An American Heart Association Teaching Garden will come to Memorial Elementary School thanks to the significant support provided by St. Mary Medical Center. This is the second year the medical provider has partnered with the American Heart Association’s Teaching Garden initiative.
Memorial Elementary School’s Teaching Garden, which will help students understand the importance of healthy eating habits, will be unveiled Thursday, May 30, 2013 during a special Plant Day ceremony at 9:00am. Memorial Elementary School is located at 1052 Park Ave Valparaiso, IN 4635.
“St. Mary Medical Center is excited to once again work with the American Heart Association and bring healthy lifestyle choices to our youth who are the future leaders of our community,” said Janice Ryba, CEO of St. Mary Medical Center. "Through our continued partnership with the American Heart Association, this hands-on Teaching Garden for young students provides another opportunity for our hospital to lead by example and set the standard for creating easily accessible and enjoyable opportunities to build a culture of wellness. We hope this effort will lead to heart healthy habits that will last a lifetime.”
Teaching Gardens are part of the American Heart Association’s My Heart. My Life. healthy behavior platform, which is a comprehensive health, wellness and fitness platform aimed at empowering Americans to get healthier. It is an important component of the American Heart Association’s 2020 Impact Goal, which is to improve the cardiovascular health of all Americans by 20 percent and to reduce deaths from cardiovascular disease and stroke by 20 percent, both by the year 2020.
Today, less than one percent of children have ideal cardiovascular health. Nearly one in three children and adolescents in the United States is overweight or obese. Studies show that health interventions at school positively influence healthy behavior in children, and garden-based nutritional intervention programs may have the potential to increase the fruit and vegetable intake among youth while having a positive impact on student attitudes toward fruits and vegetables.
Teaching Gardens are real-life laboratories where students learn how to plant seeds, nurture growing plants and harvest food. The goal of the program is to help students understand the value of good eating habits and the importance of nutrition through both a hands-on and curriculum-based learning environment.
The Teaching Garden curriculum is based on research and science backed by the American Heart Association, the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke and a national leader in the battle against childhood obesity. The American Heart Association has a nearly 40-year history as a leader in the field of nutrition, physical activity and obesity prevention, which serves as the foundation for the Teaching Garden program.
The Teaching Gardens are a successful model founded and supported by Kelly Meyer, an environmental and health activist. To learn more visit heart.org/teachinggardens.
About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke — America’s No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. We are the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or join us, call 219-996-4958 or visit heart.org.