Dear AHA Friends:

I want to thank you for your warm wishes of welcome in my new role as Director. Words cannot express how excited I am to be a part of this amazing organization! I look forward to seeing each of you at upcoming meetings where we can reconnect as old friends or start as new.

In this time of transition, I ask for your patience and for your thoughtful input. This change in leadership gives us an opportunity to celebrate AHA's successes, take stock of our assets and assess our needs for the future. As Spring turns to Summer, we have an opportunity to strategically plan for a sustainable future. That is what we hope to accomplish in the coming months. 

I welcome the opportunity to talk with each of you--to hear your thoughts and ideas about what AHA does well, what it could do better, and where we should be focusing our attention as we move toward our vision of making the healthy choice the easy choice in Wake County.

My door is open--please let me hear from you!

Sheree Vodicka   

Read Sheree's bio on the AHA web site.

What's on Your Plate?

We're thrilled with some numbers from our Healthy Brown Bag Challenge at the end of March, and we wanted to share them.

•   1,426 people signed up for the Challenge to pack a healthy lunch for one week.
• 1,052 of them were here in Wake County.
• People in 44 counties from Alamance to Wilkes participated.
• At least 103 different employers across the state had people participating and some folks enjoying healthy lunches from home.
• More than 84% surveyed said they were more likely to pack a healthy lunch more regularly now.

AHA offered this challenge as a simple worksite wellness program that employers could encourage their staff to enhance or improve their wellness initiatives.

Many people joined the Challenge because it was a great motivator for healthy eating and a source of information on how to eat healthy. If you missed it, we provided a Mix and Match Menu with time-saver tips, recipe links and more, plus each day we posted an article on the AHA web site to provide additional resources to support those taking the Challenge. You can access the series at our Blogs link online.

We got some great feedback with people reporting in: 

• "My healthy lunches were filling and I had more energy!"  
• "This challenge made me aware of what I have been eating and what I will be eating from now on...and the bonus was a 3-lb weight loss off my body this week, and nothing out of my wallet!" 
• "This was a good challenge. I know that bringing my lunch saves money and creates less waste than eating out, yet I was only doing it 3 or 4 days each week. Participating in the Challenge helped me see that I could bring my lunch all five days and enjoy it. Taking my lunch every day made me feel virtuous. It also made me REALLY look forward to my regular Friday dinner out with my husband."

The Peanut Butter Berry-wich from AHA's Mix and Match Menu, hummus and fresh veggies.

Some also shared their challenges--no refrigerator, sink or microwave in the work place. We agree; employers who care about worksite wellness should invest in these tools to help their staff pack a healthy lunch regularly.

Thanks to all the AHA partners who helped spread the word about the Challenge and those who participated. Here's to more healthy lunches!

AHA fosters and supports community efforts to make healthy eating and physical activity the way of life in Wake County. Simply put, we are working to make the healthy choice the easy choice!    

Join AHA for its Quarterly Meeting: 

Thursday, May 3
8:30-11:30 am

Marbles Kids Museum, Raleigh

RSVP:
All are welcome but please let us know if you will attend.

Join us for an update on how recipients of the Healthy Places, Active Spaces grants are creating healthier environments across Wake County!

Plus join us as we discuss where the AHA collaborative is headed and hear updates from each of the work groups.