FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 14, 2007
DIVA Inc. program selected for All-Health Team
COLUMBIA – DIVA Inc. has been selected as an All-Health Team winner for its DIVAS Healthy Lifestyle Project, which promotes healthy lifestyle skills to young women, the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control announced today.
“Community leaders facilitate sessions, which include physical activity and proper nutrition during after-school sessions and summer camps,” said Monika Carey-Green, DIVA executive director. “We offer peer education training for the ‘Teen Diva.’ After the student completes 40 hours of training she can become a youth facilitator able to conduct sessions for her peers.”
According to Carey-Green, members distribute health literature and display posters promoting what they have learned about living a healthy life.
“To promote healthy eating, they distribute nutritious snacks at events,” Carey-Green said. “To promote the fun of exercise, they perform dance routines and encourage audience participation.”
Carey-Green said the Richland County-based DIVAS Healthy Lifestyle Project makes a positive impact on teens’ self-image as well as their health by helping teens learn how to develop and maintain a healthy lifestyle that includes fitness and wellness.
“One of the participants struggled with weight control,” Carey-Green said. “She used information DIVAS, Inc. provided about physical activity and nutrition to achieve her weight loss goals in a healthful way.”
For being named to the All-Health Team, the DIVA Inc. program will receive $500, t-shirts and other All-Health items, recognition on the All-Health Team Web site and a television spot on WIS-TV.
DHEC and WIS-TV sponsor the All-Health Team. Each month, the partnership recognizes an individual or youth group promoting health in their community. For more information, visit the All-Health Team Web site at: http://www.scdhec.gov/allhealth, call Joann Minder at (803) 545-4501, or e-mail minderjm@dhec.sc.gov.
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For more information:
Adam Myrick – (803) 898-3884
E-mail – myrickar@dhec.sc.gov
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