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Project Details

Contributed by: Marcie Weinstein

Partners in Academic and Life Success (PALS) Program

Towson University has a strong mission of civic engagement and community partnerships. Its “Partners in Academic and Life Success” (PALS) Youth Empowerment Program began in 2009 as a collaboration with the Cherry Hill community of Baltimore city. Cherry Hill is an impoverished neighborhood of about 7,600 residents, with high rates of obesity and chronic diseases. Funded by a federal grant from the DHHS Office of Minority Health, the PALS Program promotes healthy lifestyles of Cherry Hill youth through fitness and nutrition programming. The goal of the PALS Program is to provide an integrated program of activities, experiences, and opportunities for growth to a cohort of 30 6th – 7th grade students in Cherry Hill, in order to encourage and reinforce healthy life choices, and to build resiliency against the development of unhealthy and harmful behaviors, as elementary school students transition into middle school. Overall the program seeks to provide participants with: 1) opportunities to learn and embrace healthy behaviors and lifestyles; 2) access to school-based and afterschool activities emphasizing physical fitness 3) Exposure to a wide sample exercise and fitness activities 4) Information and encouragement to adopt health eating habits reflecting current nutrition education.

Project Timeframe:

Categories:
Educational Outreach, Health & Wellness, Mentoring & Youth

Audience/Participants:
Business, Families, General Community, TU Faculty/Staff, Retirees, TU Students, Alumni

Contact Information
Dr. Marcie Weinstein
Principal Investigator, PALS program, Associate Dean, College of Health Professions

mweinstein@towson.edu
Other TU Collaborators:
Dr. Beth Merryman, Dr. Jill Bush

Location Description:
Two schools in the Cherry Hill community and Towson University


Phone: 877-TU-Link-4U or 410-704-2678
Fax: 410-704-2152
E-mail: TUintheCommunity@towson.edu

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Last Updated: Wednesday March 31, 2010