The Will Rogers Institute has partnered with the Boys & Girls Club of America to provide and honor one Club with a $5,000 cash award that has shown exemplary methods of promoting healthy and active lifestyles. One gift will be awarded annually for the next five years (2008-2012) to support the Club’s Sports & Fitness area.
The 2008 Be Healthy, Be Fit, Be Great Award was given to the Boys & Girls Club of Monterey County (BGCMC). The wellness initiative will assist in further achieving the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County’s goal of facilitating improved nutrition, health, fitness and overall wellness of Club Members, their families and Club staff. The BGCMC will offer internships for their Triple Play interns to help provide fun, high quality and impactful wellness activities to 5,000 youths.
Beyond having an outstanding program, the organization has changed its entire culture. Donna Ferraro, CEO & President, led the effort to promote healthy lifestyles throughout the entire organization. The key step was getting buy in at the top by having the board adopt an organization-wide strategic health & wellness plan. This plan established healthy policies such as guidelines for vending offerings, eliminating high calorie sodas, and requiring that all organization functions provide a healthy mix of food groups, whether its meals provided to Club members or food served at special events.
