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Funding from Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust “Healthy Places NC” initiative will focus on improving community health in Halifax County |
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Raleigh, NC – Action for Children North Carolina announced today that it has received a grant for $25,000 from the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for operating funds to provide technical assistance to community-based organizations and stakeholders around the issue of childhood obesity in Halifax County. Action for Children has been working with stakeholders in Halifax County for the last year as part of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust Healthy Places NC initiative. Over the next year, Action for Children will work with community groups to support new and existing efforts around healthy eating and physical activity with the goal of reducing childhood obesity in Halifax County. A specific emphasis will be placed on engaging youth voices in the conversation. “Overweight and obesity is an increasingly important public health issue for North Carolina and the nation,” said Deborah Bryan, President & CEO of Action for Children NC. “Our work so far in Halifax County has shown us that real, measurable results can be achieved by addressing child health issues through a community-driven system change process. We will be working closely with community leaders and advocates to move the needle on childhood obesity in Halifax County.” Healthy Places NC is a new place-based initiative of the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust, aimed at improving the health and overall quality of life for people in rural areas of North Carolina. The goal of the initiative is to have a real impact on major health challenges for the long term. The Trust plans to invest $100 million in 10 to 15 financially disadvantaged, rural North Carolina counties over the next 10 years. Halifax, Beaufort and McDowell counties are the first three counties to be invited to participate. Halifax County is located in the northeastern part of North Carolina, eight miles from the Virginia border. Located in the Roanoke River and Tar-Pamlico River basins, the county encompasses 722 square miles with a population of just over 57,000 people. In 2011, 32.6 percent of the county’s 2- to 4-year-olds were overweight or obese, about a percentage point above the statewide rate of 31.9 percent. The Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust was established in 1947 and is now one of the largest private trusts in North Carolina. Its mission is to improve the quality of life and quality of health for the financially needy of North Carolina. The Health Care Division promotes wellness state-wide by investing in prevention and treatment. The Poor and Needy Division of the Trust responds to basic life needs and invests in solutions that improve the quality of life and health for financially needy residents of Forsyth County. Wells Fargo Bank, N.A. serves as sole trustee. For more information, visit www.kbr.org. |