Harbor Rotary Sponsors "Rethink Your Drink" in February 2013
From the LIFT Levantate Newsletter:
Healthy Smiles. Last month, we hosted TWO Healthy Smiles Family Wellness Festivals in honor of National Children's Oral Health Month. Over 300 children and parents participated in our multilingual events at Albert J. Boro Community Center in the Canal and North Bay Children's Center in Novato. Hosted by Dra. Marisol of Nuestros Niños, Dra. Kadera from the Marin Community Clinics taught parents how proper oral health contributes to overall health and wellness, and Chef Le Cilantro taught kids why it's important to decrease sugary drink consumption. From fun physical activities for kids to healthy taste tests with take-home cookbooks for families, everyone experienced hands-on wellness education! Thank you Oral Health America, American Dental Association, the Dr. Samuel D. Harris Fund and San Rafael Harbor Rotary for your support!
LIFT-Levántate filled the North Bay Children’s Center’s campus with their second Healthy Smiles Family Wellness Festival on the sunny morning of Saturday, February 23rd, 2013. Families gather at this location every Saturday morning to attend a weekly food pantry, and LIFT-Levántate couldn’t resist the perfect opportunity it created for a wellness festival.
The LIFT team brought in speakers to talk with food pantry attendees about how their oral health impacts their family’s overall health and wellness. Speakers included Doctora Marisol from Nuestros Niños Radio Show, Dr. Connie Kadera, a dentist from Marin Community Clinics, and a puppet show by Chef Le Cilantro. All of the presentations were done in Spanish, but translations were available upon request. Many families were shocked by the oral health information. Hardly anybody was aware that flossing is supposed to be done before brushing teeth, but afterward many people were discussing how they will begin practicing this habit. The kids were thoroughly entertained by the puppet show and are hopefully inspired to drink strictly water to quench their thirst.
Another popular activity among the children was Potter the Otter (who likes to drink water!) puppet making, in which children crafted popsicle stick figures of Potter and his animal friends. These animals promote water drinking and the elimination of sodas and other commercial drinks. Kids were also encouraged to draw their favorite fruit, and take part in a fun experiment involving oreo cookies and apple slices. This experiment had the children compare eating an apple slice after an oreo cookie and then observing as the chocolate was wiped clean from their teeth. These lively activities kept the children busy while their parents were informed about key factors in maintaining good oral health by Oscar Guardado and other guest speakers.
The festival was concluded when Abby Smith and Erendira Olivas explained the process of making a healthy hummus recipe from the cookbook provided to each attendee in his/her gift bag. Helpful volunteers brought out individual bowls of hummus, vegetables, and crackers for people to sample the delicious snack. It was enjoyed by everyone remaining; when people finished that snack they headed to the activity tables to load their bowls with grapes and cherry tomatoes. As attendees were heading out they were handed a goody bag containing additional information on the topics discussed at the event as well as a cookbook and more fun stuff pertaining to health. With all of the items acquired at the event, people were leaving with arms full and smiles on their faces.
The children’s activities, physical activities, cooking, and entertaining were facilitated by LIFT-Levantate staff members as well as volunteers. There were many teenage volunteers in attendance, some of which were members of the Amigos Program, which empowers high school students to develop leadership skills through training and community service in Latin America. “The volunteers were really great and flexible. At some point they were asked to assist with the food and boxes at the food pantry, which wasn’t necessarily our event, and they were more than willing. I was very happy with everybody’s attitude,” said Annette Jensen, who coordinated the volunteers.