Local Kids Are Jammin Over Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 22, 2009

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On September 22 and 23, 93 4^th-6^th graders from Lee, Ogle, and Stephenson Counties got a jump start on health at University of Illinois Extension's 4-H Health Jam, held at Camp White Eagle in Leaf River and KSB Hospital in Dixon. 4-H Health Jam teaches students about healthy lifestyles, best nutrition and fitness practices, and health-related careers. A partnership between U of I Extension, KSB Hospital, and the National Center for Rural Health Professionals annually plans and conducts the program.

Illinois 4-H was one of eight states that received a $50,000 grant from the Walmart Foundation through National 4-H Council to encourage young people to develop and maintain healthy, active lifestyles. The grant money sponsors five 4-H Health Jams throughout Illinois and helps rural communities tackle wellness issues that are a major health concern nationwide.

"The Walmart Foundation is committed to improving the lives of young people and the communities in which they live, " says Margaret McKenna, President of the Walmart Foundation. "The Foundation is proud to support the inventive program Illinois developed for 4-H and the impact those programs will have on the health of both participants and their communities."

During the two-day camp, healthcare professionals and health-professions students engaged the youth in hands-on learning activities. Health Jam participants "toured" the human heart; observed the digestive process; filled mock prescriptions; and brushed up on their dental hygiene skills. At KSB Hospital, they interpreted x-ray, ultrasound and CAT scan images; got the scoop on sleep lab assessments; tested their balance in physical therapy; saved a mock accident victim with EMS; and got a behind-the-scenes experience in the dietary department.

In the eight-weeks following 4-H Health Jam, students engage in classroom learning activities taught by Extension Youth Development Educators. During these activities, youth continue to explore the human body, healthy lifestyles, and the "Walk Across Illinois" fitness challenge.

Working in teams, students exercise thirty minutes daily for a weekly total of 210 minutes. Health Jam teams log their exercise time and convert it to miles walked using a simple formula. If team members complete 30 minutes of daily physical activity, at the end of the eight weeks the teams will have walked the length of Illinois from East Dubuque to Cairo—a total of 448 miles. Teams that complete this challenge receive "I Walked across Illinois" t-shirts.

Participating classrooms for Health Jam '09 are St. Mary's School in Dixon; Steward Elementary School; Etnyre Elementary School, Oregon; and St. Anne's School, Freeport. 4-H Camp Counselors who volunteered their time to assist with overnight activities included: Rose Rogde, Steward; Anna Ohlwine and David Shuman, Polo; Jake Bettner and Jim Overmyer, Oregon; Riley Egan, Byron; Linda Zack, Rockford; Erin and Grant Ebbesmeyer, German Valley; Maggie Hooper, Freeport; and Rebecca Ryman, McConnel. Thanks goes to all of these individuals, and to the event nurse, Karen Hauser, Freeport; and photographer Pam Ryman, McConnel.

For more information about 4-H Health Jam or any 4-H programs, visit your local University of Illinois Extension office on-line at www.extension.uiuc.edu.