Announcements

This page is a collection of announcements for grants and opportunities for schools, communities and farmers.  Check back often!

Presidential Proclamation for National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month
On August 31, 2011, the President Barack Obama signed a proclamation (#8702) designating September 2011 as National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.  The proclamation appeared in the Federal Register (76 FR 55207, September 6, 2011).  The text of the presidential proclamation can be found at the following link.

Live Healthy Iowa's new 6-week program 'The Next Step.'  Sept. 8 - Oct 20.  The Next Step invites adult Iowans to join in a friendly competition where teams of two to 10 people track their step count with a pedometer.  The program will run from September 8 - October 20. Posted 9/3/11.

The Iowa Hunger Summit: October 11, 2011  Celebrate our common heritage of humanitarian action at the 2011 Iowa Hunger Summit, the kick-off to our annual World Food Prize events. The fifth annual Iowa Hunger Summit will begin at 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday, October 11, at the Des Moines Marriott Downtown. This year's events will focus on how various policy, educational and relief efforts can help ensure a secure and nutritious food supply for all. A full schedule of the day's event can be found on their website.

Grant:  Healthy School Environments Action Learning Collaborative Award Application, Due Oct 13.
Mini-grant opportunity for innovative school health teams at 5  public schools across the country in low-income and under-served areas to receive $5,000 to help their school meet the USDA's Healthier US Schools Challenge. You can find a link to the RFP here. 

3rd Annual digIN Green Weekend, Sept 16-18, Decorah
You are invited to the Decorah area for a weekend of green fun including digIN activities like sustainable home tours, "yardening" tours, outdoor movie night, educational seminars, hands-on activities, live music, amazing local foods, coffee cupping, local brew tasting and more! Home owners, business owners, and experts, will show you how to bring more "green" into your life and back into your wallet. Visit http://www.digindecorah.com.   Posted 9/3/11.

The MyPlate Makeover Challenge is simple: consumers can upload a snapshot of their plate, showing how they made half of it fruits and veggies, to the Fruits & Veggies-More Matters Facebook page.  They'll then receive a coupon and be automatically entered to randomly win a free weekly $100 grocery gift card.  Posted 9/3/11.

Live Healthy Iowa Kids Fall Fitness Day, October 5
Celebrate International Walk to School Day on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 by taking part in Fall Fitness Day! This is a FREE, one-day event encouraging Iowa schools to engage students in 30 minutes of continuous activity.  All registered schools that report 100% participation are eligible for the drawing to win monetary awards!  Register your school at www.livehealthyiowakids.org.  Posted 9/3/11.

Start Somewhere Walk On October 7, 2011, noon.
The Governor is kicking off the "Healthiest State Initiative" by walking one kilometer together as a state. Wherever you are – work, school, home, church – take about 12 minutes out of your day to go on a quick one kilometer (0.62 miles) walk with friends, family, neighbors or co-workers.

National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day, October 12.
National Take Your Parents to Lunch Day is about communication—talking to your school and to your child to learn about what's going well, and how you can work together to make school food even better.  The event is part of National School Lunch Week (October 10th-14th), which the School Nutrition Association is supporting with the theme "School Lunch: Let's Grow Healthy." A planning toolkit is available at http://www.myhealthyschool.com/.

The Healthy Iowa Conference: Creating a Culture of Wellness, October 20, Des Moines
The Healthy Iowa Conference will motivate, challenge, inspire, excite, energize and connect. We will share new thoughts and ways of thinking that will propel you to greatness–making a mark for you, your company, your community, and the state.  October 20, 2011, Hy-Vee Conference Center, 5820 Westown Parkway, West Des Moines, 8:00 am – 4:30 pm