MEDIA ADVISORY
Students, Disney VoluntEARS to Plant First Teaching Garden in Anaheim
American Heart Association Teaching Gardens Encourage Healthy Communities
WHAT: Walt Disney Elementary is the first school in Anaheim to receive a Teaching Garden from the American Heart Association (AHA), with funding support from Disneyland Resort. The school will become one of 14 Teaching Garden schools in Orange County. Walt Disney Elementary School teachers, students and parents will join representatives from AHA and Disney VoluntEARS to build the Teaching Garden. Parents will then work alongside teachers and students to sustain the garden for a minimum of three years with supplies provided by Disneyland Resort.
Developed using AHA science and nutrition guidelines, as well as information shared by gardening and education experts, the garden is a learning laboratory where students plant seeds, nurture growing plants, harvest produce, and in the process learn the value of good eating habits.
These Teaching Gardens, which have flourished throughout California, are part of an effort to fight childhood obesity and encourage healthier schools, families and communities in Orange County.
The Teaching Garden program is part of a larger AHA “My Heart. My Life” healthy living initiative, designed to help Americans understand what it means to be healthy, and to take action. For more information about the Teaching Gardens program and how you can participate, visit www.heart.org/teachinggardens.
WHEN: Monday, October 20, 2014
VISUALS: 9:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. – Students, parents, teachers and volunteers assemble planter boxes and fill them with soil, paint rocks and trash cans, and paint and construct a tile mural
1:30 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. – Students and volunteers plant vegetable and fruit seedlings
2:45 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. – Closing ceremony and dedication
WHERE: Walt Disney Elementary School, 2323 West Orange Avenue, CA. 92804
WHO: Walt Disney Elementary School students, teachers and parents, representatives from AHA and the Magnolia Elementary Unified School District, and Disney VoluntEARS
WHY: The AHA is committed to grow Teaching Gardens in schools and communities across the country. Teaching Gardens provide the only interaction between nature and fresh produce for many inner-city children.
Studies show that healthy behavior positively impacts learning. The goal of the program is to improve children’s overall health.
· One in three American children are overweight or obese.
· Fewer than one in 10 high school students receive the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables daily.
· French fries are the most common source of vegetables consumed by children and make up one-fourth of their vegetable intake.
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CONTACT: Tamara White, American Heart Association
(310) 490-927-0650, tamara.white@heart.org
Melanie Vogel, Disneyland Resort
(714) 781-0859, melanie.r.vogel@disney.com
Steve Pescetti, Magnolia School District
spescetti@magnoliasd.org