New Opportunities has started a new outreach initiative through area schools’ summer lunch programs to encourage kids to pick up healthy habits. New Opportunities Health Services offers a wide range of wellness-related programming targeted toward the younger population, but many people are not aware of the resources available to them. I-Smile Coordinator, Amy Hunziker, says they put together over 2,000 goodie bags to be distributed to kids as part of the effort.
Every child signed up for a summer meal program in Audubon or Carroll County will be receiving one of the bags. According to Hunziker, New Opportunities staff has already visited the Fairview program site, but they will be heading to Kuemper, Coon Rapids-Bayard, Audubon and IKM-Manning in the coming weeks. Depending on supplies, they are hoping to reach into Guthrie County as well. Health Services Director, Paula Klocke, says their goal is to expand their programming to older children.
New Opportunities serves as the main contact for many of the state’s health initiatives, including: Child and Adolescent Health; Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention; Hawk-I; I-Smile; Family Planning; Lead Poisoning Prevention; Maternal Health; Women, Infants and Children (WIC); and many more. For more information on the services provided through New Opportunities, follow the link included below.
_____
