Woodridge Park District Gets Grant to Fight Childhood Obesity

The Woodridge Park District received a mini-grant of $3,400 from FORWARD (Fighting Obesity to Reach healthy Weight Among Residents of DuPage) to reduce the obesity trend in DuPage County.

The funds, awarded this month, will be used to purchase equipment and provide incentives for a new after-school healthy living program for the Kidz Squad. The estimated impact is 150 children. 

Funding for the grants was provided by Action for Healthy Kids, Cadence Health System, the DCHD and Edward Hospital.

FORWARD awarded 19 mini-grants totaling $65,000 to groups that have identified strategies to create healthier environments within their communities to bring about a reversal of childhood obesity in DuPage County. 

Through a broad-based network of more than 600 committed partners, FORWARD’s goal is to implement changes in all 32 DuPage municipalities by identifying resources, harnessing expertise, promoting education and advancing opportunities for policy, system and environmental change. FORWARD is a public-private partnership with the DCHD as FORWARD’s fiduciary agent.

For additional information on FORWARD, visit www.forwarddupage.org.

—Information provided by the DuPage County Health Department