Collene Camill works as a volunteer for the Petaluma Loves Active Youth (PLAY) program at the Petaluma Health Center. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)
Volunteer helps teach kids to eat right, have healthy lifestyle
By LORI A. CARTER THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Children may crinkle their noses at “healthy foods,” but when asked what’s their favorite fruit or vegetable is, they might well say carrot sticks or apple slices.
“We remind them they do like vegetables and healthy things,” said Collene Camill, a volunteer for the Petaluma Health Center’s PLAY program for overweight kids. “We try to teach them the reason why they want to eat healthy. Something like that can be a healthy alternative to a bag of chips.”
PLAY, which stands for Petaluma Loves Active Youth, is a program of the health center where children and their families are directed if a pediatric patient is overweight or obese.
Kyla Simpson, a physician’s assistant and the health center’s pediatric wellness coordinator, runs the PLAY program and Camill is one of the longtime volunteer leaders.
Many of the health center’s patients are low income and often those households aren’t getting the messages about healthy eating — or find it difficult to buy and prepare healthy food on a tight budget, Simpson said.
A 2009 California Health Interview Survey showed that more than a third of low-income Sonoma County children ages 2 to 11 and almost half of all low-income teens ages 12 to 19 are overweight or obese. The same study showed that 70 percent of low-income adults reported being overweight or obese, compared with 59 percent of other adults.
In weekly PLAY classes, parents and children learn about healthy food choices, food preparation and exercise.
The education portion of the program covers six main topics: portion size, healthy snacking, the importance of breakfast, family meals, the inclusion of fruits and vegetables and healthy beverages. Half of the hourlong class involves movement — which can be yoga, sit-ups or even hip-hop dancing.
“We also touch on the importance of sleep, because that’s a really important part of general health,” Simpson said.
As a volunteer, Camill, 23, is gaining valuable experience toward her career goal. The Petaluma native earned a degree in human biology from UC San Diego and wants to be a physician’s assistant like Simpson.
In the past year, Camill has learned about various insurance and assistance programs in addition to figuring out how to communicate with children, preteens and adults about their health needs.
“We talk about healthy options . . . good options and what to try to avoid,” she said. “Just eating breakfast is important, even if you’re in a rush. We have them try to make goals of eating healthier. Instead of eating an unhealthy cereal for breakfast, how about oatmeal?”
Simpson said PLAY organizers are hoping to find another sponsor for a fresh food program after a Kaiser mini-grant expired. That grant paid for fresh fruits and vegetables grown by Petaluma Bounty and donated to PLAY participants.
Using such examples of fresh produce, PLAY leaders conduct demonstrations showing how healthy and tasty meals can be made from the items.
“I enjoy seeing the kids’ progress,” Camill said. “You get them for six weeks at a time . . . It’s really rewarding to see how much they learn. It’s also good seeing them enjoy the exercise as fun rather than work.”
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.
Love your veggies
Collene Camill works as a volunteer for the Petaluma Loves Active Youth (PLAY) program at the Petaluma Health Center. (Crista Jeremiason / PD)
Volunteer helps teach kids to eat right, have healthy lifestyle
By LORI A. CARTER
THE PRESS DEMOCRAT
Children may crinkle their noses at “healthy foods,” but when asked what’s their favorite fruit or vegetable is, they might well say carrot sticks or apple slices.
“We remind them they do like vegetables and healthy things,” said Collene Camill, a volunteer for the Petaluma Health Center’s PLAY program for overweight kids. “We try to teach them the reason why they want to eat healthy. Something like that can be a healthy alternative to a bag of chips.”
PLAY, which stands for Petaluma Loves Active Youth, is a program of the health center where children and their families are directed if a pediatric patient is overweight or obese.
Kyla Simpson, a physician’s assistant and the health center’s pediatric wellness coordinator, runs the PLAY program and Camill is one of the longtime volunteer leaders.
Many of the health center’s patients are low income and often those households aren’t getting the messages about healthy eating — or find it difficult to buy and prepare healthy food on a tight budget, Simpson said.
A 2009 California Health Interview Survey showed that more than a third of low-income Sonoma County children ages 2 to 11 and almost half of all low-income teens ages 12 to 19 are overweight or obese. The same study showed that 70 percent of low-income adults reported being overweight or obese, compared with 59 percent of other adults.
In weekly PLAY classes, parents and children learn about healthy food choices, food preparation and exercise.
The education portion of the program covers six main topics: portion size, healthy snacking, the importance of breakfast, family meals, the inclusion of fruits and vegetables and healthy beverages. Half of the hourlong class involves movement — which can be yoga, sit-ups or even hip-hop dancing.
“We also touch on the importance of sleep, because that’s a really important part of general health,” Simpson said.
As a volunteer, Camill, 23, is gaining valuable experience toward her career goal. The Petaluma native earned a degree in human biology from UC San Diego and wants to be a physician’s assistant like Simpson.
In the past year, Camill has learned about various insurance and assistance programs in addition to figuring out how to communicate with children, preteens and adults about their health needs.
“We talk about healthy options . . . good options and what to try to avoid,” she said. “Just eating breakfast is important, even if you’re in a rush. We have them try to make goals of eating healthier. Instead of eating an unhealthy cereal for breakfast, how about oatmeal?”
Simpson said PLAY organizers are hoping to find another sponsor for a fresh food program after a Kaiser mini-grant expired. That grant paid for fresh fruits and vegetables grown by Petaluma Bounty and donated to PLAY participants.
Using such examples of fresh produce, PLAY leaders conduct demonstrations showing how healthy and tasty meals can be made from the items.
“I enjoy seeing the kids’ progress,” Camill said. “You get them for six weeks at a time . . . It’s really rewarding to see how much they learn. It’s also good seeing them enjoy the exercise as fun rather than work.”
You can reach Staff Writer Lori A. Carter at 762-7297 or lori.carter@pressdemocrat.com.