"Eating Smart Being Active" at Lincoln Elementary

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Eating Smart Being Active, the Nutrition Education course for parents, finally kicked off at Lincoln Elementary School on Wednesday, April 25th. The courses are being taught by Mariana Lopez of the UC Cooperative Extension and are supplemented by HEART Family Literacy to give the parents a unique experience. Unlike traditional nutrition courses, Eating Smart Being Active is a well rounded, fun, and interactive course to teach parents the importance of a healthy lifestyle. The participants experienced lecture/discussion on reading nutrition labels and meal planning, followed by a short exercise session, and concluded with a hands-on food demonstration. The parents got to make a quick and easy snack; trail mix made of whole grain cereals, nuts, and dried fruit. The hands-on exercise was designed to show parents how easy it is to make a healthy and nutritious snack for their family that would replace a store bought, high caloric, low nutrient snack such as potato chips. Jose, a Lincoln HEART After School Program Parent, said this class exceeded his expectations. "I thought you guys were only going to hand out information!" He stated that he would spread the word to his friends and family, and tell them to bring their walking shoes for the exercise piece.

HEART has also received major support from Exeter School District Nutrition Services director, Bill Coombs, who has been providing snacks for the children who attend child care while their parents attend the courses. Bill stated that he has been trying to find a way to educate parents for years. He believes that, although the school day spends a great deal of time teaching nutrition and physical education to the children, parents are the missing link to the puzzle when it comes to teaching healthy lifestyles since they are the primary providers of food delivery and preparation for the children.

The courses are held every Wednesday evening through May 30th from 6:00p.m. To 7:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Elementary School Cafeteria. They are free to attend and parents are encouraged to bring their children, as child care is provided by the HEART After School Program Staff.

On the Menu next week are the Vary Your Veggies and Make Half of Your Grains Whole lessons, where participants will take part in making a healthy pumpkin bread loaf.

Have a HEART - 2012

We are looking for local businesses to assist in promoting the Pro-Youth/ HEART After-School Program! If you are a local business and would like to participate in the Have a HEART campaign, please call Alyssa at 559.624.5933. Click for more information.

Cheerleading Club at Houston - A student's view

Elisa O loves being the captain of her HEART Cheerleading Club. Read what it means to her, in her own words.

HEART Student Fashion Show

WILL YOU BE OUR GUEST?

We are very excited to announce that the HEART After School Program, along with our M.I.L.O. modeling class, will be holding our 3rd annual Student Fashion Show on Friday, May 4th! If you have not yet had the privilege of seeing this spectacular event, you do not want to miss another opportunity! This show will be different than the rest, as we are branching out into the community and holding the event at the very cool Cafe 210, on Center street downtown. This will be an artistic, eclectic evening that will be sure to encourage you to dig dip & discover what inspires YOU.

The M.I.L.O. Modeling & Self-Empowerment class, instructed by Ms. Florine Hall & Mr. T Arthur, is a dynamic class that explores a variety of topics from career & job/interviewing tips, to proper etiquette & communication, self-esteem, confidence, and positive body image. The students attending this program also learned how to walk the runway, and express themselves while doing so. We are so touched to see the impact this class had on all of our students, it truly allowed them to blossom. We are thrilled to give them a platform to display this inspirational growth!

DATE: FRIDAY, MAY 4TH
TIME: 7PM-9PM - Doors open at 6:30pm
LOCATION: Cafe 210 - 210 W. Center Street, downtown Visalia
ADMISSION: FREE!
° Student Fashion Show featuring HEART Students from Redwood, Mt. Whitney, and Golden West
° Friendly Model "Walk-Off" Competition!
° Live DJ
° Entertainment! Fun! Come and Be Inspired!!

Pinkham HEART visits Imagine-U

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The HEART students of Pinkham Elementary school had a fun-filled visit to Imagine-U in Visalia.

Music at the Main - Organizations partner for the benefit of our children

Music at the Main regularly brings talented young musicians from the Colburn School of Music in Los Angeles to perform in Three Rivers and Visalia. This time, the organization partnered with Pro-Youth/HEART to present a very special event specifically for a very young audience. About 400 HEART students from 6 Visalia-area schools were privileges to attend the free demonstration by Danielle Belen (a teacher at Colburn), Jeffrey Myers (one of Colburn's talented students), and Brian Johnson (from Visalia). This is another example of how two organizations can team up for the benefit of our children while furthering their missions. You can see a six minute summary of the event by clicking on the video link to You Tube. A more detailed article will follow shortly. You can see the Photo Album here.

ProYouth in Lifestyle Magazine

The recent Arts 4 HEART event with Arts Visalia appeared in the March edition of Lifestyles magazine. Click on the image for a pdf of the article.

Always worth the effort

Amanda Dunfee, a Program Leader at Golden Oak Elementary, tells the story of how making the effort to work with an individual student can bring rewards to both the student and the Program Leader. Read the inspiring story here.

Home Runs 4 HEART

Pro-Youth/HEART is making a difference in the lives of our youth. We are excited and gratified to continue the partnership with Visalia Rawhide called Home Runs 4 HEART.
Click for more information plus sponsor levels and sponsorship form

Dancing on a Friday afternoon - Washington Elementary

Washington Elementary School HEART students get a fun workout by dancing
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Sofa HEART was a big hit! - Visalia Times Delta

Conventional wisdom has it that artists are temperamental, socially difficult and uncooperative. Get ready to dump conventional wisdom on its ear. Kevin Bowman, curator for Arts Visalia Gallery, and Laurie Isham, CEO for Pro-Youth/HEART, joined forces recently for the Sofa Art Show XVII. This year's theme, "Arts 4 HEART," was a perfect fit. Click to view the full article or Click here for a PDF version

Dr Seuss Day at HEART Sites

Woodville Elementary.

Four Creeks Elementary.

Mountain View Elementary.

Washington Elementary students tour Arts Visalia

The 4th Grade HEART class of Washington Elementary took a walking trip to Arts Visalia to tour the Sofa Art show. Here, Cristan Morfin stands in front of his car picture entered in the show.
Click on the picture to view the photo album of the trip.

Dr Seuss/Read Across America - Lincoln Elementary

Lincoln Elementary School HEART put on a very special full day for their students which included readings of Dr Seuss favorites by guest readers, Dr Seuss-themed food, funny hair styling, craft tables, and a screening of a Dr Seuss movie.

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Dr Seuss Day/ComCast Backpacks at Fairview

The children at Fairview Elementary got a double treat on March 2nd. Not only did they celebrate Dr Seuss/Read Across America but they were also recipients of new backpacks and books courtesy of ComCast. Click on the picture to view the whole album.