On Saturday, Feb. 23, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s Collaborative to Strengthen Families and Neighborhoods will partner with the Junior League of Winston-Salem (JLWS) to host “Kids in the Kitchen” at the Gateway YWCA from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Kids in the Kitchen is an annual education initiative on childhood obesity and nutrition with the goal to raise awareness and help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues. The collaborative will provide access to the teaching kitchen and will work with the Junior League of Winston-Salem to provide hands-on demonstrations for healthy cooking.
Activities during the event include a 'Make a Healthy Snack' session, sampling a dish prepared by a local chef, supervised play/exercise in the basketball gym, and an area with interactive nutrition games. The activities are geared toward third through fifth graders, but all ages are welcome.
"We are pleased that a local organization has chosen a health topic that affects so many children and families," said Joseph Skelton, M.D. a pediatrician and an obesity expert at Brenner Children’s Hospital. “These activities help children learn to choose healthier snacks and give them the opportunity to incorporate physical activity into their day. Both of these factors have been shown to reduce obesity in children.”
The Wake Forest University School of Medicine – YWCA Collaborative to Strengthen Families and Neighborhoods and staff from Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center’s community resource center, called Best Health, has partnered with the JLWS to identify healthy snacks for attendees and also to select the meal items for the chef to prepare on site.
Brenner Children’s Hospital is part of Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center. For more information about the children’s hospital, visit www.brennerchildrens.org or call 716-2255 or 1-800-446-2255.
Media Contact: Junior League Headquarters, 336-722-9681.
About Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center: Wake Forest Baptist is an academic health system comprised of North Carolina Baptist Hospital, Wake Forest University School of Medicine and Brenner Children’s Hospital. It is licensed to operate 1,154 acute care, rehabilitation, psychiatry and long-term care beds and is consistently ranked as one of “America’s Best Hospitals” by U.S. News & World Report.
About the Junior League of Winston-Salem: The Junior League of Winston-Salem, Inc. is an organization of women committed to promoting volunteerism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. Its purpose is exclusively educational and charitable. The Junior League of Winston-Salem, Inc. reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins who demonstrate an interest in and commitment to volunteerism. More information on the Junior League of Winston-Salem can be found at www.jlws.org.
Media Relations
Main Number: news@wakehealth.edu, 336-713-4587