genHkids is a non-profit, volunteer-driven coalition with a straightforward MISSION:
Create a generation of healthy kids through education, empowerment, improved nourishment, and increased daily physical activity, thereby reducing the incidence of childhood obesity and its detrimental health effects.
The genHkids Coalition is striving to improve the health of every child in our community and, by extension, their families. We work tirelessly, knowing that Healthy Bodies translate into Healthy Minds, Healthy Behavior, and a Healthy Future for our children and our nation!
Founded by Kemia Sarraf, M.D., M.P.H, in collaboration and partnership with a wide array of local professional organizations, philanthropic associations, public health institutions, businesses and educational establishments, genHkids has generated tremendous excitement in the region with its hands-on, grassroots approach to improving child health. The genHkids Coalition is comprised of health professionals, educators, fitness experts, nutritionists, parents, and other concerned citizens, all dedicated to creating generation Healthy!
The genHkids Call To Action:
“True preventive medicine begins in our day-to-day living. Every choice we make regarding nutrition and activity impacts our health and the health of our families. In these hurried and harried times, it has become increasingly easy to forget that we still have choices, and that those choices are ultimately matters of priority, habit and skill acquisition.
Without their health, this generation of children will be lost. Obesity is the GATEWAY to a host of medical issues, the most serious of which are diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, and musculoskeletal disorders. Tragically, our most socially, economically and nutritionally vulnerable children are also our most at-risk with regards to their health. Our social safety net must address and protect not only their immediate physical safety, but also their long-term health and well-being.
The barriers, both real and perceived, are formidable. Time constraints, financial considerations, intergenerational habits, and death of skills can seem insurmountable obstacles. They are not. One child at a time, one family at a time, one school at a time, one community at a time, we can and must face down these challenges, adjust our priorities, and tell the truth: these are our children, these are our communities, and it is our responsibility.”
genHkids leaders believe we simply cannot afford to wait to begin addressing the severe and far reaching consequences of the obesity epidemic. The vast majority of our children, regardless of their current weight status, are facing a lifetime of serious health consequences due to physical inactivity and increasingly poor nutrition.
In the four years since its inception, genHkids Action Teams have created and implemented more than a dozen successful programs and events throughout Sangamon County, educating and impacting more than 15,000 children on an ongoing basis. Additionally, Dr. Sarraf and her Action Team Leaders have reached and educated more than 3,000 teachers, administrators and school boards, more than 1,000 parents and community leaders, and more than 1,000 health professionals and child advocacy specialists.
Working from a wide body of evidence, genHkids has established the following objectives:
- To increase the daily activity levels of children, adolescents, and families to a minimum of 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily
- To significantly improve the diets of children at school, at home, and in all community environments.
- To create lasting, systemic changes through aggressive child health education for children, parents, educators, community leaders and other professionals.
Join Us!
One program at a time, one family at a time, and one child at a time -- the genHkids Coalition is working tirelessly to create generation Healthy! Join us in taking immediate and decisive steps to ensure the health, safety, and success of the next generation: help us create generation Healthy!
Our Founder and President, Dr. Kemia Sarraf, has been nominated for the Health Activist Hero Award in this year's WEGO Health Activist Awards! We are so proud of Dr. Sarraf and all of her efforts toward educating the public about the health crisis resulting from the childhood obesity epidemic. Please show your support and click on the link below to endorse Dr. Sarraf for the Health Activist Hero Award!
http://badges.wegohealth.com/endorse-me?referrer=hsdb
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