Whether its improving school lunches or helping “at risk” youth get their lives on track, Jamie Oliver is always making an impact with his culinary know-how. This past week he got the opportunity to present his wish for a “Food Revolution” to some of the America’s most influential leaders at the TED Conference. Check out the full presentation above.
-JH
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With the goal of helping young people learn how to live healthier lifestyles, subsitute teacher Kim Carrington recently launched a program called Health Heroes at Surratsville High in Clinton, Maryland.
Once a month kids will be able to learn how to create healthy alternatives to some of their favorite meals and learn some fun ways to excercise and be active as well. Sounds like a program every school should incorporate. Check out the full story here via the Washington Post
-JH
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Seattle-based Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center announced this week that they have made a major breakthrough in the use of umbilical chord blood transplants as a treatment option. Patients who participated in tests recovered white blood cells at a much quicker rate than normal, dramatically increasing the likelihood of full recovery with no traces of disease.
Full story from KOMO News here.
-JH
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In case you missed last night’s finale of The Biggest Loser, Danny Cahill of Broken Arrow, OK took home first place by losing an astonishing 239 lbs. in just 7 months.
As usual, the shows this season inspired thousands of viewers across the country to lose weight and improve their health and fitness as well. You can check out some of their success stories here.
-JH
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While there is no denying that there is still a huge amount of work that needs to be done in solving the global HIV/AIDS crisis, its always good to take some time to celebrate the progress that has been made thus far.
The above video is just one of the millions of success stories of people who have benefited from advancements in medication and generous donations of governments, NGO’s, and individuals. For more on the positive news in the fight against AIDS check out these stats from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
-JH
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We had the privilege of spending a few hours yesterday volunteering with the Low Income Housing Institute at their newest property, McDermott Place. The building, which opens at the end of the month, will provide 75 affordable housing units, 38 of which are reserved for veterans.
In addition to housing, McDermott place includes numerous services such as counseling, education, and employment opportunities designed to help residents maintain permanent residence and build a foundation for a brighter future.
They could still use some volunteers to help put on the finishing touches, so contact them here if you are intersted.
-JH
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School busses in NYC aren’t just for the students anymore. With the launch of the city’s Market Ride Initiative the busses are now being used during their mid-day downtime (at no extra cost, according to officials) to shuttle senior citizens to the grocery store.
The hope is that the program will help make it easier for elderly residents, especially those in low income areas where supermarkets are few and far between, to access fresh produce and healthy food.
-JH
via NY Times
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Hunnington, West Virginia has been called America’s unhealthiest city, but if our favorite celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver, has anything to do with it, that’s about to change. Having already inspired better eating habits in the UK through his School Dinners and Ministry of Food programs, the spunky Brit is currently in Hunnington, filming Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, a TV series that aims to help Americans change the way we eat too.
The show will air on ABC sometime next year, but in the meantime you can read more about some of the great things Jamie is doing here, and get involved by signing this petition to help get fresh food in school cafeterias.
-JH
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Dr. Pedro Jose Greer, affectionately called “Dr. Joe” by his patients made headlines this week for his efforts to provide quality medical care to homeless and low-income citizens of Miami. In 1984, Greer founded Camillus Health Concern, a free clinic that serves over 10,000 patients a year. And if that wasn’t enough, he later established the St. John Bosco Clinic to serve the immigrant population of the Little Havanah neighborhood.
Greer says, “Maybe if we took care of everybody, we wouldn’t need reform.” Interesting thought…check out the full story here.
-JH
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Here in the U.S. we often think of sex-trafficking as something that happens only in other countries. The unfortunate reality, however, is that an estimated 18,000 victims are trafficked into this country each year.
With New York City being one of the major trafficking points of entry an organization called Restore NYC has set up their headquarters there in an effort to provide a refuge of hope for these women by offering safe housing, legal assistance, medical care, and employment services. To find out more about Restore NYC’s mission and how you can help, click here.
-JH
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