As our summer Rethink Your Drink campaign winds down, staff is looking back at all the outreach events, and sharing some of their favorite moments.

On Aug. 13, First 5 LA and Best Start were joined by Los Angeles Universal Preschool and Para Los Ninos, both grantees, at the 2011 Consejo de Federaciones Mexicanas en Norteamérica Annual Conference on Olvera Street. The COFEM conference brings together Latino families and community organizations, business leaders and others to build relationships and share information.

First 5 LA Countywide Marketing Manager Violet Gonzalez handed out "Potter the Otter" books and water bottles and talked with families about the importance of choosing water over sugar-sweetened drinks. A highlight of the day for her was meeting a father who said he previously received the bilingual book from a WIC center and has enjoyed reading it with his kids. The father told Violet he and his family are now drinking water and stopped drinking soda.

"That's so great," Violet later said. "It's nice to know it makes a difference and we're actually educating people."

Violet also enjoyed two city-sponsored concerts one on Aug. 3 in El Monte and the other on July 21 in South El Monte, not only because it was fun to see and talk to so many people, but because the events were a wonderful collaboration between our public affairs, policy and Best Start departments. It was extra special to do outreach in communities that embraced healthy living by passing ordinances mandating only nutritious beverages at city events and facilities, she said. First 5 LA presented the mayors of each city with a certificate acknowledging their healthy efforts.

Violet also attended two Galaxy Foundation Camps for kids. In between soccer drills, 200 hundred children learned about how much sugar was in some of their favorite drinks - and were shocked by it.

Thousands more children and parents were reached by Best Start staff at the Los Angeles Sparks Camp Day on Aug. 3, the Los Angeles Sparks' Gospel Night on Aug. 7 and at the Health Revival and Pastor's Breakfast at Curry Temple AME in Compton, according to Best Start Marketing Manager Melissa Franklin. Outreach also took place at meetings in the East Los Angeles, Compton, Watts-Willowbrook, West Athens, Broadway-Manchester and Long Beach Best Start communities.

In addition, our Rethink Your Drink  materials, including fact and tip sheets, were passed out at Best Start community meetings, as well as at the Dream Center Back-2-School Bash on Aug. 13 and several South Central Family Health Center Family Health Festival. Best Start also staffed booths at two big events in the Best Start community of Palmdale, including Heroes Weekend at the Jet Hawks Stadium and Palmdale Thursday Night on the Square.

Katie Kurutz, a Best Start public affairs officer, enjoyed talking about Rethink Your Drink with community members at the Best Start meetings. At one meeting in Lancaster, she said participants had a lot of different takes on soda: One person noted that it is as "addictive and harmful" as drugs while another, a contractor, shared that he uses soda to unclog drains.

We took lots of pictures, including many with Potter the Otter. Join First 5 LA, Best Start and Ready. Set. Grow! on Facebook to see for yourself!   

Evelyn V. Martinez

Chief Executive Officer
First 5 LA

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