Family Centers Honors Healthy Hearts Program Participants

On Tuesday, May 8 at 10 a.m., Family Centers will celebrate the 12 families who have successfully completed the Healthy Hearts program during a ceremony at the Head Start Preschool at Armstrong Court. 

Held over a 10-week period, Healthy Hearts is an educational initiative designed to help families enrolled in Family Centers’ Head Start Preschool lead healthier lives.  Each week, the families met with Laurel Carey, coordinator of Family Centers’ Hearts of Hope program, for interactive discussions on how simple lifestyle changes can prevent heart disease.  Understanding cholesterol, how to read nutritional labels, the importance of exercise and healthy cooking were just some of the topics covered.  

With Latino and African-American adults at greater risk of developing heart disease, the Healthy Hearts program placed a special emphasis on educating members of those communities.  It is Family Centers’ hope the participating families will use the knowledge they have gained to teach others in their communities about maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 

At the ceremony, each “graduating” family will receive a certificate of achievement.  A number of families will also speak about how the program has helped improve their overall health.  Heart-healthy refreshments will be served.   

Healthy Hearts is a component of Family Centers’ Hearts of Hope program, an education and prevention initiative designed focusing on heart disease.  Hearts of Hope also offers individual counseling, family/caregivers counseling and support groups to help cardiac patients and their families cope with the psychological issues associated with heart disease.