ATHENS, W.Va. – Concord College stresses the importance of community service by partnering with service organizations like Colin Powell’s America’s Promise. America’s Promise helps young people by providing mentors, developing after-school programs, and linking those in need with helping hands. In this area, America’s Promise serves Mercer, Summers, Monroe, and McDowell Counties in West Virginia and Tazewell County, Virginia. The college recently received a grant of $10,000 through America’s Promise to continue helping those in need in southern West Virginia.
Smith Kline Beecham, a pharmaceutical company, invested in the America’s Promise Initiative to help America’s youth by supporting communities who have a commitment to helping children.
Smith Kline Beecham gave $10,000 to every one of those communities – about 60 nationwide – for projects to improve the health of the children in their community. The grant for $10,000 will be used for implementing two programs in this area: The Healthy Start/Healthy Future project and The Healthy Hearts module.
The Healthy Start/Healthy Future project will benefit children by helping with free health insurance, allowing them the benefits of insurance many do not currently have including wellness visits, immunizations, hospital coverage, etc. This will improve the quality of life for many families who are struggling to raise healthy children.
The web based Healthy Hearts instructional module for children will help them learn how to live healthier lives by teaching children about nutrition, tobacco use, and physical activity. The goal of the program is to make the students understand that by making better lifestyle choices, they will live longer, healthier, more productive lives. Concord College’s Dr. Eloise Elliott, department chairperson of health and physical education, developed the initial Healthy Hearts program in 1997.
“Over 50% of West Virginians will die prematurely by heart disease. This is 100% preventable. I will use the funds to redevelop and redesign the current online module to help educate fifth grade children about cardiovascular diseases. I’m excited to work with the fifth grade classrooms in our area.”
Eloise Elliott
For more information about this program, contact Dr. Eloise Elliott at 1-304-384-5345/5155, or e-mail elelliot@concord.edu.
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Concord College Notes: The Communication Arts Department produces the College’s student newspaper, radio programming and television programming. The department also produces theatrical and musical productions. It is organized similar to today’s modern corporation with the students completing projects under both student and faculty supervision. This gives students real-world experience that focuses on accountability and responsibility.
Naomi Koyano, a student in Concord College’s Communication Arts Department wrote this press release. She is working as a student intern in the office of development at Concord College this summer. Her hometown is Tokyo, Japan. She is majoring in Communication Broadcasting. Her anticipated graduation date is August, 2000.