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"Turning the tide in chronic disease requires changes in our communities that support health where we live, learn, work and play," said Janet Collins, Ph.D., director, CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. "These award recipients demonstrate the valuable impact that individuals can make in changing the places, organizations, policies and systems that touch people's lives every day."
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The award recognizes contributions made by individuals in support of CDC's Steps Program, which funds communities across the country to create models for how local initiatives can reduce the burden of chronic diseases. The award winners include a school food service director, American Indian storyteller, retired nurse, physical education teacher, middle school student, graduate student, school administrator, and community activist. The winners were selected from a total of 23 nominations submitted by the 40 Steps-funded communities.
The recipients of the 2008 Steps Community Heroes Award are:
Ray Denniston - Conklin, New York
As the food service director for a local school district, Ray Denniston understands the link between hungry children and low academic performance. To ensure that all children are well fed and ready to learn, Mr. Denniston established a "Back Pack" program to provide nutritious foods to students who would otherwise go hungry. Partnering with a local food bank, the program provides weekly food packs to 60 students after school, on weekends, and during holiday breaks. In addition, Mr. Denniston spearheaded a partnership with local farmers and food distributors to feature locally grown produce on the cafeteria menus of the district's 12 elementary schools, which serve 14,000 students.
Peggy Johns - Largo, Florida
Peggy Johns, a Pinellas County School District administrator, led a successful movement to pass legislation reinstating health education as a state requirement for high school graduation. In 2006, the Florida legislature approved the bill, and the state Department of Education created the Health Opportunities through Physical Education (HOPE) class. Ms. Johns now is working to promote new legislation to strengthen the HOPE class requirement. As the supervisor of the county's wellness policy/administration guidelines, Ms. Johns is also leading a campaign to place a nurse in every Pinellas County school. Ms Johns' advocacy and visionary leadership skills have attracted national recognition to the district's health and wellness programs. Her contributions have been recognized by community and national leaders, including the Governor's Council for Physical Fitness.
Dawn Imler and Kelley Brumfield - Cleveland, Ohio
Physical education teacher Dawn Imler and her seventh-grade student Kelley Brumfield use their passion for exercise to encourage physical activity among Cleveland's young people. In partnership with the Cleveland Steps Program, Ms. Imler, a Buckeye Woodland Elementary School teacher, developed a running program that teaches young people to set and achieve "once unthinkable" physical activity goals as well as increase their self-confidence. The program inspired 13-year-old Kelly, to run a 6.2 mile race in 2008, train for a 13.1-mile half-marathon, and become a peer mentor to other Cleveland students. Because of the Steps Program, today 500 Cleveland young people are training to run 10K races.
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