Find out more about our HEROES
In 2017 we launched our Heart Healthy Hero Program (HHHP)
Although this program isn’t funded at the moment, we do our best to support basic health and wellness practices. While we can’t enforce healthy eating or exercise, we do encourage our residents to make positive choices.
- Drinking more water
- Walking
- Trying substitutions
- Bowling
- Gardening
- Yard Work
- Going to the gym
- Exercising at home
- Dancing
Below is a bit of history regarding the HHHP
Our Heart Healthy Hero Program (HHHP) is a cultural change within our agency.
Our commitment to health and well-being extends to both our residents and staff.
Currently, over half of our agency’s population is overweight by 10 to 150 pounds. This is influenced by a combination of factors, including individual genetics, prescribed medications, limited access to quality exercise, and a lack of education around healthy lifestyle choices.
To address this, our HHHP has established a Health & Wellness Steering Committee made up of both staff and residents. This group is involved in planning and shaping our wellness initiatives.
Thanks to the generous support of the Illinois Prairie Community Foundation, we installed a raised garden bed at one of our homes—an exciting step toward healthier living. We also collaborated with the Bloomington-Normal YMCA and Heartland Community College to offer meaningful exercise opportunities for our community.
We were pleased to have partnered with OSF St. Joseph Medical Center’s Center for Healthy Lifestyles, who developed educational classes specifically tailored to meet the unique needs of our residents and staff. Gratefully, they included education classes for our parents/guardians and board members. Even beyond the initial funding period, these valuable educational materials continue to support our organizations ongoing wellness journey.
The goal of our HHHP initiative is to prioritize health and wellness by encouraging physical activity, promoting mindful eating, and reducing the intake of less nutritious foods and drinks—all with the aim of supporting gradual weight loss. We also hope to see positive side effects from these changes, such as the potential to reduce or even eliminate certain medications over time.
WHO WERE OUR BIGGEST LOSER'S DURING THIS PROGRAM ?
In 2017, we developed reasonable goals for each resident and staff who wanted to participate in our new HHHP. We focused on a 10% weight loss for most. Here are the agency statistics:
This is Pam. She was our "biggest loser" for our HHHP. Pam started thinking about her weight before our program began. Her 'why' was unique. Pam was headed to Florida with her family and she didn't want to pay for 2 airplane seats because of her size. Pam lost roughly 50 pounds and she didn't have to purchase 2 tickets. Well done, Pam!
This is Mindie. She also lost quite a bit of weight during the launch of our program in 2017-2018. Mindie's parents continue to support her health and wellness journey alongside us.
Mindie lost 23 pounds during this time. Congratulations, Mindie!
This is Ashley. Her wellness journey continues with Weight Watchers (WW), alongside what we provide. Her parents helped her join WW for additional support which has been a big help. Ashley has lost roughly 40 pounds from the start of our program. This girl is strong. Keep going, Ashley!
