Snowball Effect - And the Gold Goes to…
Congratulations to these Hancock and Washington County Winter Kids Competing Schools on their prize winnings:
Perry Elementary School ($1,000)
Cherryfield Elementary School ($750)
East Range II School ($750)
Charles M. Sumner Learning Campus ($500)
Healthy Acadia’s Let’s Go! Downeast initiative was thrilled to partner with WinterKids for the 2023 WinterKids Winter Games - four weeks of fun, active, outdoor learning opportunities for elementary school students across Maine and beyond. Community members were invited to local libraries across Hancock County to participate in Winter Kids Snowshoe Storybook Walks hosted by Healthy Acadia.
This year, more than 2,600 children from 16 schools participated in the Competitive Track vying for the gold medal and a cash prize of $5,000. Another 5,800 Maine children joined in WinterKids’ non-competitive Play-Along Track, enjoying the health benefits and outdoor physical activity and exploring healthy lifestyle habits.
WinterKids is the only nonprofit organization in the State of Maine that is dedicated exclusively to increasing outdoor physical activity in children and families during our longest, most sedentary season. WinterKids began in 1997 as part of the Ski Maine Association with a Learn to Ski program for fifth graders. With the increasing rates of childhood obesity and the downward trend in physical fitness in Maine and across the country, there was an opportunity to help children and families enjoy healthy and fun outdoor winter lifestyles while nurturing a connection to the natural environment - at home, at school, and in the communities in which they live. WinterKids continues to develop and expand innovative health education programs for kids in the winter and year-round. Learn more about Winter Kids here.
Launched in 2006, Let’s Go! is a MaineHealth obesity prevention initiative for children and adults that focuses on healthy eating and active living.
MaineHealth collaborates with Healthy Acadia and community partners across Maine and in Carroll County, New Hampshire to display healthy messaging and create environments that support healthy choices where people live, learn, work, and play. Evidence-based strategies are used to promote policy, systems, and environmental changes that facilitate healthy eating and active living (HEAL) in early care and education programs, schools, out-of-school programs, and healthcare practices. Click here to learn more about Let’s Go! or contact Sandy Fortin at Sandy.Fortin@HealthyAcadia.org.