York County HYPE Team Visits Clover Community Center

On Friday, June 24th, the Healthy Young People Empowerment Team (HYPE) took a walking field trip to the Clover Community Center from Blue Eagle Academy. The HYPE team is a group of active youth participants put together in conjunction with the Boys and Girls Club of York County and the BlueCross BlueShield of SC Foundation (an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association) Let’s Go! South Carolina grant for Eat Smart Move More York County (ESMMYC). York County was of 6 counties that received the 3-year grant.

On this field trip, the group of 15 students, lead by Rasheeda White of the Boys and Girls Club, evaluated the walkability of sidewalks and crosswalks in downtown Clover. Once at the Clover Community Center, they looked at local artwork in Gallery 120. Allison Harvey, Clover Town Administrator, spoke to the youth about healthy activities available to them in Clover, the parks and trails, and plans for furure additions to the parks. They saw maps and discussed what they were excited to see. Harvey also shared information about Live Well Clover, a volunteer group that works to make Clover a healthier, more active place to live. Some of Live Well Clover’s projects include an annual 5K, a couch-to-5K running program, a Fit-for-Fall Challenge, Mayor’s Bike Ride and Free Yoga in the Park.

Next, Jessica Cody, Coalition Coach for ESMMYC’s Blue Cross Blue Shield Grant, shared a healthy snack of fruit kabobs and rollups made with whole-wheat tortillas, turkey, olive-oil mayo, avocado, tomato, cucumber and spinach. While the youth tried some foods that some had never tried before, Cody spoke with them about the importance of healthy living. She shared statistics, including that South Carolina is 2nd in the nation for childhood obesity. They discussed what youth in the community could do to change that. The HYPE team suggested healthy, but tasty, options in school vending machines, healthy fresh options in concession stands and more areas to be active – like better, more accessible playgrounds and walking tracks.

Cody also shared the Let’s Go 5-2-1-0 message with them: 5 fruits or vegetables a day; 2 or less hours of recreational screen time; 1 hour of physical activity; and 0 sugary drinks.

This was a fantastic experience, and the youth were very engaged and excited about getting more active in their communities.

If you have questions, please feel free to contact Jessica Cody. Please also like the Facebook pages of ESMMYC; Eat Smart Move More South Carolina; Boys and Girls Club YC; Let’s Go! SC; and Tega Cay Healthy Kids – there is so much great information on all of these to share.