Loyola University Health System was excited to be a part of the first annual Turn Up Your Health Youth Wellness Challenge, which encouraged young people in the Maywood community to make healthy lifestyle choices. The program recently concluded with an awards ceremony for the participating kids and their parents held on May 21, 2014, at St. Eulalia Parish in Maywood.
The program was led by OsCiriah W. Sostan and Armetria N. Humphrey, third-year medical students at Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine and sponsored by the Eternal Light Community Services and Loyola Pediatric Weight Management Program. It was a community outreach project funded by Trinity Health.
The weekly after-school program was held once a week from February through May at Quinn Community Center of the St. Eulalia Parish. The goals included educating and influencing kids to choose a healthy way of living in relationship to food, exercise and self-esteem.
During the awards ceremony all the participating children and teens were lauded for their participation and received a certificate and a gift. Three individuals were acknowledged for their outstanding work during the challenge. Criteria for special recognition included attendance, completing homework and demonstration of healthy behavior. The winners were:
Gold winner: Kiara Floyd, age 12 , $300
Silver winner: Kiera Bentley, age 15, $150
Alexandria Willis, age 13, $75
Loyola is dedicated to improving children's health in communities across the Chicago area. To continue to bring wellness to our neighbors, next year's challenge will be conducted at another site in the community.
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