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"Investing
Where Baltimore Lives" |
January 11, 2008 |
Dear
Friends:
This week I joined Councilwoman Agnes Welch to announce the release of the City Council Task Force on Childhood Obesity’s final report. The task force developed recommendations to address this nationwide crisis here in Baltimore. Obesity in kids is now epidemic in the United States, and the task force found that there is an urgent need for action in the City. The number of children who are overweight has doubled in the last two to three decades; currently one child in five is overweight. The increase is in both children and adolescents, and in all age, race and gender groups.
The stakes are high: today, obese children now have diseases like Type 2 diabetes that previously only occurred in adults. And overweight kids tend to become overweight adults, continuing to put them at greater risk for heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke.
The task force’s recommendations include:
- Promotion of healthy food choices and physical activity by improving conditions of neighborhood parks, improving access to healthy food choices in low-income neighborhoods, and developing policies that will support healthy eating among City residents.
- Implementation of “Health Zones” surrounding targeted neighborhood schools to promote best practices by engaging an entire community to be healthier.
- Establishment of nutrition education requirements in schools, renegotiation with food vendors to provide healthier choices to students, and aggressive promotion of those choices by engaging educators, staff, and students.
- Elimination of unhealthy foods from after school sites, promotion of wellness programs and holding those programs to specific performance measures.
- Increased access to government-run nutrition programs and improvement of food provisions in day care centers.
Here are some measures you can take in your own homes to help your children maintain a healthy body weight:
- Be supportive. Children know if they are overweight and don't need to be reminded or singled out. They need acceptance, encouragement and love.
- Set guidelines for the amount of time your children can spend watching television or playing video games.
- Plan family activities that involve exercise. Instead of watching TV, go hiking or biking, wash the car, or walk around a mall. Offer choices and let your children decide.
- Eat meals together as a family and eat at the table, not in front of a television. Eat slowly and enjoy the food.
- Involve your children in meal planning and grocery shopping. This helps them learn and gives them a role in the decision making.
- Keep healthy snacks on hand. Good options include fresh, frozen, or canned fruits and vegetables; low-fat cheese, yogurt or ice cream; frozen fruit juice bars.
The Childhood Obesity Task Force will hold an informational hearing on its findings on Wednesday, January 16, at 5 pm in the City Council chamber. I urge the public to read the report and attend this hearing. It is vital that we recognize the role we all play – as parents, teachers, mentors, and role models – in ending the epidemic of childhood obesity.
Stephanie
Rawlings-Blake
President, Baltimore City Council
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Each
week in the President's
SchoolSpot,
Council President Stephanie
Rawlings-Blake highlights the outstanding
accomplishments of Baltimore City Schools students
and staff. |
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12th Annual Basketball Academy Kicks Off at Morgan State
 The 12th Annual Basketball Academy is taking place January 10-12, 2008 at Morgan State University. The Academy is made possible by a collaborative partnership between the Baltimore City Public School System, the 100 Black Men of Maryland, Inc., and the Baltimore Metropolitan Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Baltimore City schools participating include: Lake Clifton, Dunbar, Mervo, Walbrook and City College. The Academy is dedicated to enriching the lives of young people and increasing the opportunities of inner-city youth in and around Baltimore. They provide educational programs that stimulate the mind and athletic programs that showcase and enhance the skill. Their objective is to encourage young people through sports, education, mentoring, developmental programs and by example. To date, more than 6,500 students have participated in the Academy and approximately $62,000 in scholarships has been awarded to area students.
Game Schedule
Major Facelifts Underway For Two BCPSS Schools
Next year, two Baltimore City high schools will have a new look, thanks to major renovation projects. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School for Health Professions #414 is currently undergoing a $27 million dollar renovation scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2009. When it’s finished, the East Baltimore school will have a new academic wing, a new entrance on Orleans Street and ADA upgrades to the auditorium. Dunbar is a citywide college preparatory, community high school that offers rigorous science and math courses for interests in health professions, such as biotechnology, robotics, and emergency medical technician.
Renovations are also in motion at Carver Vocational Technical High School #454 in West Baltimore. Last month, the demolition of a temporary wall at the school signaled the start of the next phase of a $44 million renovation project. The project, set to be finished in the fall of 2009, will transform Carver into a fully modernized, state-of-the-art facility with classroom, office, pool and gym renovations, architectural, electrical and HVAC upgrades and a new roof. Carver is a joint college preparatory high school and career-technology education center offering studies such as Cosmetology; Early Childhood Education/Child Care and Food and Beverage Management.
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Have
an exciting news item on achievements
in
Baltimore City Public Schools?
Let us
know so that we can feature them in the President's
SchoolSpot. Call Council President
Rawlings-Blake's office at 410-396-4804 or send an
e-mail to Marva Williams at
mwilliams@baltimorecitycouncil.com. | | |
City
Council This Week
The City Council has recessed until January 28, 2008.
Saturday, January 12
Workshop: Small Office Home Office Loan (SOHO)
Small Business Resource Center, Johns Hopkins @Eastern Campus, 1101 E. 33rd St., Suite C307
Do you need a business loan between $5,000 and 50,000? Do you operate a retail service, or home-based business? Participate in the SOHO Loan Workshop: No business plan collateral or financials needed. Call 443-451-7160 to register. Details at www.sbrcbaltimore.com
Sunday, January 13
Enoch Pratt Library’s Annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Lecture Presented by Rev. Tim Tooten of WBAL-TV11, Wheeler Auditorium, Central Library, 400 Cathedral St., 2pm. 410-396-5430.
Wednesday, January 16
PUBLIC MEETING: Report of Blue Ribbon Committee on Taxes and Fees
Jan. 16, 7pm, Poly-Western High School auditorium, Cold Spring Lane and Falls Road.
Read the Committee's Report
Upcoming/Ongoing
Find out more about TransForm Baltimore: The Zoning Code
Learn how you and your community can stay involved to help craft a vision for the future development of Baltimore City. TransForm Baltimore Community Open Houses are:
Jan. 30 Edmondson High School, 4501 Edmondson Ave., 6pm-8pm;
Feb. 13 Dept. of Planning, 417 E. Fayette St., 8th floor, 12pm- 1:30pm
Feb. 26 Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, 1400 W. Coldspring Lane, 6pm-8pm.
For more information, call 410-396-PLAN or plan@baltimorecity.gov.
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Baltimore Healthcare Access, Inc. is announcing a new initiative to protect the health and well-being of city residents. Through this initiative, city residents can call 311 for screening and referral to a range of health insurance programs and low-cost healthcare options. www.bhca.org
Baltimore Launches "The Eyes Have It" Program in conjunction with National Glaucoma Awareness Month. The Baltimore City Health Department, The Polakoff Foundation join together to fight glaucoma in Baltimore by providing glaucoma screenings and education. First free screening on Jan. 28 at 4:30 pm at Krieger Eye Institute of Sinai Hospital. www.fightglaucoma.org or call 410-601-7295.
Comcast Neighborhood Grant Program. Does your neighborhood want to produce a special event? If so, you can apply for a cash grant to offset expenses. It’s the For specifics and workshop information, call 410-752-8632 or visit www.promotionandarts.com
QuestFest, a two-week festival celebrating visual theatre. QuestFest features groundbreaking work from exceptional performers and companies dedicated to the use of movement, gesture, and digital media to tell stories. Jan. 14-27, Performances held at Towson University, Baltimore Theatre Project, Creative Alliance at the Patterson, and Round House Theatre in Silver Spring. www.questfest.org 410-539-3091.
Caregiver's Conference for family caregivers of older adults sponsored by the Baltimore City Commission on Aging and Retirement Education (CARE), January 26, Forum Caterers, 4210 Primrose Ave. Free admission and lunch will be provided. Pre-registration by January 18 is required. For more information and to register, please call 410-396-1337
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Parade, Jan. 21, 12pm, steps off at MLK Boulevard and Eutaw Street, and travels south on MLK Boulevard. 410-752-8632.
Free Health Screenings in Honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. January 21, 9:30am-2pm, Kaiser Permanente City Plaza Medical Center, 10 Hopkins Plaza. Kaiser Permanente, Baltimore Healthcare Access, and the Baltimore City Health Department are teaming up to honor Martin Luther King's legacy by providing a day of free health care and assessments for uninsured families. Primary care physicians will be available for free medical assessments. In order to participate, patients must be uninsured residents of Baltimore City. 443-451-4059
Business Volunteers Unlimited (BVU) Maryland’s Do Something Series on Civic Engagement and Volunteerism, Jan. 21 Noon-2:30pm, Frederick Douglass Isaac Myers Maritime Museum, 1417 Thames St., Lunch provided. You must pre-register, 410-366-6030, ext. 115 or Naomi@volunteercentral.net.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo, January 23, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.
20th Annual Black History Month Booklovers, Jan. 26, featuring John Edgar Wideman, Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel, 700 Aliceanna St., Advance Registration only, $35. www.prattlibrary.org
The Guardian Angels is recruiting new members. Recruits must be 16 and older. The three-month training includes classes in conflict resolution, defensive martial arts, first aid and a law class. Call 410-353-9472.
Baltimore Winter Restaurant Week: Jan. 28-Feb. 3
It was a hit in the Summer of '06. It was an even bigger hit in the Summer of '07. Now the culinary extravaganza that is Baltimore Restaurant Week is about to make its Winter debut, January 28 through February 3, 2008. Enjoy specially selected three-course dinner menus for just $30.08. Some restaurants also offer a three-course lunch for $20.08. www.baltimorerestaurantweek.com
Port Discovery Children's Museum: Five Friends from
Japan!
October 13, 2007 - February 3, 2008, Port
Discovery Children's Museum, 35 Market Place. No passport? No
problem! Meet five special friends from Japan and learn about
their similarities to and differences from you!
13th Annual Black Heritage Art Show, Feb. 15-17, Baltimore Convention Center, 410-340-7089.
Money Power Day '08
Feb. 16, 10am-3pm, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute, 1400 W. Cold Spring Lane.
Money Power Day is a FREE annual event providing Baltimore City residents and workers with quality financial services like free tax preparation,
free credit report, customized financial planning, housing counseling, credit counseling. Find out more and register at www.moneypowerday.org
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