March 2012 Highlights « Back

Fuel Up to Play 60 in Illinois

We have a new Health and Wellness staff member serving southern Illinois and the St. Louis area.  Laura Frese comes to Midwest Dairy from Hy-Vee in Quincy, where she was the store’s registered dietitian, doing product promotions, nutrition counseling, media and community outreach. She is a nutrition and dietetics graduate of Saint Louis University and completed her dietetic internship at Baylor University Medical Center. We’ll be hosting a welcome luncheon for Laura with several of our board members from her territory in March. 

An article we submitted for a Chicago Public Schools electronic publication addressed how the district is “grading” schools on health and wellness efforts in order to match the Healthy U.S. Schools initiative.  Our article promotes Fuel Up to Play 60 and our funding opportunities, and how they can help the district’s schools improve their health and wellness grade. 

Four Glenbard District 87 (Lombard/Glen Ellyn) high schools have been awarded $17,600 in Midwest Dairy Council dairy optimization funds for an expanded school breakfast program that features a healthy grab-and-go breakfast for students. The schools received funds to make breakfast available to more students in a variety of locations within the schools. The district began offering a grab-and-go breakfast outside of the cafeteria in multiple locations within the four high schools in January. The funds provided by Midwest Dairy will go toward the purchase of carts and other equipment needed for the program.

Lukancic Middle School in Romeoville celebrated Fuel Up to Play 60 success with a visit from Roberto Garza, #63, of the Chicago Bears at an assembly called “Bear Down on Academics and Celebrate Success.” The school won the visit through their involvement with Fuel Up to Play 60 during the last three years.  Their efforts have included a grab-and-go breakfast and most recently, a February “Drink Milk Month” at the school. The student team planned and executed the assembly from start to finish, and were thrilled to have a private meet and greet with Garza, while sipping a variety of milk. Dairy producer Scott Halpin and his son, Ty, spoke just before Garza, talking about their farm and that the milk from it could very well be the milk the students drink at home and at school.

Other Illinois Updates

National Ag Day, March 20, during National Ag Week, is a great time to promote your dairy industry.   This time of year the Ag in the Classroom program often emphasizes the benefits of agriculture.  Please help out with resources and manpower to promote your family’s dairy farm.