Calories Reduced informationI was fortunate to attend the fourth annual summit of the Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) in Washington DC last month, and was stunned with their accomplishments in just four short years!
 
PHA is a national effort to end childhood obesity. First Lady Michele Obama (@FLOTUS) is the honorary chair of PHA and pushed for the creation of the nonpartisan nonprofit organization with her “Let’s Move!” initiative.  The First Lady participates in the summits each year and has said that when she is no longer in the White House, this will remain her primary cause.
 
PHA is working with the private sector to solve the childhood obesity crisis. They bring public, private and nonprofit leaders together to broker meaningful and measurable commitment, and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. They do this by using unbiased, third parties to monitor and report on the progress partners are making.
 
One of the over 60 PHA partners is the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF). Made up of a coalition of 225 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, grocers, restaurants and nonprofits, they are pushing to balance calories in and calories out – the magic formula to maintaining weight for everyone.
 
HWCF removed 6.4 trillion calories from items in the marketplace, exceeding its commitment by over 400% and 3 years ahead of schedule. Two well-respected organizations completed an external review to validate this calorie reduction – the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
 
Oasis is an associate member of HWCF along with corporate partners such as Schnucks, PepsiCo, Coca Cola, Kellogg’s, General Mills and Kraft Foods.
 
Joan Valdes and Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos
Joan Valdes is one of the cheerful, all-in CATCH Healthy Habits volunteers at the Boys & Girls Club of San Marcos, CA. She's a true inspiration as she has not let the challenges of Parkinson's Disease keep her from investing in the next generation.
Through CATCH Healthy Habits, our intergenerational after-school program to increase physical activity and improve nutritional choices, Oasis has been in conversations with PHA and HWCF from the start. With funding from WellPoint Foundation, Oasis is committed to solving the problem of obesity –not just for children but for adults 50 plus.
 
Oasis volunteers run the program in 19 cities in after-school settings like Boys and Girls Clubs, helping to keep children and adults active and eating better. And we’re making progress. Sixty-two percent of children and 88% of adults met or exceeded the Center for Disease Control’s recommendations for moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, compared to 50% in similar programs. Both groups ate more fruits and vegetables and spent less time in front of the TV or computer.
 
Oasis is excited about being a part of this movement. As we celebrate National Volunteer Month, thanks to all of the creative and fun-loving Oasis volunteers who are making CATCH Healthy Habits happen in so many places across the country.