Riverbend Elementary School has been awarded a $5,000 Georgia Shape school health grant. Georgia Shape, Governor Nathan Deal’s Childhood Obesity Initiative, recently announced grants to 26 schools, totaling $116,000 for the 2017-2018 school year. (Riverbend is the only school in Hall County to receive a Shape grant for 2017-18.)
Grantees are awarded a $3,000 core grant to focus on nutrition or a $5,000 enhanced grant, which provides funding for both nutrition and physical activity programs. The funding is intended to empower schools to implement activities that promote lifelong healthy behaviors, many of which combat obesity and mitigate other chronic diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure.
With its $5,000 award, Riverbend Elementary School will support nutrition and physical activity initiatives to include: improving physical activity during recess with the purchase of new playground equipment, engaging school nutrition staff in providing nutrition education to students/families/staff; and launching a school garden-to-table initiative.
