The Education Fund Receives $100K Sapphire Award for Community Health Excellence from the Florida Blue Foundation
The Education Fund won the prestigious 2009 Sapphire Award along with $100,000 from the Florida Blue Foundation 解决迈阿密-戴德县的健康差距问题.
Recognized for its Plant A Thousand Gardens 合作营养倡议(现在称为立博中文版我们的时事通讯食物森林)， 立博中文版是两个被选为最高荣誉的非营利组织之一, at that time, the sole Miami-Dade County recipient of the Sapphire statewide award that recognizes nonprofit organizations for demonstrating excellence in addressing health disparities within their communities.
The Education Fund's seed-to-table schoolyard edible garden program was created in 2007 to counter the alarming rate of childhood obesity, diabetes, 以及由于迈阿密戴德高危青少年营养知识和饮食习惯不佳而导致的其他疾病. Students plant, maintain, and harvest vegetable gardens, 在学年期间，将花园的课程与多学科课堂练习联系起来. 家长们参与种植和参加准备健康膳食的讲习班.
Positive data from Food Forests for Schools (FFS) participants (CNI at the time) showed an 80% increase in children who reported eating vegetables with lunch and that 88% of parents were preparing healthier foods. FFS已经扩展到51所迈阿密-戴德县公立立博中文版我们的时事通讯, 16 of which are Food Forests with edible landscapes that grow produce for use in cafeteria meals and to send home to parents.
立博中文版于2009年获得佛罗里达蓝色基金会颁发的蓝宝石奖.
“这个项目是社区合作的典范, involving key stakeholders—educators, parents, students, chefs, gardeners, community wellness advocates, etc.—in an effort to teach students, and subsequently families, the importance of a nutritious lifestyle,” the committee wrote.
“有了这个令人难以置信的确认，我们走在正确的轨道上, we are one step closer to ensuring that every school has an edible garden and every child has improved health and eating habits for a lifetime,” said Linda Lecht, president of The Education Fund.
Since 1985, 立博中文版已经为迈阿密戴德县的公立立博中文版我们的时事通讯筹集了5100多万美元. We design, shape, and implement initiatives that involve the private sector in improving our schools and bringing excellence to public education. Funding has subsidized more than 4,550个课堂项目通过个人资助, provided more than 10,000台翻新电脑送给学生和家长, 并通过许多其他项目和倡议支持教师和学生.
Florida Blue Foundation is a separate, 佛罗里达蓝(原佛罗里达蓝十字和蓝盾)的慈善附属机构. 佛罗里达蓝色基金会资助的项目是由社区运作的, nonprofit organizations in Florida that serve the health care needs of uninsured and underserved individuals.
