2019 Halloween BOOnanza  

Saturday, October 19, 1 to 3 p.m.

Tri-Town YMCA, 105 W. Maple St., Lombard

Come spooky or funny to our fun family event! Enjoy fun carnival games, make bewitching crafts, get your face painted, Trick-or-Treat through themed-rooms within Fellowship Hall, and more! Participants are encouraged to stay the entire time and enjoy a 30-minute kid-friendly show on the stage and then afterward, we will have a candy hunt outside (weather permitting). Remember to wear your costume!

All game prizes are Teal Pumpkin-friendly. The parking lot will be closed for activities, please use street parking. Due to limited space, we encourage that strollers be parked outside of the building.

Pre-register for this event at tritownymca.org and save! The cost is $5 per family if you register by October 18 and $10 if registering

Make a Difference in People’s Lives This Fall!  

Did you know, “five percent of children in Lombard live at or below the poverty level?” (city-data.com). The Lombard Park District is hosting its annual Trick-or-Treat Food Drive on Saturday, October 19 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Help us help others in our community by participating in this great opportunity to give back!

The Lombard Park District staff and volunteers are assigned a new area each year to collect canned and boxed foods to be donated to The Lombard/Villa Park Food Pantry. “This year staff and volunteers are assigned neighborhoods near Manor Hill Elementary and the Log Cabin at Four Seasons,” said Program Manager, Katie Manheim. “We will be dropping bags at each door the week before and picking up the filled bags at their doorsteps on Saturday, October 19.”

For those not in those neighborhoods, bags will be available for pick up at Madison Meadow Athletic Center (500 E. Wilson) and Sunset Knoll Recreation Center (820 S. Finley) and can then be filled and dropped off at either location or at the Log Cabin at Four Seasons on the morning of the Food Drive. Read more 

Have You Downloaded Your Activity Tracker for 2019?  

The mission of the Healthy Lombard Foundation is to address the epidemic of childhood obesity and promote a healthier lifestyle for all community members through awareness, activities, and achievement. Based on this mission, Healthy Lombard developed the Flat Apple program to incentivize kids to stay active during summer. This Program is only occurring between now and August 9th with many great prizes that will be awarded in September.

To learn more about Flat Apple and register your child or recommend it to children you may know, visit www.healthylombard.com and click on the ‘Flat Apple’ link on the right side, under Quick Clicks.

This program is free of charge but participation requires an adult register each child. The Program is easy and fun, and all kids have to do is earn tickets by participating in 300 minutes of activity (per ticket) to win a prize! Prizes are raffled at the end of the summer.

Read more 

Have You Signed Up Yet For Flat Apple?  

The mission of the Healthy Lombard Foundation is to address the epidemic of childhood obesity and promote a healthier lifestyle for all community members through the “Triple A Approach” of awareness, activities, and achievement.

With that mission in mind, Healthy Lombard developed the Flat Apple program to incentivize kids to stay active during the summer months outside of school.  The 2019 program runs June 3-August 9.  The program allows participants to earn tickets to make them eligible to win a variety of prizes at the end of the summer.  Prize winners are typically contacted in September.

To register your child, please visit www.healthylombard.com and click on the Flat Apple link on the right-hand side under Quick Clicks.  There is no fee to register for Flat Apple.  Children must be registered by an adult to participate in the program.

Flat Apple provides various opportunities to earn “tickets” to be eligible for raffle prizes at the end of the summer.  Tickets may be earned in the following ways: Read more 

Healthy Lombard’s Summer Flat Apple Program for Kids  

The mission of the Healthy Lombard Foundation is to address the epidemic of childhood obesity and promote a healthier lifestyle for all community members through the “Triple A Approach” of awareness, activities, and achievement.

With that mission in mind, Healthy Lombard developed the Flat Apple program to incentivize kids to stay active during the summer months outside of school.  The 2019 program runs June 3-August 9.  The program allows participants to earn tickets to make them eligible to win a variety of prizes at the end of the summer.  Prize winners are typically contacted in September.

To register your child, please visit www.healthylombard.com and click on the Flat Apple link on the right-hand side under Quick Clicks.  There is no fee to register for Flat Apple.  Children must be registered by an adult to participate in the program.  Read more 

Access DuPage  

The  DuPage County Health Department shared that the Title X Family Planning program at ACCESS offers health services for men, women, and youth. Services include:

  • Confidential services for all, including youth
  • Physical exams
  • Birth control and emergency contraception
  • Health education
  • Men’s health screenings – blood pressure, testicular exams
  • Women’s health screenings – breast exam, Pap smears
  • Sexually transmitted infections (STI) testing and treatment

For additional details, check out this flyer. The Title X Family Planning program is available at these four ACCESS health centers:

ACCESS Addison Family Health Center
1111 Lake Street
Addison, IL 60101
630.628.1811

ACCESS Des Plaines Valley Health Center
7450 W. 63rd Street
Summit, IL 60501
708.458.0757 Read more 

Reality Illinois  

Reality Illinois is a youth coalition dedicated to positive youth development and prevention of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. There are currently two chapters of Reality in DuPage. One group is comprised of high school students and led by Gilda Ross. The other is fairly new and is comprised of Middle School students and is led by Liz Seybold.

 

Reality Middle School chapter is the newest chapter, beginning in April of 2018. Since the group’s inception, they have already accomplished a great deal. Students have worked with the Lombard Park District and posted the smoke-free park signs, cleaned up cigarette butts and other debris at Madison Meadows park and participated in a Sticker Shock campaign meant to educate adult consumers of alcohol that providing alcohol to minors is dangerous and illegal. Outside of these community projects, the group has regular meetings where they are educated about topics such as; prescription drug abuse, harmful effects of nicotine/tobacco products, the dangers of vaping, and on the opioid crisis, our community is currently facing.

 

Youth who participate in Reality benefit from:

  • Learning how to identify and advocate for environmental and policy changes that will lead to the reduction of youth substance use.
  • Gain important research, analytical, critical thinking, communication and teamwork skills.
  • Work on REAL community change projects to promote and strengthen policy on smoke-free public areas.
  • Create programs to encourage smoke-free public places and encourage peers to stay smoke-free.
  • Most importantly, learn to become advocates to help themselves and teach others to lead a healthy lifestyle.

Read more 

Don’t forget to Display Your Teal Pumpkin Today!  

Born out of one mom’s desire to help ensure that children with food allergies would not feel left out on Halloween, the Teal Pumpkin Project®, now in its fourth year as a national awareness campaign led by Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), has spread far and wide – reaching millions across the U.S. and beyond — in an effort to help create a happier, safer Halloween for all.

For millions of children with food allergies and their parents, the Halloween trick-or-treating tradition can sometimes be fraught with anxiety because many candies that are handed out contain major food allergens such as milk, peanuts, tree nuts and wheat. FARE’s Teal Pumpkin Project promotes safety and inclusion for all trick-or-treaters by encouraging people to provide non-food treats on Halloween. A pumpkin painted teal, the color for food allergy awareness, signals that children will find a fun, non-food treat that anyone can enjoy.

“One in 13 children in the U.S. has at least one food allergy, and reports show that anaphylactic food reactions have climbed dramatically in recent years,” said Lois A. Witkop, Chief Advancement Officer at FARE. “It’s clear that food allergies are a serious public health issue that we all must take seriously. The Teal Pumpkin Project provides an opportunity for all of us to show empathy for kids who often feel excluded. We would love to see at least one teal pumpkin on every block – and it’s a terrific way for communities to come together to celebration inclusion.”

For Westlake, OH mom Vikki Meldrum, the Teal Pumpkin Project has already provided an unforgettable experience for her and her 4-year-old daughter Lyla. Meldrum spread the word about the initiative among her neighbors, who have now shown their support for the last two years, with at least 30 teal pumpkins in her own neighborhood. Read more 

Sneak More Movement Into Your Workday  

Our Healthy Lombard Partner, DuPage Healthcare, LTD suggests that if you drive to work and park yourself in your office chair for hours, fitting exercise into your daily routine may seem daunting. But it doesn’t have to be.

Here are some easy ways to get moving:

Talk and walk. Whether you’re on a conference call or engaging in a brainstorming session, walk during the conversation.

Take the stairs. By choosing the stairs, you can add some significant steps to your day, depending on what floor you work on.

Just dance. If you have a standing desk, dance while you work. Put your headphones on and crank up your tunes. This approach, however, may be best for those working from home. Read more