A Letter from the President of the Mendez
Foundation
Over the past several years, I, like
many others, have become painfully aware of the increasing practice
of children and adults making unhealthy and harmful lifestyle choices
specifically related to food. While the choices themselves are troubling,
the results of these choices are alarming, as we witness a steady
increase in diabetes, obesity and other diseases directly linked
to unhealthy lifestyle and food choices. And while the level of
awareness of this epidemic is at the forefront of popular conversation,
I believe we as a nation have yet to adequately address the underlying
problem. Typically we accept quick-fix solutions and avoid asking
ourselves the tough questions that require close examination of
commonly accepted beliefs. It is my experience that band-aid solutions
rarely work, while proven educational practices do. In this case,
I am speaking of whole foods nutrition education. Simply stated,
we have lost our connection to food – how it’s grown,
where it’s grown, how we eat it and why we eat it. We are
disconnected from food at its source. Coupled with the fact that
our understanding of food and its paramount importance to health
and well being has been replaced by the lures of convenience and
attractive packaging – it is no wonder we are in the midst
of a food driven health crisis.
I believe it is time for a course
correction. It is time for kids to know where spinach comes from
and why they are eating it. With that end in mind, the Mendez Foundation
of Tampa, Florida, an established leader in prevention and wellness
education, has launched Seeds of Nutrition Atlanta at the Ron Clark
Academy, a comprehensive whole foods nutrition education initiative
committed to positively shaping our children’s relationship
to food.
Doing good work for the health and
well being of our children is nothing new for the Mendez Foundation.
We began our prevention education in partnership with the Hillsborough
County Public Schools in Tampa in the late seventies. We recognized
the need for an all-encompassing drug prevention program to support
the important drug-free message being delivered at the time. We
responded by developing and implementing a sixth grade program,
which quickly expanded into a complete kindergarten through high
school curriculum. Our initial efforts in drug prevention education
addressed the growing drug problem among our youth with sound educational
practices - practical life skills instruction that emphasized goal
setting and decision making skills, combined with factual information
about drugs and the long-term effects of their use. Thirty years
on, the award winning Too Good Programs continue to be taught in
the Hillsborough County Public Schools by the Mendez Foundation’s
staff of Prevention Specialists.
Successful drug prevention education
was followed by successful violence prevention education. Our research-based
and evidence-based Kindergarten through High School Too Good Programs
have been teaching kids they are too good for drugs and violence
for more than 28 years. Over 3000 school districts throughout the
United States have chosen Too Good for Drugs K-12, Too Good for
Violence K-12 and the Too Good for Drugs and Violence After-School
Programs. These K-12 Too Good Programs have been “proven effective”
through rigorous third-party evaluations and designated as “model
programs” by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services
Administration (SAMHSA).
The Mendez Foundation’s most
recent commitment to growing happy, healthy kids became a reality
this past September as the Ron Clark Academy’s 5th and 6th
graders experienced cafeteria food like never before. With a professional
chef, an organic gardener and a team of experienced curriculum developers
and educators, Seeds of Nutrition Atlanta has a vision for shaping
children’s relationship to nutritious food that goes beyond
the lunchroom. It includes an on-site organic garden where Joe Reynolds,
Seeds of Nutrition Gardener, will teach students to prepare beds,
plant seeds, tend crops and harvest produce. A student-run Farmer’s
Market will give the students entrepreneurial skills as well as
provide the school’s inner-city neighborhood with fresh, seasonal,
organic fruits, vegetables and herbs. The students will take much
of the garden’s harvest to the on-site teaching kitchen, where
in addition to daily food prep, they will join Seeds of Nutrition
Chef and Program Manager, Seth Freedman, in creating seasonal recipes,
planning nutritional menus, and of course, eating. To further enrich
the teaching kitchen experience, special menus will be created to
honor world cultures and celebrations.
The researched based after-school
program and cross-curriculum infusion lessons overseen by Pam Muller,
Seeds of Nutrition Project Coordinator, are creative and hands-on,
complimenting the innovative teaching style of Ron Clark and his
talented teaching staff. Nichole Lupo, Seeds of Nutrition Education
Coordinator will take the whole foods nutrition curriculum beyond
the students to the Ron Clark Academy staff, students’ families
and the community, in addition to teaching the lessons on-site.
Because of the integrated nature of the garden – kitchen –
classroom model, the potential for experiential learning in the
Seeds of Nutrition Atlanta comprehensive program is limitless. This
multiple exposure model, to nutritious foods, has been demonstrated
to have the greatest knowledge gains among students. Kids are not
only fed the right foods, they are excited and inspired to participate
in their own nutritional choices that ultimately affect their health
and well being. As the program grows, so will our nationwide classroom.
We plan to make the Seeds of Nutrition Programs available to schools
across the country in the near future.
I speak for the entire staff of the
Mendez Foundation when I say we love our work. Helping our children
develop and nurture the skills necessary to live healthy and happy
lives gives us pleasure and purpose.
As we are continually striving to
do more to improve the lives of our children and their families,
I invite you to share your thoughts and ideas with us.
Live well,
Charles E. Mendez, Jr.
President
C.E. Mendez Foundation, Inc.
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