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“Back to School in South L.A.”
By Sarah Stern
This past weekend, Real Medicine Foundation & the Florence Western Medical Center hosted their first “Back to School” Event, providing more than 60 children and families with brand new backpacks filled with school supplies.
Recognizing the needs of this community has not been the challenge; the challenge has been how to encourage the community to show up for the services available to them. Free health and fitness programs for adults and children are offered at the center by Real Medicine, yet often we find a low attendance due to lack of access to information, transportation and health issues. While we have worked diligently to encourage the patients with incentives to attend these programs, at times it can be frustrating. Many charities in Los Angeles share this dilemma.
So the question becomes how can we bring about awareness of our programming in an area where the digital age has fallen behind? Phone numbers on sign-up sheets are often disconnected the following month. Most patients do not have home computers, making emails a futile effort. How can we meet the needs of the community and bring forth something that they will show up for, while giving them access to information about the center’s services and our programming?
The thought came to me that a “Back to School” event just might be the perfect solution. Given that our annual children’s holiday party has grown steadily these past few years, I wondered if we were to add an additional annual event, one that would prepare the children for the upcoming school year with a sturdy, brand new backpack if we would not have a good response from the community. A backpack filled with school supplies that once upon a time were provided by the school systems. A backpack that would free the parents from the financial stress associated with back to school (and as most families have several children these stressors can be extremely hardening on the family as a whole); a backpack that would produce excitement in the child about returning to school.
Dr. Kevin Thomas and I discussed the idea and we proceeded to move forward. Now the real challenges would begin! I contacted company after company to see about the possibility of donated or discounted backpacks for the event. Time and time again I received the same automated response that – “due to the overwhelming number of requests each year, unfortunately at this time they would be unable to help us”. I then turned to the internet and in search of ideas for discounted backpacks. Sure, I could go to downtown LA and get backpacks for cheap, but I was determined to give the children something they could be proud of, something that would last. Every parent knows that the backpack is just about the most important accessory in a child’s life (other than tennis shoes, which will be next year’s event goal!).
I presented my woes to Dr. Martina Fuchs, CEO and founder of Real Medicine who offered to delegate $1,000 from a recent event’s proceeds, and I asked that the remaining funds raised from my 2011 “Athletes for Real Medicine” LA Marathon 5k also be applied toward the budget. I searched high and low and finally found the source of our backpacks; Wal-Mart. They not only offered fabulous backpacks that fit the budget, but had the best pricing on the school supplies we needed to fill them!
In a collaborated effort, in the final week we were able to fill the backpacks and secure even more, as we had a waitlist of 21 children looking to attend the event on top of the 60 already confirmed.
Mary Miller returned to Northrop Grumman countless times for items such as pens, reusable water bottles and science books. Florence Western contacted their partners and the Office of Councilman Bernard Parks for support; I reached out to friends and family with pleas on Facebook & a Causes “birthday wish”. The response from all was overwhelming and as the supplies began to trickle in, I found myself quite emotional. Monday morning I had 56 backpacks and a long list of supplies needed, we had some but where short on what we needed to complete each backpack. By Monday afternoon I had personally raised enough funds to purchase cases of notebooks, glue sticks, pencil boxes, colored pencils and 4 additional backpacks. When I returned home, I found that a friend had placed 5 cases of water from Costco inside my gate, which brought me to tears.
Tuesday morning, Mara Leng, the office manager from Florence Western Medical Center, called to say that they had secured 30 additional backpacks and several boxes of supplies from their Health Net representative, which allowed me to phone the remaining families on the waitlist and confirm their children for the event. One mother expressed tears of joy that her son would be able to attend and receive a backpack, which was a stark reminder of just how great the need for this type of event was and an affirmation of why I love my job so much. Wednesday, Real Medicine Team Armenia member Nairy Ghazourian introduced us to Amy Sheyer and Diane Baxter, Health Net executives who offered to provide all of the food for the event, which was a huge weight off our shoulders! Chip Matthews from FWMC then informed me that several LAPD cadets would be available to assist with the event (also very welcomed news!!). Thursday morning Nichole Stephenson a RMF volunteer and I began filling the 80 pencil boxes (I couldn’t help but be reminded of the “I Love Lucy” episode where Lucy and Ethel were on the factory line at the chocolate factory) we figured out what we were short and it was one last trip to Wal-Mart, 60lbs of red apples from Costco c/o Health Net to supplement the granola bars they were providing, and my all time favorite, the 99cent store for 60 water bottles. My apologies to the cashiers and to anyone that found themselves in line behind me this past week! Friday morning the city of LA dropped off 10 tables and 75 chairs (this is a free service for community events, a huge thank you to the office of Bernard Parks!) We completed the backpacks, did a walk through, called volunteers and printed flyers about the Saturday children’s outreach program and sign-up sheets. I didn’t know if I would ever sleep again..
Showtime:
At 8:30am on Saturday, setup began. A host of RMF volunteers along with Dr. Kevin Thomas’s sister and niece began the process of preparing the stage – the large parking lot area in the back of the clinic. Everyone pitched in and to our delight we were completely prepared to meet the 60+ children that were due to arrive at 10am. Once the children were checked in, they began working on banners for the clinic and for the upcoming “Mobility Event” the following weekend. The children were then led in a large group exercise routine by our very own Roz Baker, I peeked around the corner and a huge smile crossed my face as I watched these children in a large circle working together.
At this point, Councilman Bernard Parks, former Chief of the Los Angeles Police Department and now representing the 8th District in South Los Angeles, made an appearance, much to everyone’s excitement. His tireless efforts and compassion towards the families of South Los Angeles have made him a pillar within the community. Snacks and much needed hydration were handed out to the children followed by the grand finale: Backpacks!! We lined up the little ones first, managed to avoid any mob scenes and successfully handed out all of the backpacks (along with shirts and other goodies that Mary Miller had received last minute) and the children proceeded to personalize their brand new backpack with a rainbow of fabric pens.
Parents expressed their gratitude and filled the Saturday Children’s Program sign-up sheet (much to my delight!). The children’s thanks came with hugs as we watched them head out the gate with their backpacks in tow.
We all sat back and relished in the day’s events, there had been not a single glitch and only one scraped knee (which Dr. Kevin Thomas saw to personally). Cadets and volunteers enjoyed much deserved sandwiches and discussed the marvels of the day. We had all come together for a common cause, and the day could not have been more perfect. I thank all of those who came out to support, who donated funds, supplies and most of all helped create our First Annual Back to School Event which will now be a part of our services for years to come.
To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org/donors.
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Tags: back to school, children, community outreach, community support los angeles, Florence Western Medical Center, LA, Los Angeles, Los Angeles non-profit, volunteering, Wal-Mart
An angel, from JustDial.com by Caitlin Mcquilling
I’m often asked what keeps me going in the face of the hardships and emotionally taxing situations we face working on issues such as childhood malnutrition and HIV/AIDS day in and day out. My answer is simple: it’s all about finding inspiration in the most unexpected of places and circumstances.
Caitlin, and the mothers and children at the Malnutrition clinic
On Tuesday while out on a village visit we came across a little girl, Gila, who was extremely sick and dangerously malnourished. She and her family had just returned from a month long stay at a private hospital in Dahod, Gujarat where Gila was properly diagnosed with tubercular meningitis, but unfortunately was not given the proper treatment. Over the month she was there the family spent their entire savings and then some only to see Gila rapidly deteriorating. After a month when the family could no longer afford “treatment” they were sent home. This is when we found the family in the village, desperate for us to help in any way we could. As soon as I saw Gila I knew she needed expert medical care not available in the state of MP. We told the family that we would have to bring the little girl to the hospital immediately and they eagerly agreed without a second thought.
Along with Gila’s father, Suroj, we consulted a doctor in Jhabua to get his opinion on whether or not the girl could travel. With the doctor’s immediate advice to go straight to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and BJ Medical College, I set out along with Sumitra, our CNE who first met the family, our wonderful and uncomplaining driver Mesul, and the little girl’s father and cousin on the 8 hour car ride.
As soon as we reached BJ Medical College, one of the best government health facilities in the country, we were rushed straight to the pediatric ICU. The wonderful team of doctors there immediately put the little girl on oxygen and started treatment immediately. They told us that the little girl’s condition was extremely serious and her chances of survival weren’t good, but promised to do everything they could to save her. I spent the day in the hospital with the family on Wednesday, understanding the next steps with the doctors, getting all the lab tests they needed expedited, and making sure that they were comfortable. We set the family up with a network of kind local volunteers who promised to look after the family on a daily basis since RMF couldn’t station one of our team members at the hospital for the 3-4 weeks the family would need to be there.
At 5am on Thursday while I was rushing to get my things together for the airport, I got a phone call from Suroj. Between sobs, Gila’s father told me that she had passed away a half hour before and he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to go home as soon as possible to cremate Gila, but didn’t know how he would get her body the 10 hours home. He begged me to help the family find a way home as soon as possible. When I got into the taxi a few minutes later I knew my options were severely limited. I had to be on a flight in an hour to go to an important meeting in Bhopal, but I also couldn’t leave this family stranded. I’m not very familiar with Ahmedabad, especially to find an emergency hearse at 5am capable of making an 8 hour trip across state boundaries. But as I greeted the taxi driver, that my friend found from JustDial.com, I immediately had a good feeling about him. I had 20 minutes to convince Nitin, the driver, to drive 10 hours with a sobbing father and a dead body.
I laid it on thick. In my remedial Hindi I told him about the work RMF does in Jhabua, about the malnourished kids, about this caring family who tried to do everything for their daughter but who were failed by the medical system. I wasn’t ashamed to beg this man to do us this favor. By the end of the taxi ride this driver had no choice but to agree to my outrageous request to go directly from the airport to the district hospital to find a family who didn’t speak his language (Bhili v. Gujarati) and to take them and child’s body 8 hours to a tribal area which many individuals in Ahmedabad have prejudice about. The driver was hesitant to take on this responsibility but conceded to take the family as far as Jhabua (not their village) as long as there was a death certificate. While the taxi driver seemed honest, I could only wish for the best as I handed him money and ran into the airport to catch my flight.
While going through airport security I arrange an expedited death certificate from the hospital and connected Nitin with Suroj and Suminta. As I boarded the flight Nitin was lost on the hospital campus. On my layover in Indore I confirmed that Nitin had in fact picked up the family and that they were safely on the way to Jhabua. Phew. Job done. I could now concentrate on PowerPoints and process indicators.
Thursday evening I got a call from Sumitra, our CNE who met the family in Jhabua when they arrived. After she filled me in on how the family was doing, how the cremation went, and so on, she also had a message for me.
Not only had Nitin driven the family the 10 hours to Jhabua as agreed, he also insisted on driving them all the way to their remote village himself. Not only did he go out of his way to drive them to the village, he attended Gila’s cremation as a member of the family. The next morning he called Sumitra, not to complain, as many people would, but to thank her. He told Sumitra that he was grateful that RMF asked him to do this. He said it made him feel so good that he was able to be there for this wonderful family during their time of need and was just happy to be part of all of this.
Thank you Nitin. Its individuals like you who keep us going and remind us that even in the most terrible of circumstances, humanity can be found from the most unexpected places.
For more information about RMF’s Malnutrition Eradication Program in India, click here and for more on our HIV/AIDS click here.
We can use any financial help you are able to provide on this project to continue our Education, Treatment and Outreach and help towards our goal of Malnutrition Eradication in this region of India.
To contribute to this initiative, please click Donate button or visit our website at realmedicinefoundation.org.
Tags: children, children in india, hiv in india, HIV treatment, India, india malnutrition, malnutrition in india
July 27, 2010
By Sarah Stern
This past weekend our little “warriors” took their workout up a notch with instructor Roz Baker. Every month Roz comes in and gives the kids at the Florence & Western Medical Clinic a full hour of heart pumping exercise while incorporating healthy living tips. The kids were literally “bouncing off the walls” with the introduction of exercise balls to help develop their large motor skills, hand-eye coordination along with the ability to work with one another.
We cooled down after Roz’s session with an arts & crafts lesson where the children explored a variety of mixed media materials and created paper plate fans for themselves. The temperature in Los Angeles was in the hundreds, so our project seemed quite appropriate! Volunteers Carly Krause and Aleksander Stanisic provided guidance through the project (which got a little messy) and our finished projects had the kids feeling pretty “cool” about themselves-
We are looking forward to our yoga session on August 7th, so please stay posted for more on the magic of working with the children of South Los Angeles, and what Real Medicine is doing to make a difference!
Tags: children, exercise, Florence Western Medical Center, Los Angeles, volunteering
by Jonathan White
Last month, Real Medicine’s Lwala Community Health Center in Kenya welcomed two 18 year old first time mothers on a Saturday morning: Millicent, nearly silent in labor in one corner, and Maureen, a vigorous and loud laborer in the other. There was never better proof of the need for a larger space for deliveries in our clinic, Real Medicine’s support of the new maternity center is much appreciated. Despite the small space, Clinic Officer Michael Omollo and clinic founder Milton Ochieng’ MD were smiling as silent Millicent pushed out a crying healthy baby girl.
Maureen’s vigorous, athletic, and loud labor response was a stark contrast and kept the team on their toes. A second crying and healthy baby girl was welcomed about an hour later. This was baby number 100 for the Lwala Community Health Center! These children have all been born in what was originally designed as a kitchen and was converted to a birthing facility when laboring mothers began to come. Groundbreaking for a much larger and proper maternity unit is planned for August 2010.
For more information about this initiative please visit: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/initiative/healthcare-project-lwala-kenya
If you’d like to donate to this or any of Real Medicine’s causes, you can click the donate button on this page or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org
Tags: Africa, birth, children, clinic, field report, Kenya, lwala, maternity
by Jonathan White
The new class of preschoolers of Palathuduwa
Our Tangalle Children Relay Preschool had operated with our suppport from 2006 until the end of 2009. During this time, Real Medicine covered the teacher’s, the children were provided with uniforms, stationary, playing instruments, school materials, cultural and educational tours, a daily meal, and medical treatments all free of charge. In an great example of our long term goals of self-sustainability, over the past few years the community we have been serving has been able to slowly recover from the Tsunami and return to their previous lifestyle. This also means the community is now in a position to be able to afford to send their children to a paying preschool and support their family’s needs without our outside help.
For 2010, the management of the school has decided to move the project to a new location, the village of Palathuduwa, to provide the same services to a much needed community. Our group is very well known in the area for its charitable activities, and a preschool in Palathuduwa had approached our team for possible support to help fund and manage their preschool. This other school had been operating successfully for many years, but had recently run into financial difficulties and was in danger of closing down without further help.
Background of the new location
Palathuduwa is about 2 km further inland from our old location in Tangalle. There are around 200 families in the area, mainly low income, and making their living in rice farming, animal husbandry, brick making and other labor work. The temple and school is in the middle of the village, Palathuduwa temple has become the community centre for all the village activities and the chief monk is the leader of the village and guides the villagers.
Background of the existing preschool at Palathuduwa temple
The first preschool activity at the temple location started in year 1989, with some very basic facilities and untrained teachers. The Tsunami didn’t do much damage to the temple and school buildings, but the impact to the village community of Palathuduwa was very high. After the Tsunami, aid agencies and other projects were set up in the area. During this time, the attendance at the preschool was very high, as many of the area’s parents did not want to send their children to the preschools closer to town and the coast, because of continued fears of another tsunami. In 2006, with the support of the locally established “Janasuwaya Foundation” and donation of foreign funds the community was able to build a larger and more suitable school building.
By 2010, the financial situation of the school and lack of funding to pay the teachers had come to a crisis point, and the school put out an appeal for help to the few NGOs or aid agencies that are still in the area. Our group at the Tangale Preschool was presented with the appeal and due to the fortunate timing of the closure of our other project, they were happy to look into the school’s viability
Soon after our staff decided to take over the administration of the preschool on February 2010 with the support of RMF, the situation returned to normal. The teachers are very happy again, the chief monk is very proud to see the preschool is back in normal operation and the children are running here and there again. The villagers are also happy that they can again send their children to the preschool without any additional cost. Presently, there are 15 children attending the preschool with 3 preschool teachers. A freshly prepared mid day meal is provided each day. The stationary and working materials are provided free of charge to each child and teachers. The children’s health is also regularly checked.
Our goal is again to create a sustainable solution for these villagers, and enable them to eventually take over the funding and management of the school.
If you’d like to donate to this or any of Real Medicine’s causes, you can click the donate button on this page or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org
Tags: children, preschool, RMF, Sri Lanka, teaching, tsunami
Our project in South Sudan, the new Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery, continues to gain momentum and vital support, with Southern Sudan’s current Minister of Health, Dr. Luka Monoja, visiting the first student class at the temporary College campus in Juba. The Juba College of Nursing and Midwifery is a new professional level 3 year college degree program supported by a consortium of stakeholders: Real Medicine Foundation, World Children’s Fund, UNFPA, UNDP, World Health Organization, Japan International Cooperation Agency, and the government of South Sudan.
Dr. Monoja was accompanied by the Undersecretary Dr. Olivia Lomoro and various other government officials. He indicated the importance and deep need for this level of trained Nurses and Midwives in Southern Sudan, and also stressed the how this particular institution is not only important to his heart but also to the Ministry of Health for the sustainable capacity building of professional health care providers.
He also mentioned that the need for skilled birth attendants through the training of midwives at the College is geared specifically toward reducing Sudan’s very high maternal mortality rates. Though the establishment of the college was long overdue he was glad that Southern Sudan can boast of having one now.
Some of the other things mentioned during Dr. Monoja’s visit were his deepest appreciation to the funding partners for their contribution towards the project and the financial needs of the students, and the continued partnership to ensure the future sustainability of the College.
The Minister encouraged the partners that although the institutions was still facing several financial challenges, there was a enormous need to push forward to ensure South Sudan’s future health.
For more information about this project please visit: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/initiative/healthcare-sector-capacity-building-college-of-nursing-and-midwifery-southern-sudan
If you’d like to donate to this or any of Real Medicine’s causes, you can click the donate button on this page or through our website at realmedicinefoundation.org
Tags: Africa, child mortality, children, healthcare capacity building, Juba, maternal death, midwifery, Nursing, Nursing College, RMF, south sudan, Sudan
We’d like to give thanks to Carly Shankman for holding a succesful fundraiser in San Diego for the Malnutrition Inititiative in India. Here is the blog she’s written about the fundraiser and her upcoming volunteer trip to India with RMF
By Guest Blogger, Carly Shankman
I was introduced to the Real Medicine Foundation through Michael Matheke (RMF India Programs Coordinator) about 4 months ago. It was at that time I decided to leave my life in San Diego and take the journey of a lifetime backpacking through India. Even greater than my desire to travel and learn for my own personal growth, I wanted to contribute to the people and communities of India. My passion in life is to see, do, explore, meet, live, love, appreciate and experience everything I come across on my journey. I believe in contributing to the greater good of the world and leaving the world a better place than when I arrived. RMF provided the platform for me to do this. After reviewing the website I immediately resonated with the malnutrition eradication program and the work they are doing with children.
I spoke with Michael and expressed my desire to volunteer on-site. After the plans were set for me to stay onsite with RMF I started to brainstorm fundraising ideas to make a monetary donation prior to my arrival. Since I am traveling with 3 other girls to India, Bri, Kayla, and Laura, I wanted to do something we could all work on together. We ran the idea of having a car wash at the restaurant with our GM, James Stephenson, and he was completely on board. He even allowed us to advertise the event to all our customers that came in.
The car wash was held on Saturday, July 10th and it was a complete success! We were a little concerned because the carwash was being held on the 4th day San Diego had been really overcast and cloudy and thought it might deter people from coming. Right after we were done setting up the sun came out and the cars started lining up. We had a steady flow of 3-4 cars at a time all day long and all our friends stopped by with cars to clean, snacks to share and the DJ kept the music jamming all day. There were approximately 15 volunteers helping to wash cars and collect donations and nearly 50 people stopped by to support us. The event went perfectly and thanks to LJ Strip Club, Home Depot, Ace Hardware, Vons, Einstein’s Bagels, Trader Joe’s and all the amazing volunteers that came out, we raised $750 for RMF!
The opportunity to raise money to directly enhance the quality of someone’s life is truly a gift. It’s amazing that I will be able to see my fundraising efforts put to use in person when I arrive in India. I am grateful to Martina, Sarah, Michael and Real Medicine Foundation for allowing me the opportunity to assist and make a difference. Thank you!
Learn more about our Malnutrition Initiative in India: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/initiative/malnutrition-eradication-program-madhya-pradesh-india
Tags: children, fundraising, India, malnutrition, san diego, volunteering
Primary Care Clinic, Yayawatta,Tangalle, Sri Lanka
The clinic that started it all off for RMF, more than 5 years ago in Tangalle, Sri Lanka, continues to thrive and provide, community outreach and health education programs to Yayawatta Village and the surrounding areas. These areas have still barely gotten back on their feet after the complete destruction of many surrounding villages and infrastructure 5 years ago by the Tsunami. The clinic’s main beneficiaries include the population of Seenimodara, Kadurupokuna and Palapotha.
Having this convenient access to free healthcare is especially important for the areas young mothers, children, and the elderly. During the last 3 month period of March, April and May a total of 642 patients were evaluated and treated at our free clinic. The diseases we see most frequently here are upper and lower respiratory tract infections, viral fevers, gastrointestinal tract infections, heart disease, hypertensive disorders, skin diseases and different forms of arthritis.
Our staff also periodically conducts field visits of the Nursing Officer from the Government Health Authority which continues to provide important information for mothers about proper methods of family planning.
In addition to medical treatment provided we also periodically conduct community outreach programs and are preparing to throw a Health is Wealth program during the upcoming traditional festival season. We are hoping to have all the communities participate in this event with Drama, Art, and Essay competitions for both children and adults.
Some of our recent patients treated at the clinic:
Amila
Amila is a regular visitor to our clinic. He comes often and usually spends his time watching the activities at the clinic. He is featured in the photo above, wearing a red shirt. After the Tsunami he started suffering from depression and had changed completely from his old self. He also started engaging in destructive behaviors and was going out with friends who were abusing alcohol and smoking. After drinking he would frequently get into fights and quarrels with neighbors and family. After being alerted to Amila’s changing personality, RMF’s Medical Consultant, Dr. Chamal, spent hours with him, counseling him and giving him necessary treatments and now, according to Amila and his family, he has finally gained some normalcy and direction in his life.
Nuwan Kumara
This is 3-year-old Nuwan Kumara from Kadurupokuna. His mother had come to the clinic to have him treated for an allergic reaction, including a red rash on his face, hands and body. His mother complained that he had been scratching his face and hands after eating fish for dinner. Dr. Chamal subscribed a medical ointment to treat Nuwan’s allergy and after 3 weeks of treatment the allergy has gradually subsided and the rash has disappeared.
Hasini Malisha
Hasini Malisha is the 14-year-old daughter of Mrs. Samanthie who works at our Clinic. She had been suffering from an enlargement of her thyroid glands. She started having fainting attacks and was rushed to the Real Medicine Clinic at Yayawatta to be consulted by Medical Consultant, Dr. Chamal. He prescribed treatment to control the attacks and made arrangements to consult the Senior Surgeon, Medical Consultant Dr. Percy Dias immediately.
Two blood samples were sent to Colombo to check her TSH and T4 levels. Medication was prescribed following the tests with the advice to continue the treatment and after 1½ months to return to the clinic for follow up blood samples and reports. Hasini Malisha is feeling much better with the treatment.
Miss K.G. Maggie
Miss. K. G. Maggie is an elderly woman from Kadurupokuna. She has been a regular patient at the Real Medicine Clinic. She has great difficulty walking ever since a tragic fall many years ago that dislocated her hip bone. Recently she was very sick and could not make the journey to the Clinic and had pleaded with Dr. Chamal to come see her at her home. When Dr Chamal visited her he found her in very bad condition with severe swelling and redness in the lower part of her legs. Dr. Chamal diagnosed her with cellulitis and treated Maggie with strong antibiotics, continued observation. She could be cured without admission to the local hospital, which Maggie was very grateful for.
Read more about our first clinic at: http://www.realmedicinefoundation.org/initiative/primary-care-clinic-yayawatta-isp-tsunami-village-seenimodara-tangalle
Tags: child's health, children, clinic, Disaster Relief, maternal health, primary health care, Sri Lanka, tangalle, tsunami, yayawatta
Turning Lemons into Lemonade
July 16, 2010
By Sarah Stern
Real Medicine Foundation continues to provide physical and emotional support to children and adults within the greater Los Angeles area. With our children’s programs, this past month we focused on how to approach situations which can cause a great deal of stress within our everyday lives. Most of the children who participate in our programs are being raised by family members other than their parents, and are at high risk for future physical and psychological problems.
Our workshop “Turning lemons into lemonade” gave the children the opportunity to discuss different situations which can cause stress, and then invited them to explore and create their own problem solving techniques. The majority of children we work with are faced with extremely difficult situations due to demographics based on socioeconomic status. Their neighborhoods are unsafe, schools are overcrowded and there is little or no access to enrichment programs which would help relieve the stressors created in these environments.
We have noticed an increase in the number of children with a high BMI index, due primarily to lack of nutritional education coupled with the inaccessibility of fresh produce and whole grain foods. Real Medicine Foundation offers Adult & Child Health & Fitness education workshops along with a food donation program 5 days a week which provides organic produce and food donated from Whole Foods Markets, Venice, California, in an effort to assist in meeting the needs of this community.
Tags: Adult Fitness, Child Fitness, children, community outreach, Florence Western Medical Center, Los Angeles, Whole Foods
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