Bon Secours Teams Up to Teach Good Nutrition

Girls today receive so many mixed messages about food and their bodies. Bon Secours community dietitians and the YMCA have united to offer the right information through GirlForce, an eight-week wellness program for 7- to 12-year-old girls.

Bon Secours community dietitians Rachel Bulifant and Sarah Gajewski are teaching life-long lessons about healthy eating. About 180 Richmond girls are expected to participate.

Bulifant and Gajewski are working with the YMCA and Fingers and Forks, a locally owned children’s cooking and nutrition school, to develop healthy eating classes to supplement the GirlForce curriculum. Bon Secours Richmond Health Care Foundation obtained a $150,000 grant from the Humana Foundation to support this work.

They are teaching girls about where their food comes from, cooking healthy meals and even growing their own food.

“This supports our mission and our efforts to touch people’s lives through education and hands-on learning,” said Bulifant. “Teaching healthy eating habits and getting girls excited about nutrition goes right to the heart of addressing childhood obesity, a problem in our community.”

“The classes empower the girls to make a difference for their families,” said Nan Brennan, the YMCA’s Childcare Director.

“This program does not just impact the child, it is impacting the whole family,” said Brennan. “Many of these young ladies really need the education and are taking these lessons home and changing the way their families eat.”

Healthy Kids’ Day/Bon Secours Walk

On April 9 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., this free event will feature pony rides, rock climbing, Zumba classes, healthy snack stations, obstacle courses and much more. Our own sports medicine doctors will be on hand in the Coaches’ Corner to discuss sports-injury questions, concerns and nutrition information.

The one-mile walk will begin at 1 p.m. at each location. All ages are welcome, and those who prefer can run. For more information, contact Lucie Ferguson at 804-545-1930.

Event Locations

• Chester Family YMCA, 3011 W. Hundred Road, Chester
• Midlothian Family YMCA, 737 Coalfield Road, Midlothian
• North Richmond YMCA Community Center, 4207 Old Brook Road, Richmond
• Shady Grove Family YMCA, 11255 Nuckols Road, Glen Allen

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