AdventHealth for Children Healthy Weight and Wellness Program Receives Grant from Orlando Magic Youth Foundation

The Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF) generously awarded a $55,000 grant to AdventHealth for Children’s Healthy Weight and Wellness program (HWW), benefiting underserved children and their families in the Orlando community.

This grant will remove financial barriers and provide 80 underserved children and families with a comprehensive education and treatment program promoting healthy weight, obesity-related morbidity prevention, and a healthier lifestyle.

The program’s medical director, Angela Fals, MD, was honored to receive this grant, “We are delighted to hear of OMYF’s continued support for our families! One of the most exciting parts of this grant includes the ability to offer the families a Care Coordinator who will help them navigate through a potentially complex and often time-consuming health care delivery process. We are walking this journey more closely with our families, unraveling any confusing process or step while increasing support and educational opportunities in nutrition, cooking, and wellness.”

Because of this grant, 80 more families will be able to participate in program benefits such as:

• Family healthy cooking and gardening workshops which provide hands-on experience in growing and preparing foods virtually or in person through the Edible Education Experience (EEE) at the Emeril Lagasse Foundation Kitchen House and Culinary Garden.
• Health coaching for children, which encompasses food intake journals, weekly messages, and 1:1 phone calls with health educators that are motivational and informative.
• Teen support groups led by a social worker who will provide a safe place for teens to have positive peer influence, build confidence, improve communication skills, and decrease social isolation.
• Care coordination to help connect participants to the services needed to be successful in their specific health and weight management goals.
• Financial assistance to purchase clothing and small exercise devices, incentives to motivate participants, and some support for urgent basic needs.

The benefits provided by this grant empower underserved children and families in Central Florida to adopt healthy lifestyles that improve their overall mental and physical wellbeing.

We are beyond grateful for Orlando Magic Youth Foundation’s continued generosity and partnership in this program, allowing us to serve children and families in Central Florida.

About the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF):

The Orlando Magic’s charitable arm, the Orlando Magic Youth Foundation (OMYF), is committed to helping children in Central Florida realize their full potential, especially those most at-risk, by supporting nonprofit organizations offering youth-based programs in the areas of education, housing/homelessness, the arts, and health programs focused on preventing childhood obesity. The OMYF raises community dollars annually through donations, auctions, and events such as the OMYF Open Golf Tournament and the Orlando Wine Festival & Auction. Over the past 33 years, more than $28 million has been distributed to local nonprofit community organizations through the OMYF.

About AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida:

AdventHealth Foundation Central Florida is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit that directly supports the AdventHealth Central Florida Division, which is made up of more than 20 hospitals and ERs in the six counties in and surrounding metro Orlando. As one of the largest faith-based health care systems in the United States, AdventHealth provides comprehensive whole-person care to 3.5 million patient visits annually.

The organization has a deep commitment to serving the community and has a local financial impact of more than $1 billion annually. AdventHealth and its employees are responsible for nearly 20 percent of Central Florida’s economy.

AdventHealth Orlando has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Leapfrog Group.