Santa Barbara Healthy Futures program seeks to improve health options for Latino, other youth in the region
By Frank X. Moraga / Amigos805
One in five children between the ages of 6 and 17 is now considered overweight in the U.S., a situation that if not addressed could set them on the path to such chronic conditions as heart disease, diabetes and high blood pressure.
Daniel Madrigal, a student at Franklin School, above, enjoys a healthy snack, while Angelina Venegas, student at Adelante Charter School, left, gets in some exercise as part of the Santa Barbara Healthy Futures program. Courtesy photos.
For Latinos, the news gets worse as they age, with 75 percent of Latino men and 72 percent of Latinas age 20 and older considered overweight or obese, leading to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
To reduce those numbers and break the unhealthy lifestyle cycle at a younger age, the American Heart Association has been working with the Santa Barbara Unified School District to provide support and education through its Santa Barbara Healthy Futures program.
“Healthy Futures is an American Heart Association program that seeks to empower low-income, Spanish speaking elementary-school children and their families to make healthier lifestyle choices by providing them with an understanding of heart disease, nutrition education and encouraging them to be more physically active,” Tamara White, spokesperson for the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stated in a news release.
The association will present its annual Santa Barbara 2015 Heart Beach Ball on May 30, with a portion of funds raised used to support the Healthy Futures program.
In Santa Barbara County, Healthy Futures is presented to students who participate in the After School Education and Safety (ASES) / A-OK! Program, an afterschool education and safety program at the district, funded by the California Department of Education.
More than 80 percent of the students in the ASES / A-OK! Program are Latinos attending Adams, Adelante Charter, Cleveland, Franklin, Harding and McKinley elementary schools and La Cumbre Junior High, said Sharon Roth, program supervisor.
The A-OK! Program has used the Healthy Futures curriculum for the past four years, Roth said.
“Healthy Futures is one of our partners; we have over 20,” she said. “(Healthy Futures) comes out every April for four weeks.”
During the one-hour sessions, held on Fridays, students and their families learn nutrition basics, including how to read food labels, how to prepare healthy snacks and how to make healthier choices when eating out.
The information is certainly needed in Santa Barbara County, where only an estimated 51.5 percent of children between the ages of 2-11 and not quite 17 percent of teens ages 12-17 ate the recommended five or more servings of fruit and vegetables daily. It has also been reported that nearly 65 percent of local children ate fast food one or more times per week, and more than 83 percent of teens ate it at least once per week.
The Healthy Futures has been a success with local students, Roth said.
“The students enjoy it. Healthy Futures has been trying to bring in more hands-on programs about exercising, bringing fruit and vegetables to students and even bringing more exotic fruit so they can sample and talk about it,” she said.
Food Bank of Santa Barbara County provides the fresh fruit and vegetables from its Kid’s Farmers Market program to promote healthy lifestyles, Roth said. Recipes and other information are provided to the students and their families in Spanish and English, she said.
Chair selected for 2015 Heart Beach Ball
Heart disease survivor and local philanthropist Sarah Bishop Jaimes will chair the Santa Barbara 2015 Heart Beach Ball, the organization reported in a media release.
Participants, photos above and below, enjoy the festivities at the 2014 Heart Beach Ball held at the Bacara Resort & Spa. A portion of funds raised from the event are used to support the Santa Barbara Healthy Futures program.
Bishop Jaimes currently serves as the business development consultant at Cox Media, where she helps clients navigate marketing campaigns. A native of Santa Barbara, she is also serving as the vice-chair of the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce Ambassador Council, is a Cox Cares board member, a member of the Cox Season of Giving Committee and Washington School co-chair for the Jogathon 2014 and 2015. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in economics and business with a minor in communications from Westmont College, has been married for 17 years and is the mother of two.
Dr. Joseph Aragon, division director at the Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara, will be honored for his service to the American Heart Association. Aragon is a current member of the Heart Beach Ball Committee and a former board president of Santa Barbara’s American Heart Association.
Three students who most creatively illustrated the theme, “How do you keep your heart happy and healthy?” will be honored as the winners of the Healthy Futures Coloring Contests during the 2015 Heart Beach Ball, which will also feature local entertainment and a silent auction. The program begins at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, May 30 at the Bacara Resort & Spa, 8301 Hollister Ave., Goleta.
Tickets are $275 each and sponsorship information is available. Visit sbheartball.heart.org, or contact Sarah Stretz at 805-963-8862 or sarah.stretz@heart.org for more information.
About the ASES / A-OK! Program
The ASES / A-OK! Program was launched in 1999 to provide a structured and engaging variety of academic and enrichment activities to students in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
“We provide a comprehensive curriculum that includes literacy, science, math and technology,” Roth said. “Our partners also come in and do additional activities.”
Children in the program participant in swimming, hip-hop dancing and other activities provided through the City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation’s SPARK (Supporting the Promotion of Activated Research and Knowledge) After School Program, a nationally acclaimed research-based curriculum that promotes lifelong wellness.
Major partners include the Santa Barbara Unified School District, the site schools, City of Santa Barbara Parks and Recreation Department, Police Activities League and Family Service Agency of Santa Barbara. As the lead agency, the Santa Barbara Unified School District administers the program.
The majority of its students are Latino, so the program provides a variety of bilingual materials.
“All the site coordinators are bilingual and the assistants are bilingual,” Roth said. “Many of the parents prefer to speak in Spanish and so many of them feel very comfortable in terms of communications. The take-home materials are in Spanish and English.”
Because of the longevity of the program, which is open to all students, Roth said multiple siblings have attended the program over the years, and past participants are now enrolling their own children to the program.
The program is typically held from 2:30 to 6 p.m. five days a week, starting at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesdays.
More than 850 students participate in the program, about 700 from area elementary schools.
“We have a lot of field trips and speakers,” Roth said. “It’s a very comprehensive program. We also accept donations and volunteers.”
Visit http://www.sbunified.org/departments/educational/childdevelopment/asesao/ for more information.
More healthy heart events
The Ventura County Heart Walk begins with registration at 8 a.m. and the opening ceremony at 9 a.m. Saturday, May 2 at the Harbor Cove at Ventura Harbor, 1878-1998 Spinnaker Drive in Ventura
All participants and their four-legged friends are encouraged to walk in the non-competitive 5K in the Ventura Harbor. Before the walk, participants are encouraged to explore the expo area, which will include a Kid Zone, educational booths, heart-healthy food and health screenings, the organization reported in a media release.
Registration for the 5k walk is free. Walkers who raise a minimum of $100 are eligible for a Heart Walk Prize t-shirt.
The annual Ventura County Heart Walk raises funds for research and initiatives that promote prevention, treatment, community outreach and better patient care in areas related to heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. The American Heart Association reported it is dedicated to building healthier lives free of heart disease and stroke. Heart disease, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases claim more than 831,000 lives in the U.S. every year. The AHA’s goal is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent while reducing deaths from cardiovascular diseases and stroke by 20 percent by 2020.
The 2015 Ventura County Heart Walk is chaired by Adam Thunell, COO at Community Memorial Health System, and sponsored nationally by Subway. The local “My Heart. My Life” sponsor for Ventura County is Union Bank and the local “Ventura County Heart Sponsor” is Amgen. Additional sponsors include Community Memorial Health System, Wells Fargo, UCLA Health, Kaiser Permanente, Abiomed, Montecito Bank & Trust and Pacific Western Bank.
Visit www.venturaheartwalk.org or call 805-445-7050 to register or for more information.