Coach Austin: A Mother Committed to UI's Mission
Thanks to Coach Simba, the On-Site Program Director at Jenner Academy, for this blog post.
You see her walking down Elm Street at 7:20 AM with all three of her kids. Holding her youngest child Davarius by the hand she carefully crosses the street and enters the cafeteria with a smile and a warm greeting, “Good morning, Coach Simba”. She gets all her children's gym shoes out and tells them to hurry up and put them on while grabbing their shin guards.
This is Mrs. Austin, a dedicated mother at Jenner Academy in the Cabrini Green neighborhood who encourages her children to be active in extracurricular pursuits and the school community. She has two sons and one daughter (pictured) on the soccer team. I asked her a few questions:
How long have your children been a part of the Work to Play Program?
2 years
Why did you choose Urban Initiatives for your kids?
I wanted them to be challenged. It was something different. Soccer is not a popular sport among African Americans but I wanted them to learn and become more active.
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Through Healthy Places, UI Provides Health Education for Families
While Daley’s Urban Initiatives team reviewed its 5-4-3-2-1-Go! lesson after practice in the gym, the No Child Left Behind committee was down the hall having a health lesson for parents, with a healthy breakfast to start the day off right! As a Healthy Places school, Urban Initiatives has been working to provide workshops for parents on topics that can help them embody a healthier lifestyle.
The parent group identified diabetes awareness and prevention as a topic that they were interested in learning more about, as it is one of the leading health concerns in the community around Daley. Diabetes disproportionately affects minority groups. On average, Hispanics are 1.5 times as likely to have diabetes as Whites; African Americans are twice as likely. This article from the Office of Minority Health gives a clear outline of diabetes as a nation-wide epidemic. Lizette, the presenter from Alivio Medical Center, led an engaging discussion that gave an overview of why diabetes is a risk, described the symptoms and difficulties of living with diabetes, and explained how people can take proactive steps to change habits that can lead to diabetes.
Socioeconomic factors in communities where Urban Initiatives works often put residents at a higher risk of developing diabetes. Basic lifestyle changes including exercise and healthy eating can help manage weight and reduce the risk. It turns out that a good mantra for diabetes prevention sounds a lot like what our soccer players were shouting in unison just down the hallway:
5 servings of fruits and veggies!
4 servings of water!
3 servings of low-fat dairy!
2 hours or less of screen time!
1 hour or more of physical activity!
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Corporate Volunteer Spotlight: Storck USA
Urban Initiatives would like to thank our tremendous partner Storck USA for their ongoing support. Their dedication to corporate responsibility is absolutely incredible and we are grateful to have them on our team. We are extremely grateful for all they do to support us and for serving as The Presenting Sponsor of The Soccer Ball. THANK YOU!
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Third Grader Derek is ALWAYS On Time for Soccer!
A critical component of our Work To Play Program is the health and character handouts that we give to our soccer players on a weekly basis. These fun-focused handouts build on the health and character discussions from that week. The soccer players are asked to complete the weekly handout and turn them back into their coach. This provides the coach with immediate feedback that his players are understanding and internalizing the values that they discuss as a team. Plus, it's just plain fun for the kids!
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Daley School: "It's Easy Bein' Green!"
The lunch room at Daley Academy is usually a sea of students’ hunter green uniforms, but a different shade of green is popping up these days - salad green! When Daley received their HealthierUS Schools Challenge award, the Wellness Committee (which includes Urban Initiatives staff from the Healthy Places project) worked with the lunch room staff to bring a salad bar into the cafeteria, so students could practice making healthy food choices for themselves!
UI Receives U.S. Soccer Foundation Grant
The U.S. Soccer Foundation has awarded a $10,000 grant to Urban Initiatives in support of our flagship Work to Play Program.
Urban Initiatives' Executive Director Jim Dower is thrilled about the partnership, "Urban Initiatives is extremely excited to partner with The U.S. Soccer Foundation. Their support will be key to helping us expand the impact of our high quality soccer-based youth development program to more children in Chicago."
We look forward to partnering with The U.S. Soccer Foundation throughout the year. Thank you so much to everyone who helped to make this partnership possible!
“The U.S. Soccer Foundation is honored to support initiatives that give children in underserved urban communities access to soccer programs that encourage positive physical and social development,” said Ed Foster-Simeon, President & CEO of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. “All children should have the opportunity to be involved with programs that promote active, healthy lifestyles and that provide an alternative to the many negative influences children face today.”
Thank You Sponsors For the Best Soccer Ball Yet!
![IMG_6521[1] - The Scene.jpg](http://www.urbaninitiatives.org/blog/assets/IMG_6521%5B1%5D%20-%20The%20Scene.jpg)
More than 750 guests attended Urban Initiatives’ sixth annual Soccer Ball fundraiser on January 27th at Chicago’s River East Art Center. It was an enchanted evening of mingling for many Chicago professionals, young and old alike, who were swaying to the cool sounds of DJ Duncan and devouring the innovative culinary concoctions and specialty cocktails of J&L Catering. Additional delectable treats flowed thanks to event sponsors Goose Island, Beam, Storck and Cabot. The event broke the Urban Initiatives' previous records for attendance and corporate/private sponsorships, and raised more than $250,000 for its health and education soccer programs.
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