Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) Initiative

The Healthy Eating, Active Living (HEAL) initiative supports the health pillar’s Healthy Lifestyles focus area of United Way Miami, which aims to promote healthy childhood weight by addressing physical activity and healthy eating in home, school, or community settings for children and youth (up to age 18).

In addition to the grants offered through the Impact Partner Fund, we also support other programs across Miami-Dade County that focus on promoting healthy lifestyles.

The South Florida After-School All-Stars (ASAS) program at Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School, located at the edge of the Everglades, offers a full program dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles through Florida International University (FIU).

The South Florida After-School All-Stars (ASAS) program at Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School, located at the edge of the Everglades, offers a full program dedicated to promoting healthy lifestyles through Florida International University (FIU).

Participants can access fitness courses and improved quality of in-school physical education with monitored activity tracking, nutrition, and healthy cooking workshops through linkages with Common Threads, and wellness and personal development with Baptist Health and Community Health of South Florida.

One special part of the program is the establishment of a garden through the Farm to Table program and linkages with Farm Share. In 2023, more planting beds have been installed and/or replaced, and the garden now includes herbs, vegetables, and fruit. Students actively participate in the cultivation of the garden, utilizing the herb and vegetable yields in cooking classes.

Back in the school, the School Health Committee helps to secure access to high-nutrient food options served at school meetings and in the cafeteria. Additionally, administrators have noticed increased engagement with parents who want better quality of food served for lunch and breakfast. And remember the adage stating that “you can’t improve what you don’t measure?” All program participants – including students, their families, and staff – receive fitness trackers which help to monitor the after-school fitness classes offered to both students and parents.

In 2022, United Way Miami partnered with the Health Information Project (HIP) for the 2022-2023 school year to bring the HEAL initiative to all Miami-Dade County Public Schools (MDCPS) high schools. HIP has found that the most effective way to influence teenagers is for them to be taught by their classmates, friends, and peers. Therefore, HIP has revolutionized health education by transforming selected 11th and 12th graders into Peer Health Educators (PHE) for all 9th graders across the county.

HIP’s innovative 8-module program promotes social, emotional, and physical wellness. In these modules, students receive information focused on a myriad of critical health issues such as depression, suicide, healthy weight, and abuse. Moreover, the Peer Health Educators provide easily accessible, relevant health information, maximizing the resources that exist at the students’ schools and their communities. As a result, students report increased health awareness, skills, and behaviors.

Help Support Healthy Lifestyles

At United Way Miami, every dollar you donate goes further in supporting a wide range of programs, such as the HEAL initiative. Your support will help us provide education and resources that can empower individuals and families to take control of their health and well-being and build a stronger Miami.