Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "california endowment"

Superheroes combat unhealthy villains

2011-07-27T06:53:25Z

A new league of superheroes will debut on the Sacramento comic book scene this December.

The premise of the comic, “Health-E-Man and the Champions of the Chewniverse,” is a band of heroes will fight against the forces that prevent access to good health.

In an attempt to promote health awareness in South Sacramento and in communities beyond, the nonprofit Building Healthy Communities has embarked on the comic project to create an innovative digital comic book series that will teach young people healthy eating habits.

“We’ve always seen fast food restaurants catering to kids – whether it’s toys, superheroes or happy meals. You’ve seen their heroes promote unhealthy foods,” said Alberto Mercado, project coordinator for BHC. “What if we had a superhero that eats everything that is healthy – that’s fighting for justice and (access to) health? (It’s) teaching kids that there’s a better way than just getting a happy meal.”

The South Sacramento region has been identified as one of the biggest “food deserts” in the state by the California Endowment, a private statewide health foundation that grants money to organizations such as the BHC that seek to expand health access to under-served communities, Mercado said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines “food deserts” as areas that lack access to affordable fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat milk and other foods that make a healthy lifestyle possible. According to the CDC, a population living in such regions can suffer from bad health.

A marked characteristic of a “food desert” is the lack of supermarkets in what are often minority communities.

“ ‘Health-E-Man and Champions of the Chewniverse’ is the perfect way for us to reach those who don’t get the regular (health) information,” Mercado said. “Nutritional information is kind of boring, and we’re putting (nutritional lessons) into the comic book so that people know that there’s good ways to eat and bad ways.”

The comic project is funded through Asian Resources, a community organization that acts as a fiscal agent for the California Endowment in the Sacramento region. Asian Resources is one of 27 organizations that received grants from the Endowment. Additional fundraising for the project will be done through www.kickstarter.com, a website that accepts donations for art and media projects.

Christine Tien, project manager for the California Endowment, ~~Asian Resources, a community organization that acts as a fiscal agent for the California Endowment in the Sacramento region~~ , gave the green light for the “Champions of the Chewniverse” comic book project.

The target demographic is sixth graders to high school-age youths.

Funding for the comic was granted on the basis that it could spread the vision of community health. If the digital comic can influence the eating patterns of students, Mercado said, he thinks the project could go beyond Sacramento.

Health-E-Man was inspired by the 1980s superhero series “He-Man and Masters of the Universe.”
In order to avoid too many comparisons to He-Man, creators of Health-E-Man have made efforts to differentiate their hero.

“If you’ve ever seen (He-Man), he’s a typical white male – knight-in-shining armor. But if you look at our character, he could resemble any ethnicity that you could think of. He could look Mexican, he could look Native American, he could also look Asian,” Mercado said. “We know Sacramento is a very diverse community, and we want to make sure everyone is captured.”

Creators are also currently working on their first storyline concept. Each issue will be accompanied by a lesson, such as the benefits of exercise.

“Kids can teach their parents about eating. Kids can influence their parents in doing things. If we did it the other way around, it wouldn’t work, and we’ve seen it,” Mercado said. “If you have a youth coming to you and telling you the things that could happen, it makes a bigger impact.”

Two teenagers have been brought on board for storyboard consulting because creators wanted input from youths. In addition, Frank Stone, a comic book illustrator from Stockton, was enlisted to bring their concepts to life.

In order to raise community involvement, Mercado said that creators of Health-E-Man will launch a coloring contest in August in order to decide the color scheme for the comic. The details of the contest are still in development. Mercado said the fusion of colors makes or breaks a comic.

Stone took the concept of “Champions of the Chewniverse” to Comic-Con in San Diego recently in order to debut Health-E-Man to the comic book community. Health-E-Man will also have its own booth at the first He-Man convention beginning Sept. 28 in Los Angeles.

Editorial Note: A correction has been made to this story after it was published. The incorrect information has beeen struck out and the correct information has been added.

Projects underway for Building Healthy Communities

2011-07-22T07:11:16Z

Residential communities in Oak Park and South Sacramento are in good hands under the umbrella of the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities coalition for funding programs and collectives geared towards making Sacramento safer and healthier.

Several projects funded by the BHC are underway to create healthier food access for low-income families, better transportation, and safer neighborhoods by engaging youth in community service and leadership training.

Projects already initiated include an EBT dollar-for-dollar match incentive at the local Oak Park farmer’s market, assistance in building a home or community garden, and teaching youth the basics of news writing and reporting on issues in their community.

The coalition met Wednesday night for its quarterly Hub meeting—formed to create a network between all members of the community in an act to discuss and implement solutions. The meeting addressed several of the social, economic and health inequities facing teens and communities in South Sacramento and Oak Park. Some of these issues included childhood obesity, high-risk youth and gang-related violence, healthier food access and more available health care coverage for low-income families.

Sacramento Building Healthy Communities is an initiative funded by the California Endowment that strives to promote healthier choices in specified low-income neighborhoods. This is achieved through collaboration with stakeholders—those who hold the highest interest in the success of the community— including schools, businesses, community-oriented organizations, residents, law enforcement agencies and others.

Seventy-two members of the community attended the meeting, including City Councilman Jay Schenirer, to learn of some of the new developments in the community that are being implemented by several grantees of the coalition. Of the presentations, youth leadership development and engagement was a main theme for the night.

“We are working on creating a youth steering committee,” said Alberto Mercado, project coordinator for Building Healthy Communities and staff member of Asian Resources. “They’re the ones who are going to be here in 10 years,” he said.

The youth would be “kind of advisers to us,” said Francisco Gutierrez, community relations intern for BHC, stressing the matter that the youth know what’s happening in their communities, and the BHC merely assisting them in their solutions.

The coalition is already funding several organizations and programs which serve to engage more youth in the targeted area in leadership programs such as La Familia and People Reaching Out.

Grantees of the BHC include People Reaching Out, Legal Services of Northern California, Sacramento City Unified School District, Community Service Planning Council, and Panacea Services, Inc.

Bobby Powell with the Boys and Girls Club and Nina Harris from Will. C. Wood Middle School were two youth leaders present at the meeting and already set to join more leadership groups. Powell writes for a blog for the California Endowment called “Bobby’s Blog” through which he shares his experiences in his youth leadership with the rest of the community.

Harris presented with People Reaching Out, a nonprofit organization that addresses youth substance abuse and violence, and talked about an activity the organization has where the youth involved take pictures around their community, documenting what they believe needs to be changed.

“It helps students see what’s wrong with the community,” Harris said.

The Regional Transit Authority was present, accepting suggestions from community members on how to improve the transit system.

Other presentations of the night included groups that received local discretionary grants from the BHC which allow quarterly grants “available to groups that can’t find funding anywhere else,” Gutierrez said.

Hub discretionary grants are small-amount grants up to $2000 that are available to any nonprofit organization, local collective, or public school that uses volunteer efforts and community service to improve the health of its community. This funding is also available for art and cultural projects which seek to engage youth in positive service in their communities.

The new grant deadline for discretionary grants is set for Sept.17. Prospective applicants can find more information on the website (link at the bottom).

Recipients of the discretionary grants included the Sacramento Black Chamber of Commerce, The Gardens, Tahoe Colonial Collaborative, Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services, Alchemist Community Development, Oak Park Neighborhood Association, Language Academy of Sacramento, Prevention Works and Mien Club.

“Those programs are always left behind,” Mercado said, further commenting that some groups are small and don’t have as much outreach as larger organizations to be recognized by larger grant programs.

Alchemist, a subcontractor of Soil Born Farms, provides interactive and engaging activities for youth to convene on food access projects around the community. Alchemist was only one of the many groups present at the meeting that provide engaging services for youth to act as leaders in their own communities.

“If we can give them the tools and the space, they will become the leaders of tomorrow,” Mercado said.

Building Healthy Communities meetings are open to the public and there are numerous volunteer opportunities to get involved with the programs in the coalition. For more information visit:

http://www.mycalconnect.org/sacramento/Default.aspx

Youths will report on South Sacramento community

2011-06-28T06:55:07Z

A group of South Sacramento teens will get the chance this summer to learn the ins and outs of basic news writing and reporting. The goal is to get the youths to become advocates for their community and to give voice to the issues that are particular to South Sacramento.

The Neighborhood News Bureau was established by a partnership between Access Sacramento, a nonprofit organization that provides access cable television, and the La Familia Counseling Center to teach approximately 20 teenagers, ages 14 - 18, grassroots, community-based journalism.

La Familia is one of five community centers that Access Sacramento has partnered with to develop Neighborhood News Bureau sites. Other sites include Asian Resources, Florin Creek, Pannell Center and Valley Hi-North Laguna Library.

“One of the critiques is the only time you hear about South Sacramento is when there’s a murder or a violent assault. There’s a lot of good, and the good far outweighs the negative reception that has been placed around this area,” said Vidal Gonzalez, universal youth specialist at La Familia. “By giving the kids the tools to put those positive issues forth, it’ll help to shape that perception of their neighborhood.”

According to Gonzalez, Access Sacramento is providing the NNB at La Familia with two Flip cameras, a PC with Vegas video editing software and technical support workshops.

Isaac Gonzalez, local writer and community advocate enlisted by Access Sacramento, will serve as a mentor to the 20 core youths participating in the La Familia Neighborhood News Bureau.

“Me and my father didn’t get along so I found myself as an adult aways looking to mentor figures and I feel this the part of me giving back to that. To mentor kids is a huge opportunity for me to do the same favor that other men did for me,” Isaac Gonzalez said. “To help a kid out and to give positive constructive criticism – I owe it.”

During the summer, Isaac Gonzalez will be working with youths at La Familia to help them focus their ideas and to frame the stories for their community. The story concepts and the writing will be provided by the youths, but Gonzalez will be editing the submissions and uploading the stories onto www.accesslocal.tv.

At a June 24 meeting, the NNB convened and was still in the beginning stages of developing story ideas. Each of the youths have been enlisted to develop their own story ideas. One of the youth wanted to write about the death of her 3-year-old cousin who died in an alcohol related crash.

“The inability to think about the consequences on other people when you are having fun can have dire consequences,” Isaac Gonzalez said.

High school senior Ramon Castellanos, 18, is writing a piece about juveniles on death row and he explained that the frontal lobes of young people are not fully developed.

“A lot of these youth have very real experiences in their communities - very harsh experiences and sometimes their minds are more open to things because of what they’ve been through,” said Apolonia Cortez, a youth leadership coordinator at La Familia. “I just believe they have completely different perspectives and they should be heard.”

Despite the dismal job setting for teens this summer,Vidal Gonzalez said he sees opportunities for youths participating in NNB. Statewide, the public school system has reduced summer school course offerings and La Familia has reduced teen job programs.

“I think a lot of youths are upset that there aren’t jobs out there – that there aren’t enough activities and programs for them. The majority of parks have been closed. A lot of pools are on very minimal schedules. The kids don’t have a lot of good, positive things to do and speaking to the youth, they want to express that,” Vidal Gonzalez said.

The Neighborhood News Bureau is part of Youth Voices, a program made possible by funding by the California Endowment.

Feb. 8th declared "Let's Move" Day

2011-02-09T04:25:40Z

Plans were announced at the Mayor's press conference Tuesday to construct a running track and community garden at Will C. Woods Middle School where U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius spoke to mark the one year anniversary of the “Let's Move” campaign.

Initiated by First Lady Michelle Obama on Feb. 8, 2010, “Let’s Move” is a healthy lifestyle campaign to address childhood obesity.

Sacramento City Unified School District was chosen as one of the 14 community sites in California, to receive a grant from the California Endowment with help through local partners The Sacramento Kings and UC Davis Health Services.

California Endowment spokeswoman Marley Klaus said SCUSD was chosen to be a part of “Let’s Move” based on a number of factors.

“It is typically an under-served community,” she said. “But there is also community involvement.”

In addition, Sacramento was considered not solely based on its “significant issues” but because it also has a lot of energy, Klaus added.

Before the press conference started, a group of about 40 students was led through a series of exercises by the Sacramento Kings mascot Slamson, cheerleaders and, Strength and Conditioning Coach Daniel Shapiro. Shapiro called out the drills, which included push-ups, jumping jacks and running in place, while Slamson and the cheerleaders demonstrated.

The press conference opened with words by Will C. Woods Middle School’s principal, Mary Desplinter. She said the reason for the school's participation is that obesity is an issue not just for Sacramento, but for the nation.

“We want to make sure to educate the whole child,” Desplinter said, adding that resources are limited for advocating healthy eating and lifestyles. Through the partnership, the school will be able to provide the facilities to promote “Let’s Move” and healthy lifestyle choices.

Robert K. Ross, CEO of the California Endowment, also spoke Tuesday to an audience of middle school students, teachers and Kings guard Pooh Jeter.

“We are here because we care about the students at this particular school,” he said. “We are happy to invest in 14 community sites, over $1 billion over the next 10 years.”

Mayor Kevin Johnson then spoke about the program, noting his support and its importance for local youth.

“You have to have a healthy lifestyle,” he said before asking the students in the gym to raise their hands in a pledge to eat healthy, help in the community garden and be physically active.

Johnson concluded his speech with, “We want to declare Feb. 8 as ‘Let’s Move’ Day in Sacramento.”

Sebelius added that with grants and funding, such as those from the endowment, the Sacramento Kings and UC Davis, students can help build healthy communities.

“I want to see that you’re going to be great leaders in the community,” she said, “Happy Birthday ‘Let’s Move.’ ”

Video by Kathleen Haley

Environmental group works with neighborhoods

2010-12-23T01:42:33Z

Wooden boxes of chard, kale and collard greens on Charles Mason’s front yard in Oak Park are likely to be installed at dozens of spots in Sacramento next year and into 2012.

Mason, the founder of environmental nonprofit group Ubuntu Green, is organizing a project to place up to 60 small gardens in an area that includes the neighborhoods of Oak Park, Tahoe Park, Lemon Hill and Fruitridge Manor.

The home gardens project, funded by the California Endowment, is one of three programs Ubuntu Green will focus on in 2011. Ubuntu Green will work next year on a land-use environmental project with eight neighborhoods as well as host an annual event in September on environmentally friendly living.

The group, which Mason founded in January 2009, is working with several organizations on the land-use program, including WALKSacramento, the UC Davis Center for Regional Change and the Youth Development Network.

“Ubuntu” is a term traced to Africa’s Bantu languages that refers to a “humanist philosophy emphasizing community, sharing and generosity,” according to the environmental group’s website.

Mason sat down with The Sacramento Press in Oak Park on Wednesday to discuss the group’s upcoming work.

SP: What is the purpose of Ubuntu Green?

CM: “Green” for us is ... removing environmental health and justice problems within our communities, improving our access to transit and improving our access to healthy foods, among other things. But (it also means) changing how land-use decisions are made in our communities so they are done in a way that promotes health, and that indirectly and directly, has no impact, or less of an impact, on the environment. We took the land-use approach to greening an urban environment.

(In a low-income community), you’ve got a much larger percentage of people who are transit-walk-bike dependent. These people have no access to resources, or limited access to resources, unless they have access to transit – especially if you’re talking about seniors and very low-income people. So, if you increase transit access in those communities, you promote the use of the transit. You (also) give them better access to all the different services and amenities they need day to day.

The Sacramento Press pointed at two wooden boxes filled with plants on Mason’s front yard.

SP: What is going on here?

CM: Under our current grant with the California Endowment, and we’re working in partnership with Soil Born Farms, we have been funded to do 60 of these home gardens in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: What are these plants?

CM: These two rows are different types of chard … These are different types of cabbage. Over here, we have mustards – very spicy. And these are collard greens, and about two different varieties of kale.

SP: What are a few of the group’s goals for 2011?

CM: We’ve got tons. One is obviously to get the (installation of the garden boxes) out of the way. We’ve got to get that program up and out. We’re doing our Green Oak Park and South Sacramento (event).

And then we’ll (continue) with our healthy land-use engagement project. So, that’s our major project where we’re engaging local residents around how to address land-use issues in their communities. We’re working with eight neighborhoods in the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities area.

SP: Is it an environmental focus?

CM: We’re going to be asking them to look at transportation issues in the sense of – look at your sidewalks. Look at your ability to walk and bike and drive around this community. Talk about your access to transit. Talk about where you go to get your food. Is it healthy? Is there a community garden nearby?

Read more about the healthy land-use engagement project here.

Learn more about the home gardens project here.

Photo of Charles Mason and his box gardens by Kathleen Haley.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Sacramento Building Healthy Communities

2009-12-01T20:19:49Z

On November 21, 2009, the Sacramento Building Healthy Communities collaborative hosted two events in Oak Park and South Sacramento, designed to educate communities on the 10-year Building Healthy Communities (BHC) process. Earlier this year, the California Endowment awarded funding to 14 communities over ten years as part of their Building Healthy Communities program. This effort was designed to infuse at least $10 million into each community to bring about systemic change. The efforts are to be driven by four goals:

• Health systems are family-centered and prioritize prevention.
• Schools anchor communities, promote healthy behaviors and are a gateway for resources and services.
• Human services systems are family-centered, prioritize prevention and promote opportunities for children, young adults and their families.
• Improved physical, social and economic environments in local communities.

South Sacramento was chosen by the Endowment as one of the target communities. The area includes all of Oak Park, Fruitridge Manor, Elder Creek, and parts of Curtis Park, Tahoe Park and both incorporated and unincorporated areas of South Sacramento.

Since March 2009, the collaborative has been working to put together the 10 year strategic plan for the area. Initial outreach has targeted 5,000 residents through community events, talking circles and surveys to gauge the communities’ views about their neighborhoods. Other activities have included several working groups that are focused on Infrastructure and Assets, Health Access and Youth Development..

In an industry where foundations often change funding focus every 5 years or so, the Endowment’s 10 year commitment marks an opportunity for communities to pull together long-term comprehensive planning and corresponding actions that can improve public environmental quality and health, as well as, the built environment and healthy food access to traditionally underserved communities.

This process provides a unique opportunity for this highly diverse and vibrant area that has been plagued by crime, obesity, foreclosures and disinvestment for decades. It allows the target communities to leverage the Endowment’s resources to attract additional private and public sector funding and technical assistance. In addition, the BHC initiative will help to increase civic pride and build bridges across ethnic, cultural and economic divides that have been historically difficult to create and sustain.

However, the greatest opportunity of this process will be achieved by deep and meaningful involvement of the residents, local business owners and community-based organizations themselves. As this process moves forward, outreach and resources need to continue to have significant and long term impact on these groups that ensures public safety, generates jobs, minimizes displacement, increases access to public transportation, makes streets safer for walking and biking, improves energy efficiency and rehabilitates and creates affordable housing that is of high quality.

Finally, my 5 year old son Miles attended the November 21st gathering in Oak Park with me and told the all adult working group that he wanted safer parks. Many comments had been made to that point, but none discussed the safety of our parks. Many of us take for granted the fact that our children lack safe areas in the community for recreation that they can access at all times. We must foster these activities and make them safe, clean, accessible and with many eyes on the parks and streets to ensure security.

In the end, it is all about our children. As we lay the building blocks for the future we must ensure that what we build today creates a path toward a greater quality of life for the next generation.

This selection originally appeared on the Ubuntu Green blog. http://blog.ubuntugreen.org/

Young artists transform communities

2009-07-03T01:07:54Z

For the past three months, young people from 10 to 21 years of age have come together in Sacramento once a week to discuss their role in their physical environment.

As part of the Youth Voices for Change initiative, the group called the Sactown Heroes collaborated with UC Davis scholars, artists and graduate students to explore their community, what they like about it and what could change. The culminating event on Tuesday was a presentation of their findings to the community.

14-year-old Bradly Palmer said he would change "where youth are welcome and where they are hired for jobs. Some places discriminate against youth because they think they're trouble-makers."

He is a student at West Sacramento Early College-Prep Charter School, and is able to explore his surroundings with cameras, video and audio equipment that he is trained to use.

"I set up a lot of the Google maps, the graphics, and I took videos of my favorite places and what I dislike about the community," Palmer said.

The Google maps have digital, color-coded thumbtacks on local businesses and parks that the students have explored with their equipment. They are later able to add audio commentary about what they like and dislike about the areas.

"They are the people that are using the spaces the most often. It's really important what those people using the spaces think about those places," said Patsy Eubanks Owens, an associate professor of landscape and architecture.

"I think what's key about this is you have young people who care enough about their communities to spend every week learning what's out there," said Diane Littlefield, a senior program officer with the Sierra Health Foundation. She continued to say that students are "willing to roll up their sleeves and take action and improve the environment in which they live."

Jessica Rice, a future ninth-grade student at River City High School, recounted a beautification project she took part in, "We planted flowers in front of the preschool, we decorated the benches with decorative rocks and it's really nice."

The Youth Voices for Regional Change is part of a larger crusade called Healthy Youth Healthy Regions program at UC Davis. Jesikah Maria Ross, director of the UC Davis program the Art of Regional Change, said the program poses the question, "How is the impact of how youth perceive their places related to the well-being and prosperity of the region?" She concludes, "By studying this, we can give policy makers some recommendations for change."

The Sierra Health Foundation and the California Endowment are funding this program as part of a policy program. "What we're hoping to do is understand better the conditions that affect young people in terms of their health, economics, environment and education," said Littlefield.

West Sacramento Mayor, Christopher Cabaldon, was also in attendance and he encouraged students, "Make Facebook comments on my page," to further stimulate dialogue on their insights.

The program is funded as part of a two-year study with findings projected to be public in fall of 2010 that will inform grant making and the allocation of resources. Littlefield emphasized, "This is real data, this is research done by young people."

After the two-year study is completed, the students and program advisers hope to continue the spirit of this organization in other neighborhoods, and even nationally. "It kind of might change the social norm by looking to young people for some of the solutions," said Littlefield.

For more information, click the following links:
The Art of Regional Change
Healthy Youth/Healthy Regions