We all know that conferences can be overwhelming – from planning your day to figuring out who’s who, what’s what, and how to spend your time. The Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities Planning Committee just made it easier for attendees to plan ahead without worrying about the nitty-gritty. Here are five new features of the Leadership Summit that will make life a little easier for you and your team:
Pre-Registration and Confirmation Email. Every year, staff are asked about pre-registering for breakout sessions, and we always say, “Sorry.” To help you plan your day better, we’re offering pre-registration of breakout sessions. You choose which breakout session you want to attend, and we’ll make sure there’s enough seating for everyone. Plus, you’ll get a confirmation email of your selections, and if you lose the email, we can resend it to you!
Advocacy Track. Calling all advocates and want-to-be advocates! We’ve created an advocacy track just for you. Our speakers will give you the information you need to create and boost your local advocacy efforts and a better understanding of national and state campaigns. When registering, choose “Advocacy Track” for all three advocacy sessions. Please note that when you choose the track, you cannot pre-register for any other breakout sessions. Visit our website to learn more about the advocacy track.
Community Leader Awards & Luncheon. In the past, we’ve included a reception at the end of the day to recognize our Community Leader Award recipients. This year, we want everyone to see who was nominated by their peers, so we’re honoring them during lunch. Don’t worry. It won’t take up too much of your networking time. The Community Leader Awards & Luncheon is sponsored by HopeHealth, Inc., and lunch is provided by the City of Florence.
Physical Activity Breaks. Goodbye, lull. Hello, fun! We replaced the afternoon break with the physical activity break. Not only will you enjoy refreshments, but you’ll also enjoy a selection of physical activities. Yeah, we’ll have yoga and outdoor walking but there could be a little dancing going on inside. We’ll announce the physical activity options closer to the event.
Tour of Florence. We’re giving you a guided tour of the City of Florence and it includes many healthy community environment enhancements over the past several years. Hop on a bus and see what they’ve been up to! Some of the places you’ll see are an inclusive playground, trail connections, and the new farmers’ market and kitchen.
These are just a few of the new and exciting features of the Leadership Summit. Stay tuned for upcoming newsletters and more announcements. Meantime, register today to reserve your spot!
Eat Smart Move More SC (ESMMSC) engages community and state partners in efforts to support healthy eating and active living policies at the local, state, and federal level. In a state that suffers from one of the highest rates of obesity in the country, ESMMSC and our partners are advocating for the state and local policy changes necessary to support individuals in the adoption of lifelong healthy habits.
The new advocacy platform includes initiatives that positively effects PSE change, which ultimately help prevent and reduce the high incidence of obesity in our state. The platform addresses the following settings: Early Care, K-12 Schools, and Community. The document outlines healthy eating and active living policy initiatives from out-of-school time, FitnessGram, and accountability to healthy food sales and service, Complete Streets, and SNAP and Healthy Bucks.
Download the 2019-2020 Advocacy Platform here. If you have any question or want to get involved, contact Phil Ford at phil@eatsmartmovemoresc.org.
Moses Washington, a native of Denmark, South Carolina, is a 2019 graduate of Morehouse College and a 2015 graduate of Denmark-Olar High School. At Morehouse College, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science. Washington is set to be the keynote speaker at the Youth Summit on July 23 in Columbia at the Zoo.
Yes, Washington is part of the Morehouse College graduating class whose student loans were paid in full by the 2019 Commencement Speaker and Billionaire Robert S. Smith. Did Washington graduate tuition debt free? Yes. Was he a benefactor of Smith’s generosity? Probably not. Read about Washington’s reaction to the gift.
Washington received the Gate Millennium Scholarship, a competitive full-ride scholarship from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He was one of 11 recipients in the state of South Carolina and one of 1,000 nationwide to receive the scholarship. In 2018, he was selected as a Sidley Austin, LLP Pre-Law Scholar.
Are you impressed yet? Wait. It gets better.
Washington was an active student at Morehouse College, having served on the Executive Board of the Student Government Association and as a member of the Morehouse College Board of Trustees, where he was on the Student Affairs, Educational Policy, and Development committees. Additionally, Washington served as the President of the Gates Millennium Scholars Program at Morehouse College and as the President of the Morehouse-Spelman Pre-Law Society.
While Washington was busy juggling academic and social life in Atlanta, he still had a calling to help his hometown of Denmark and the surrounding areas in Bamberg County.
Washington has an immense passion for public service, which recently stimulated him to start the Washington Foundation in 2017. The Washington Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit with the goal of changing the “Corridor of Shame” narrative placed on rural schools amongst the I-95 interstate line of South Carolina. His non-profit has achieved much success within the past years. It has held a Back-to-School Bash in 2017 and 2018, where over 400 school supply bags were given out to students of the Bamberg County area.
Washington plans to attend law school and continue the work of his foundation, in hopes of continuing to be the change in the community. As the keynote speaker at the Youth Summit, teens and adults will learn more about what drives Washington to advocate for healthy change and to inspire those around him to reach for the stars.
Attend the Youth Summit on July 23 in Columbia at the Zoo and meet one of South Carolina’s young leaders. Take advantage of this great opportunity and register today. Registration is only $10 per person, and seating is limited.
Growing Calhoun, Orangeburg, Bamberg believes in tomorrow and is on a mission to improve the health of the community, low-income households and schools through access to sustainable gardens, fresh food and education.
Growing COB was founded in December 2017 when End Child Hunger, a group out of the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health, reached out to leaders in the community to start an Orangeburg chapter. Discussions showed there was an interest in starting a community garden. After meeting for a few months and bringing on new members, the group decided to expand its outreach to Calhoun and Bamberg counties.
One of the group’s projects is the Orangeburg County Community Garden located at South Carolina State University, which opened on Oct. 13, 2018. Every Wednesday, organizers give away free produce from the garden to community members. Jamison’s Pharmacy in Orangeburg serves as the food hub, and hundreds of people show up to get fresh, local produce.
“We started the garden when we were awarded funds from Eat Smart Move More South Carolina from their Let’s Go 3.0 grant in August 2018. We were able to receive funds to start the garden through the Tri-County Health Network and the Regional Medical Center, our fiscal agents,” a press release from Growing COB states.
The staff of Orangeburg County has supported Growing COB through the donation of multiple compost bins and additional resources.
The organization to date has been fortunate to partner with the following:
Bamberg County Community Rural Art Works League
Caring Always Matters Foundation
Clemson Extension
Eat Smart Move More SC
Jamison’s Pharmacy
Orangeburg Consolidated School District 4
Orangeburg County
Orangeburg County Library, Orangeburg Branch
Orangeburg County Soil & Water Conservation District
South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control
South Carolina State University, Department of Biological & Physical Sciences, Environmental Action Group
Small Business Development Center
Southeastern Housing & Community Development
Regional Medical Center
Tri-County Health Network
USC Arnold School of Public Health
In the past, Growing COB partnered with the Smart Box Food Pantry and Amazing Grace Ministries to distribute water in Denmark. They’ve also held spaghetti dinner fundraisers to help sustain the garden.
Members of the organization meet monthly at various locations in Calhoun, Orangeburg and Bamberg counties. Those who would like to attend the meetings are asked to email GrowingCOB@gmail.com.
This year, on Tuesday, May 7 Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) is participating in Central Carolina Community Foundation’s 6th annual Midlands Gives day, a one day online giving extravaganza for nonprofits in the Midlands region. We invite you to join the movement and help us reach our goal of $5,000 on May 7.
With a donation of $20 or more, you can help ESMMSC and make our community a healthier place where we live, learn, work, play, and pray. A percentage of the funds raised will go towards a special project yet to be determined!
Here’s how you can join the movement:
Be a philanthropist and give on May 7th!
Your gift matters! On May 7, if you donate to ESMMSC on MidlandsGives.org/ESMMSC between 6 am and midnight your dollar will help us win prizes sponsored by local businesses. Not available on May 7th? No worries! Schedule your donation between April 23 and May 6 to make your gift count!
Spread the word!
Tell your friends and loved ones about ESMMSC and our Midlands Gives fundraising campaign! Don’t forget to tag @eatsmartmovemoresc (Facebook), @esmmsc (Twitter), and @thehypeprojectsc (Instagram) if you’re posting online. Encourage your friends and family to join you in being a philanthropist.
Be a Champion!
Create your own personal campaign to raise money for us! Choose a goal and share with family and friends. You can create Champion Pages at MidlandsGives.org/ESMMSC. With your help, we WILL reach our $5,000 fundraising goal on Midlands Gives!
Last year, more than 370 organizations across our region came together to celebrate Midlands Gives and raised over $1.7 million. Since 2014, Midlands Gives has inspired giving from thousands of philanthropists in our region and nation, resulting in increased donations and services provided in the Midlands of SC.
Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram so you can share in the excitement of a day of giving and remember to give on May 7th.
You can make a difference in communities around the state by presenting at the ESMMSC Leadership Summit for Healthy Communities on October 29th in Florence.
Breakout sessions are designed to provide best practices and resources for attendees to use in their work to reduce obesity and chronic disease in their communities. Being a speaker is a great opportunity to share your work as well as meet, interact, and network with other leaders in the state advocating for healthy eating and active living.
Proposals must address an evidence-based policy, systems, and/or environmental (PSE) change approach to healthy eating, active living, and/or obesity prevention, health disparities, and social determinants of health. They must also explain the process of a project and not just the outcome.
Eat Smart Move More South Carolina (ESMMSC) is partnering
with the 7th Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church
to teach teens about the Healthy Young People Empowerment (HYPE) Project and to
help guide them through a public health project that focuses on healthy eating
and/or active living in their churches or communities. Up to ten HYPE teams from
the AME’s Young People’s Division (YPD) programs around the state will be
selected to receive up to $1,000 each to implement their project.
“Providing our youth with opportunities to form leadership
skills and to then use those skills throughout life to better their church and
communities is what our YPD is all about,” said Dr. Ila McFadden, YPD Director
at the 7th Episcopal District of the AME Church. “The HYPE Project will
influence our youth to become leaders in public health and to consider health
equity as being just as important as all other inequities in life.”
Currently, African-Americans experience disparities in
access to healthy and affordable foods and safe places for physical activity,
which are key factors in reducing obesity. To help rectify such disparities, selected
HYPE teams will help their churches and communities by completing projects,
such as community gardens, advocating for healthy eating and/or active living
policies with their church, disability and inclusion for physical activity
spaces, and healthy concessions/vending.
“The faith community has a long history of meeting the needs
of their congregations and local communities, and this is especially true for
African-American churches,” said Trimease K. Carter, Manager of Youth
Engagement at ESMMSC. “This means the AME church will have an even larger
impact on health equity and youth development.”
The 7th District covers all of South Carolina with close to 675
churches and 556 YDP organizations. The YPD program reaches more than 6,600 youth in South Carolina. Their focus it to provide meaningful
youth training programs and opportunities for leadership experience in all
areas of church life, as well as to advocate for the integrity of childhood and
the dignity of all children and youth in the religious, civic, and political
structure.
“Our partnership with the AME Church seems like a natural fit
because we both have missions that address increasing opportunities for those
in need in our communities. We’re looking forward to working with these youth
and forging a great partnership with the 7th Episcopal District of the AME
Church,” said Carter.
Once the HYPE teams are selected, ESMMSC will provide the
HYPE curriculum training at the YPD Retreat on March 8 in Columbia. Afterwards,
the teams will return home and begin the process of choosing their project,
working with church and community leaders, and implementing their plans.
Registration is open for the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition
(FAN) Train the Trainer on March 15 in Columbia. Eat Smart Move More South
Carolina and the Prevention Research Center at the University of South Carolina
Columbia is teaming up to train community coalitions and state-level technical
assistance providers on FAN training for churches. Participants will be able to
train local church leaders on how to make healthy change happen in their
church.
Download the FAN Flyer
A one-day in-person FAN Train the Trainer training is being
offered to community coalitions from across the state. FAN will train two Community Health Advisors from community
coalitions who will be able to deliver a full-day, interactive FAN workshop to
churches. The FAN training is $25 per person, and congregational associations
and other state-level technical assistance providers are invited to attend as
well. Participants will leave prepared to train church committees in FAN.
FAN is a community-based, physical activity and healthy
eating program, previously found to be effective, that seeks to help churches
create a healthy church environment that supports physical activity and healthy
eating. More than 200 South Carolina churches of all denominations have
participated in FAN, and ESMMSC wants to positively impact even more churches.
FAN is not an exercise program or a cooking class. Instead,
the goal of FAN is to reach the entire congregation by creating a church
environment where members regularly see and hear health messages and have
healthier options available.
FAN encourages churches to increase physical activity and
healthy eating among members using four key strategies:
• Increase opportunities for physical activity and healthy
eating in the church setting (e.g. tasty, healthy meals & snacks for church
events)
• Create healthy church guidelines and practices
• Keep the Pastor engaged and excited about FAN goals
• Get health messages out to church members through familiar
channels (e.g., bulletin inserts, announcements, messages during worship
service)
