Two Wells County elementary schools have been awarded Healthy Hoosier School Awards with the help of Ball State University.
The awards were given based on the nutrition and activity awareness initiative Operation Wellness, which is sponsored by a grant through Ball State.
"In working with the Wells County advisory board, we've built a program that can be a model for small communities everywhere," Carol Friesen, associate professor of nutrition and grant coordinator for the Wells County organization, said. "We want to get people healthy and moving and make it fun."
Operation Wellness is a program for Wells County residents of all ages, from pre-school students through the elderly.
"We've listened to people in the community and responded. We just provide what they ask for, and so far, it's worked well," Friesen said.
One program the organization is currently working on would provide more nutritious foods to students.
"The teachers have asked how they can help, so we're holding a teacher in-service to help teachers learn how to work active living and nutrition into their daily curriculum," Friesen said.
"Dump Your Plump," one of the programs used by adults, resulted in 856 pounds of weight loss by 108 participants. Just one semester prior to that, the same program resulted in a 400-pound loss, less than half that of the spring competition.
Ball State received the funding for Operation Wellness from July 2003 through June 30, 2007. When the grant is no longer run through the university, the Wells County advisory board and local organizations will take the reigns of the program.
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