops that will arm you with tools, information, and inspiration to ignite your community’s healthy eating and active living strategies. The best part about the pre-conference workshops is that they’re a bonus and included in the cost of registration!

Our friends at ALTA Planning + Design in Greenville are providing you with an opportunity to learn more about inspiring your community to help sustain a culture of physical activity. We all know that physical activity is an important part of healthy lifestyles. That’s why we work hard to ensure all community members have access to safe places for physical activity, whether it be through wayfinding signs, sidewalk improvements, bike lane additions, or any other component of making the environment safer.

John Cock with ALTA Planning + Design will make you think about what it takes to inspire and sustain a culture of physical activity. He will use his experience designing, developing, and implementing biking and walking programs and share what it takes to develop local bike/walk programs, how to identify and engage community volunteers in the launch of programs, and strategies for evaluating program success.  He will engage you in a discussion about the role of various community partners, including health department staff, advocates, local government staff, school district staff, and others.

While some will attend the ALTA Planning + Design workshop, others will be learning about Live Healthy South Carolina. Our partners at the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) will dive into a new initiative in partnership with the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina that focuses on improving the health of every South Carolinian.

In our work, we realize that we can’t accomplish our goals alone. It takes a team of partners and a lot of collaboration to reinforce our message of making the healthy choice, the easy choice. SCDHEC and the Alliance for a Healthier South Carolina have joined forces to created Live Healthy South Carolina: The South Carolina State Health Improvement Plan. SCDHEC’s Barbara Grice and Suzanne Sanders will educate you on the first statewide health assessment and improvement plan and how you can use this tool to guide your community work. It’s a framework for building partnerships across healthcare, public health, and community sectors, sharing data to establish priorities for health improvement, and aligning resources whenever possible.

When you choose to attend the Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities, October 29-30, at the Spartanburg Marriott, please make sure you choose one of our pre-conference workshops. Remember, they’re included in the cost of registration. Register today!

Find the Spark to Create a Culture of Health at School

Aug 30, 2018 | News

Over the years, research has told us that good nutrition, and physical activity leads to healthy students, good grades, and improved classroom performance. It’s part of the culture of health mission we all seek. And Spartanburg School District Six is leading the way in school nutrition through its Farm to School program and its very own farm.

Superintendent Dr. Darryl Owings has been on a mission to provide the more than 10,000 students in District Six with organic fruits and vegetables at meals and hands-on agriculture education opportunities. He has led a farm Initiative, in partnership with Spartanburg County Foundation, Upstate Forever, and Cragmoor Farms, to provide locally grown produce as an alternative to precooked meals. The farm is a 49-acre tract of land in Roebuck, SC that produces enough fresh fruits and vegetables to feed students in the district. They even host a farmer’s market for the community.

District Six students are actively involved in the growing process from germinating seeds in the greenhouse, transplanting the seedlings into the garden, and harvesting the fruits and vegetables for the schools and the community. Some students work on the farm while others learn with gardens and greenhouses at their schools. Some of the produce they’ve planted include cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, onions, carrots, tomatoes, zucchini, squash, and watermelon.

One of the first steps Dr. Owings took to achieve his goal was to cancel the district contract with a major school food service company. He had to hire cafeteria employees, who went through culinary training to learn new methods of cooking and recipes utilizing the fresh produce. After years of heating up processed, frozen, and canned foods, the district has returned to cooking scratch-made and healthy meals that benefit their students’ health.

Dr. Darryl Owings will be one of three keynotes speakers at the Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities, October 29-30, at the Spartanburg Marriott. He’ll give insight into how his district was able to make impactful changes to the school cafeteria and classroom. Catch his address on Tuesday, October 30 in Spartanburg.

Registration for the Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities is open!