Palatine Opportunity Center awarded grant to help prevent obesity
Because the data is clear that obesity, physical inactivity and poor nutrition are the biggest risk factors for cancer following tobacco use, the American Cancer Society is initiating a statewide effort to fight back. This month, the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society has awarded 18 youth obesity prevention community grants to nonprofit organizations across the state, including a $9,000 grant to the Palatine Opportunity Center.
The American Cancer Society grant will be used to promote healthy nutrition and physical activity through the Palatine Opportunity Center’s CATCH or Centers for Disease Control-approved Coordinated Approach to Child Health curriculum Kids Club. The POC CATCH Kids proposal has a single goal to increase positive healthy eating decisions by POC youth and their families, which will impact the quality of their lives.
The grant will assist the CATCH Club to include 900 youth and their families, train POC program staff in the use of the CATCH curricula/materials, increase knowledge of obesity-prevention and healthy lifestyles, increase the number of fruits and vegetable consumed by youth participants and increase physical activity level of youth participants. The program will begin in after-school sessions in March and run through summer camp programs ending in August.
Partners that will be strategically involved in the implementation of the CATCH program include: POC, Buehler YMCA, Community Consolidated School District 15, Northwest Community Healthcare and the Palatine Park District.
“Preventing cancer is infinitely better than treating it,” said NWS Regional Leadership Board Chairman Keith Ammons. “Thanks to our local events such as Relay For Life and our generous donors, the American Cancer Society continues to find new ways to make a real difference for everyone in our community, including the children.”
The American Cancer Society’s goal is to relieve future generations of the tremendous burden on individual families and communities caused by a cancer diagnosis. According to the society, obesity has now joined tobacco use as one of the most important risk factors for cancer death, with definite links to various types of cancer, including colorectal, breast, esophageal, kidney, pancreatic, stomach and liver cancer. Individuals who are overweight and/or obese account for approximately 14 percent of all cancer deaths in men and 20 percent of all cancer deaths in women, and contribute to 90,000 cancer deaths each year in the United States.
Studies show that 70 to 80 percent of obese children and adolescents become obese as adults. Since 1980, obesity prevalence among children and adolescents has almost tripled in the United States. Illinois ranks fourth highest in the United States for children ages 10 to 17 who are obese.
“So many serious, chronic diseases are related to obesity, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and asthma,” said Kathy Millin, executive director, Palatine Opportunity Center. “The most effective response is to ensure that children never become overweight or obese; therefore, we must focus on early ages. We are so pleased to partner with the American Cancer Society to address childhood obesity as a means of preventing cancer and other major diseases for future generations.”
The Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society is providing more than $250,000 in anti-obesity community grants to 18 organizations, reaching 18,000 youth and families through early childhood and after school programs throughout the state in 2012.
As part of the American Cancer Society-funded programs, participating organizations will receive staff training, lesson plans and physical activity equipment such as balls, hula hoops and bean bags, to support implementation and expansion of the CATCH curriculum. The equipment will remain with the community organizations so that programs can continue to be implemented in subsequent years.
The American Cancer Society combines an unyielding passion with nearly a century of experience to save lives and end suffering from cancer. As a global grass-roots force with more than 100,000 volunteers in Illinois and millions elsewhere, we fight for every birthday threatened by every cancer in every community. As a result, more than 11 million people in America who have had cancer, and countless more who have avoided it, will be celebrating birthdays this year. To learn more or get help, call any time at (800) 227-2345 or visit cancer.org.