Checkoff Update - July 2011 « Back

HEADLINES

Happy Meals and Milk – Changes at McDonald’s good for dairy.  Read more...

Chocolate Milk Grants – Eighteen schools receive money. Read more...

Mommy Blogger Shares Story – Dairy Farm Mom Network effort.  Read more... 

DairyMakesSense.com Gets Update  – Back to school featured.  Read more...

Interns Complete Work with Midwest Dairy – Six students contribute to checkoff efforts.  Read more...

Fuel Up to Play 60 – Student Ambassadors attend summit.  Read more...

PROMOTION UPDATES

McDonald’s Adjusts Happy Meals
McDonald’s has announced changes to their popular kids’ meal – the Happy Meal, making them healthier by reducing calories. McDonald’s will automatically include produce or a low-fat dairy option in every Happy Meal, and is also exploring alternatives to apples, such as other produce or low-fat dairy items.  The portion size of French fries will be reduced as well. The dairy checkoff works closely with McDonald’s on menu development and consumer strategies.

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Schools Receive Chocolate Milk Grants
Eighteen high schools in seven Midwest states received grants during Midwest Dairy’s Chocolate Milk Grant Program, helping to increase access to chocolate milk for student athletes.  Grants were competitive, up to $3,000 per school, with a focus on sustainability of the program. Several schools started a healthy grab-and-go snack program that included chocolate milk for all types of student athletes to fuel up before and after games/practices. Some funds were used for coolers or other refrigeration needs so that chocolate milk could be offered as a post-workout beverage for athletes. Many schools added chocolate milk to their vending machines and concessions, and several worked with Fuel Up to Play 60 teams within the school, while others chose to incorporate it into the classroom. Schools can use the Fuel Up to Play 60 program’s Healthy Eating Play and competitive funding process to replicate projects from this grant program.

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FOR YOUR INFORMATION

Mommy Blogger Shares Farm Visit with 19,000
“There are a lot of things I don’t like. Dirt and smelly things are pretty high on that list. So I surprised even myself when I accepted an invitation to visit a dairy farm. I figured it would do myself and my kids a lot of good to step outside the box and experience something new. So we got in the car and drove 115 miles away to Kooistra’s Dairy Farm. Moo.”  Those words are from one of the bloggers offered a farm tour by members of the Dairy Farm Mom Network created by Midwest Dairy.  You can read the entire story:Accidental Mommies: I Got Kissed by a Cow.  And I Liked It.

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Fall Update Made at DairyMakesSense.com
The Back to School refresh for dairymakessense.com is now live! The website serves as a primary way for consumers to reach both midwestdairy.com and fueluptoplay60.com. The updated Home page also features a big chocolate milk glass, making it easy for consumers to access chocolate milk info.

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Interns Complete Stint with Midwest Dairy
Six interns are completing their roles with Midwest Dairy in the coming weeks.  Each has played a key role in a particular region of the organization, and in particular efforts within our programming.  Thanks to Alan Thompson, Marit Harm, Katelyn Orth and Jason Kaare, who all come from Minnesota, and to Megan Snow of Kansas and Ana Schweer of South Dakota.  They were located in offices located in Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, South Dakota and Kansas.  We encourage enthusiastic students to apply for our 2012 internships, which will be posted online this fall at midwestdairycheckoff.com.

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FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 UPDATES

Student Ambassadors Attend Washington, D.C., Event
Midwest Dairy Council sponsored seven passionate student leaders to collaborate on in-school solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic at the inaugural Fuel Up to Play 60 Student Ambassador Leadership Summit, held in Washington, D.C., during July. They included:

• Bailey Aanenson, state representative from West Fargo, N.D.;
• Logan Ahern, state representative from West Fargo, N.D.;
• Hannah McCoy, state representative from Prague, Neb.;
• Katie Osmundson, national student ambassador from Sioux Falls, S.D.;
• James Simon, state representative from Chicago, Ill.;
• Lesley Tenorio, state representative from Waukegan, Ill.; and
• Jordan Turnwall, state representative from Valparaiso, Neb.

The two-day event featured a healthy cooking demonstration by celebrity chef Carla Hall and an NFL fitness session with St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. The Student Ambassadors attended the summit with their teachers, or “Program Advisors,” who help the students make lasting changes in their schools’ health and wellness environments.

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Fuel Up to Play 60 Outreach Continued During Lockout
The NFL and the NFL Players recently agreed to terms related to the collective bargaining agreement, ending a four-month lockout. During this lockout period, the dairy checkoff’s partnership with the NFL and the NFL Players on Fuel Up to Play 60 was “business as usual,” executing 29 player appearances across the country.

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