MARWICT . I . M . E . SM I D - AT L A N T I C R E G I O N S U P P L E M E N TA L N U T R I T I O N P R O G R A M F O R W O M E N , I N F A N T S , A N D C H I L D R E N

■ News from theUSDA: FoodPackageImplementationPlans — EarlyDetails of the New Face of theFood Package in theMid-Atlantic Region................Page 2

■ VI WIC UndergoesFire ExtinguisherTraining as Part ofOSHA Regulations................Page 4

■ Mid-Atlantic Region CelebratesBreastfeeding In Style...............Pages 6-8

■ Pennsylvania’sFayette County WIC Reaches Out................Page 9

■ WV Valley HealthSystems CabellCounty WIC ClinicSupports “Take a Flower to Childcare” Day................Page 11

WEST VIRGINIA WIC PROGRAM RECEIVES NEW CHILDREN’SBOOKS THROUGH CHEERIOS® BOOK DONATION CHALLENGE

What do kangaroos, squirrels and manatees have in common?They are all central characters in internationally known actor andbestselling children’s book author John Lithgow’s Marsupial Sue,

of course! And, as part of the sixth annual Cheerios® Spoonfuls of Stories®

program, Cheerios teamed up with Lithgow and nonprofit partner FirstBook® to launch an online book donationchallenge, with voters helping to determinewhere Cheerios donated 100,000 copies ofLithgow’s popular book.

The online Cheerios Book DonationChallenge, developed with First Book, letsfamilies test their knowledge of popular chil-dren’s books by answering trivia questions –and, in the process, help get books to kidswho need them. Families visitedwww.FirstBook.org/lithgow from March 17through June 16, 2008, answered the triviaquestions, and then voted for the state theywanted to receive copies of children’s booksby John Lithgow. For every trivia questionanswered correctly, families could cast onevote for the state of their choice. More thanone million votes were cast and Cheerios wasdelighted to announce the five states that

A GREAT NEW PARTNERSHIP

BETWEEN MARYLAND AND

VIRGINIA WIC PROGRAMSBy Kristen Perry, Dietetic Intern,Harford County (MD) WIC andShannon Meadows, Dietetic Intern,CCI-Montgomery County (MD) WIC

A great new partnership hasbegun between the Marylandand Virginia WIC Programs this

year. For the first time, Maryland WICnutritionists have joined Virginia WICnutritionists as dietetic interns inVirginia’s dietetic internship program.The program – now called the VirginiaDepartment of Health/Maryland WICDietetic Internship Program – preparesinterns to take the exam to become reg-istered dietitians. Orientation for theClass of 2008-2009 took placeSeptember 8-10 at the VirginiaDepartment of Health in Richmond,VA. Seven interns make up the class,including two interns from Marylandand two from Virginia.

The internship is a 46-week programwith a community emphasis. Twentyhours per week are used for completinginternship activities and the other 20hours for performing regular WIC

The MARWIC TIMES newsletter is now available online at www.nal.usda.gov/wicworks

WINTER 2009

Continued on page 11

Continued on page 11

PUERTO RICO WIC LAUNCHES HEALTH DEPARTMENT CAMPAIGNBy Alma L. Ortega, Outreach Nutritionist

The Puerto Rico WIC Program, the Puerto Rico in Fit Program of theSports and Recreation Department, the Nutritionists and DietitiansCollege, the PR Foods and Nutrition Commission and the Auxiliary

Secretary of Health for Health Promotion integrated the new campaign“Salud Te Recomienda” (Health recommends you).

This is directed to help people to select healthy foods through the useof an identification logo on food packages and menus. They observe pro-fessional guides of the nutrition science, health national organizations andhealth organizationsof Puerto Rico. Thepurpose is to guidethe populationtoward selecting theappropriate foods forprevention of chronicdiseases. They willalso promoteincreased physicalactivity.

The Sports and

THIS CLASS HAS CLASS — Maryland andVirginia WIC Interns are (top row, left toright) Janny Cho and Shannon Meadows,CCI Montgomery County WIC; (bottom row,left to right) Margaret Eng, Maryland WICState Agency; Kristen Perry, Harford CountyWIC; Chloe Devening, Virginia WIC; GinnyFox, Virginia WIC; Frances Ritinski,Southern Maryland WIC.

READ A GOOD BOOK —West Virginia WIC partici-pants will receive MarsupialSue for their third or fourthbirthday as a result of WestVirginia being chosenthrough the Cheerios BookDonation Challenge.

TEAM WORK — “Salud Te Recomienda” (Health recommends you) Work Team got together for a day of the training in Fajardo Health Region.Continued on page 2

Over the summer months, the Mid-AtlanticRegional Office (MARO) WIC staffworked diligently to review state Food

Package Implementation Plans. States submittedtheir Implementation Plans to the Regional officein early 2008 to advise the region of their plansand progress toward implementation of the newWIC Food Package in their state.

To review the Implementation Plans, theMARO WIC staff utilized checklists which weredeveloped for each functional area. Individualsfrom several Regional offices across the nationworked together to develop these tools to helpregions track implementation of key provisionsin the Interim Rule in their states. The MAROWIC staff completed these checklists for eachMARO state and emphasized information relat-ed to items which were included in theImplementation Plan and items which should beaddressed. Also incorporated into the checklistswere topics discussed at the Regional FoodPackage Meeting which was held last April.The checklists are living documents and will beupdated as changes and progress toward fullFood Package implementation is made. Manyinteresting and promising practices were discov-ered when reviewing the Implementation Plans.

Below are some of the highlights that we notedduring our review:■ Each state Implementation Plan included a

Major Tasks list which detailed items to becompleted prior to implementation of theFood Package. Many states also included atimeline of projected dates for completion ofthose major tasks.

■ One state submitted a comprehensiveImplementation Plan that included informa-tion related to state objectives, constraints,other WIC projects occurring simultaneously,and major tasks. Each major task detailedspecific items to be completed for the majortask, included targeted dates for completion ofthe task, and identified the workgroup that hasbeen assigned to the task. If the task hadbeen completed, a synopsis of the outcomewas included. Copies of the State DefaultFood Packages, the Default Food Packageissuance relative to nutrition risk criteria, sub-stitution rates, and Maximum MonthlyAllowances of Supplemental Formulas werealso incorporated into the ImplementationPlan.

■ Another state submitted a detailed StateOptions chart. The state tailored the FoodPackage State Options Chart, distributed byNational Office at our Food Package meetingin April, for themselves.

■ All Mid-Atlantic Supplemental Food Programsfor Women, Infants, and Children State agen-cies will be participating in an infant foodrebate. The States anticipated receiving bidsas early as January, with implementation onOctober 1. The rebate contract will assistMid-Atlantic States in containing costs andensuring cost neutrality.On September 9, 2008, FNS participated in a

conference call with States. During the call,States that plan to implement the New FoodPackage prior to the deadline of October 1,were identified. These early implementersshared information regarding tasks completed,state options chosen, challenges, and successesthus far. The states also graciously offeredadvice to others based on their experiences.The early implementing states which sharedinformation were New York, Delaware,Washington, Oregon, Wisconsin, and Kentucky.In the Mid-Atlantic Region, Delaware planed toimplement the new Food Package on January 1.Because they are an early implementer, it is like-ly that they will have great information to shareregarding challenges and triumphs relative toimplementation.

As states become further along with imple-mentation, we will provide updates regardingbest practices and tools which have been devel-oped. Materials that are developed by Stateswill be collected and shared. ■

2

MARWIC TIMES is funded by the United StatesDepartment of Agriculture,Mid-Atlantic Region Office as a discretionary project ofNew Jersey WIC.

Mary Mickles, MS, RD ............Project ManagerJean Malloy .............................Acting NJ WIC

DirectorChristina Balas.........................Creative DirectorLisa Arnold ..............................Editor

Please submit articles or story ideas for

MARWIC TIMES to your State Editor

at the State WIC Office Address.

Delaware.................................Laura Peppelman

District of Columbia ................Anne Spaulding

Maryland .................................Connie Webster

New Jersey ..............................Mary Mickels

Pennsylvania ...........................Bonnie Mellott

Puerto Rico..............................Alma Ortega

Virgin Islands ...........................Lorna Concepcion

Virginia....................................Carol Bell

West Virginia..............................Heidi Staats

MARO, USDA .........................Delores Stewart

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department ofAgriculture policy WIC is prohibited from discriminating on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability.

To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building,

1400 Independence Ave. SW, Washington DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice and TDD).

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.

VIRGINIA WIC EDUCATES STAFF ON FOOD PACKAGE CHANGES

With less than a year left before the new food packagesare implemented, Virginia WIC continues to work hardto educate staff about the new food package changes.

The theme for the upcoming Virginia WIC Annual TrainingConference is “Food For Thought.” As the title conveys, thenew food packages will be the conference focus.

Nutrition education messages will be reviewed and severaldifferent cookbooks and reference materials, including topicssuch as soy, whole grains and fresh produce, will be providedfor all clinics statewide. Virginia WIC is excited to provide these new foods for our participants! ■

NEWS FROM THE USDA: FOOD PACKAGE IMPLEMENTATION PLANS — EARLY DETAILS OF THE NEW FACE OF THE FOOD PACKAGE IN THE MID-ATLANTIC REGION

STACKING UP — Virginia WIC’s Megan Garrett, MS, RD, is taking care of the books that will be provided

to educate staff on the new food packaging.

Recreation Department through Puerto Rico inFit Program provides the resources for munici-palities to offer organized physical activitiesfor the general population.

The Auxiliary Secretary of Health forHealth Promotion provides the municipalitiesthe nutritionists resources for the supermarketsguided tours to identify the healthy foodsauthorized in the Program “Salud TeRecomienda.”

The Puerto Rico WIC Program, with thehelp of new foods packages and VENA, willcontinue to promote both programs to thepopulation served by WIC.

We are proud to be a part of these healthinitiatives of the Health Department inPuerto Rico for better healthy families. ■

Puerto Rico WIC continued from page 1

GET THE MESSAGE — Here’s one example of the out-reach materials of the Health Department Campaign“Salud Te Recomienda” (Health recommends you).

PENNSYLVANIA STATE AGENCY HOSTS TWO REGIONAL VENA CONFERENCESBy Amy L. Holtan, MA, RD, LDN, Public Health Nutritionist

The Pennsylvania State Agency hostedtwo regional VENA Conferences duringthe month of July. The first was held in

Harrisburg (July 16-17) and the second washeld in Pittsburgh (July 30-31). Over half of all local agency staff attended one of thesetrainings.

The agenda for the first day included anoverview of what is currently happening during WIC appointments, by Public HealthNutritionist Amy Holtan, MA, RD, LDN. Shehighlighted where VENA ideas have alreadybeen incorporated into clinic procedures andareas where improvements could be made.Shirley Sword, MS, RD, LDN, Chief ofNutrition Services, provided a generaloverview of the VENA initiative and StephanieTaylor-Davis, PhD, RD, LDN, Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania,Department of Nutrition, ran an interactivesession on the six VENA Competencies. Day

One ended with a session by local agencyWIC Directors Rosa Snyder-Boyd, MS, IBCLC,and Mary Hahn, MA, RD, LDN, who present-ed ideas of how they have been supportingVENA practices in the daily routines of theirstaff.

The second day was used to tie all theconcepts from Day One together. Mia M.Barker, PhD, Professor at Indiana University ofPennsylvania, Department of Nutrition, pre-sented a session on critical thinking. Casestudies and action plan sessions completedDay Two, which enabled conference atten-dees to formulate next step goals for personal,clinic, and agency VENA implementation.Drs. Taylor-Davis and Barker are members ofthe research team working on the two SpecialProject Grants currently held by PennsylvaniaWIC.

A few quotes taken from the evaluationsillustrate what the attendees enjoyed about

the conference andhow they will beginimplementation. Manynutritionists indicatedthat they will beginasking “more open-ended questions andquestions that willanswer why is some-one doing what theyare doing.” Numerousattendees indicatedthat “this was a greatopportunity to find out what other clinics doand how they run their daily routines andscheduler.” An attendee in Pittsburgh indicat-ed she would “begin to take the time to listento what the client is saying and to allow theclient to talk more during WIC appointments.”

The State Agency was pleased to hear inthe evaluations that some staff has been utiliz-ing VENA concepts already and the over-whelming majority of all attendees indicatedthey learned a new concept they could imple-ment into their daily routines. In addition,there have been numerous requests for mate-rials and presentations to be made availableto all local agencies in electronic format toshare with those who could not attend thetraining or to enhance future trainingsplanned at the local level. These twostatewide meetings are just the beginning ofVENA implementation in the PennsylvaniaWIC Program. The State Agency expects thetrainings to be a “stepping stone” for futuretrainings at the state, regional and local levelsover the coming years! ■

NEW JERSEY’S OCEAN COUNTY WIC CELEBRATES

NATIONAL NUTRITION MONTHBy Matthew Holland, Chief Nutritionist, Ocean County WIC Program

New Jersey’s Ocean County WIC Program celebrated NationalNutrition Month last March at the Ocean County Mall over aperiod of two days. The entire WIC staff was there to help pro-

mote the theme, “It’s a Matter of Fact.” We offered nutrition informa-tion to anyone in the mall those two days. We also had plenty of hand-outs, which contained lots of nutrition information, as well as the role ofa nutritionist and/or dietitian. We also had healthy recipes, healthysnacks, and fruit smoothies to offer the community of Ocean County.

Our support staff answered questions about the WIC Program andpassed out handouts. The nutritionist answered any diet/health ques-tions that the community may have had. Body fat analysis was con-ducted on anyone who requested an analysis. We had a lot of peoplestopping by our tables, asking questions and trying our healthy snacks.It was a big success once again. I know the community really appreci-ated our efforts and time.

Once again, thanks to our boss, Meg McCarthy-Klein, for her effortsin allowing all of our staff to help out and being able to keep our clin-ics running. ■

WELCOME — PAWIC Director GregoryLandis gives welcom-ing remarks.

SPEAKING OF SPEAKERS — VENA speakers (left to right) Shirley Sword, MS, RD, LDN, Chief of NutritionServices, Pennsylvania State Agency; Rosa Snyder-Boyd, MS, IBCLC, WIC Director, Community ActionSouthwest; Mary Hahn, MA, RD, LDN, WIC Director, North Central PA Regional Planning and DevelopmentCommission; Amy Holtan, MA, RD, LDN, Public Health Nutritionist, Pennsylvania State Agency; Mia M.Barker, PhD, Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania; and Stephanie Taylor-Davis, PhD, RD, LDN,Professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, gather for a quick break.

DC WIC PROGRAM FARMERS’ MARKET PROGRAMHOSTS OUTREACH WALKBy Akua Woolbright, PhDPublic Health Nutritionist, Breastfeeding Coordinator

Sabrina Lewis, District of ColumbiaFarmers’ Market Nutrition ProgramCoordinator, designed a Walk for Produce

Day as an outreach activity to increase publicawareness among those eligible for WIC andCSFP services. The walks are aimed at increas-ing WIC and CSFP participation at the farmers’markets and promoting walking as a fun familyactivity that can help decrease obesity andchronic diseases such as diabetes and heartdisease.

The program was introduced last summer,and since its inception, more than 50 peoplehave participated in each walk. The walks tookplace within the parking lots of the farmers’markets or in the immediate neighborhood, depending on the marketlocation. At the end of the walk, participants were provided with a choiceof three fruits or vegetables for participating. ■

HEALTHY SHOPPER —This woman and her childwere shopping at the HStreet Farmers’ Market andagreed to walk.

3

On two fine summer mornings inJuly, Maryland’s Baltimore CountyWIC Program hosted on-site farm-

ers’ markets at the Lansdowne andNorthpoint WIC clinics. The events wereorganized in cooperation with theMaryland Department of Agriculture,Maryland Cooperative Extension, and theBaltimore County Health Department.The goal was to promote continuedawareness of the availability of locallygrown fruits and vegetable at farmers’markets in Baltimore County.

The Lansdowne site was selected dueto the absence of markets within closeproximity to the clinic. The Northpointsite was well received by participants in2007 and was selected again this year.On the mornings of both events, WICstaff prepared their clinics to receive theapproximately 300 to 500 participantswho were scheduled in advance between8:30 am and 12:30 pm. Burton’s Farm,Pahl’s Farm and Richardson Farmsarrived early with their trucks loaded withfresh produce and set up tents to receivetheir customers. Cooperative Extension Service representatives were available to assist partici-pants and to provide information on selection and preparation of fresh produce. The WICnutritionist explained how to use the coupons, along with the health benefits of fresh fruit andvegetables and information about the upcoming food package changes and inclusion of freshfruit and vegetables as authorized WIC foods. This news was well received by all in atten-dance. Participants had questions about “how much,” “how often,” and “what types” of freshfruit and vegetables would be included. Everyone was encouraged to “stay tuned” for moreinformation as it becomes available.

In a carnival-like atmosphere, participants browsed, sampled and purchased locally growntomatoes, corn, zucchini, beets, okra, green beans, and fruits such as watermelon, cantaloupe,peaches, and blackberries. Many participants brought their children, including babies and tod-dlers in strollers, and their children’s grandmother to the event, making it a fun family activityfor all ages. The day ended with participants planning to visit other farmers’ markets inBaltimore County and neighboring counties. ■

Photos courtesy of David Martin, Extension Educator-Commercial Agriculture & County Director,University of Maryland Cooperative Extension, Baltimore County Office

The St. Croix Virgin Islands WIC staff recently underwent a fire extinguisher train-ing as part of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulationtraining. Retired Fire Chief Roberto Santos Sr. conducted the training session in

the yard of the Charles Harwood Complex Public Health facility. The nine staff mem-bers received oral instructions through a brief lecture and DVD presentation andlearned the key acronym “PASS – Pull the pin, Aim, Squeeze the trigger and Spray in asweeping motion,” when operating a fire extinguisher.

Staff also learned about the different types of fire extinguishers needed for the dif-ferent types of fires and to apply the “RACE – Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish,”action in the event of a fire in the office or work area. Staff members, donned in jeansand t-shirts, stepped outside to the side of the building for each to have a hands-onexperience using a fire extinguisher.

Staff welcomed the training as it would help ensure the safety of our participantsand ourselves in the event of a fire. Each staff member received a Certificate ofTraining issued from the National Fire Protection Association upon completion of thisvery valuable session. ■

4

LANDSDOWNE MARKET

NORTHPOINT MARKET

STOKING — Chief Santosstoking the fire in prepara-tion for a staff member to extinguish it, as staffmembers Linora Perez andTheresa Peters look on.

EXTINGUISHING — NutritionistDebra Browne takes her turn to extinguish the fire as staffmember Sermaine Samuel-Kinglooks on.

VIRGIN ISLANDS WIC UNDERGOES FIRE EXTINGUISHER TRAINING AS PART OF OSHA REGULATIONSBy Lorna Concepcion, MS, RD, Nutrition Education Coordinator

FARMERS BRING LOCAL PRODUCE TO MD’S BALTIMORE COUNTY WIC PARTICIPANTSBy Mitch Erauth, Management Assistant, Baltimore County (Maryland) WIC Program

FAMILIES ARE HAVING FUN AND

GETTING PHYSICAL IN PENNSYLVANIA’SFRANKLIN COUNTYBy Karen Gosnell, Outreach/Breastfeeding/Nutrition Education CoordinatorSouth Central Community Action Program

The WIC Program in Franklin County, PA,a component of South CentralCommunity Action Programs, Inc.,

received a grant from the Franklin CountyFoundation and Healthy CommunitiesPartnership of Greater Franklin County to pro-mote physical activity among WIC families.Money was received to purchase Let’s GetMoving! Working Together to Promote ActiveLifestyles in Young Children Ages 2-7. A smalltoy such as a ball, bubbles, or a pinwheel wasalso provided for the families to take home anduse to add to the fun.

The Let’s Get Moving activity cards gaveseven simple activities that adults can do withchildren to move their bodies, get exercise andhave fun. The cards were printed on card stockpaper to last through lots of play. They havecolorful pictures and easy activities like dance,follow the leader, and hop like a frog.

“Parents can use the cards like a game, pick-ing a card and doing the activity with theirchild. The little toy incentive gives a little moreencouragement,” states Karen Gosnell,Nutrition Education Coordinator. “Sometimesparents run out of things to do with their kids.These activity cards give fun and low-cost ideasfor playtime. They get exercise and have fun,too! What could be better!”

The activity cards and pamphlets can bedownloaded or purchased through University of California, Berkeley Center for Weight and Health. Go to http://www.cnr.berkeley,edu/cwh/. Franklin County WIC and WIC families thank the Franklin County Foundationfor helping to promote fun physical activitywith WIC kids. ■

CABELL COUNTY (WV) SCHOOLS PROVIDE WIC CHILDREN WITH BOOKSBy Jenna Rose, MA, RD, LD

Recently the Cabell WIC Program inHuntington, WV, received an unexpect-ed donation of children’s books. The

books were made in Mrs. Hammond’sTalented And Gifted (TAG) high school class.The TAG students spent many hours develop-ing a story line, illustrating, and binding thebooks. Many of the books also came with astuffed animal of the main character. Thedonated books were distributed during nutri-tion education classes to three- and four-year-old children participating in WIC. The chil-dren were excited to receive the books andanimals while the Valley Health SystemsCabell County WIC Program appreciates thehard work and kindness of the students whodonated these books. ■

NEW JERSEY’S NORTH HUDSON WICPROGRAM CELEBRATES A HEALTHYAND SAFE HALLOWEEN

Halloween brings out the kid in all of us.It is fun to get dressed up in a strangecostume and parade around the neigh-

borhood or go to a special party. During the month of October and especial-

ly during the Halloween week, North HudsonCommunity Action Corporation’s WICProgram provided information to the WIC par-ticipants about Halloween safety and healthytreat choices. All Halloween tips were dis-played on an attractive bulletin board to graspthe parents’ attention.

Among those suggestions were to avoidboth traffic and stranger danger. Choose cos-tumes with bright colors or attach reflectortape, avoid sharp objects, and ensure masksallow for good vision. Young children shouldtrick or treat with adults, stay in familiar neigh-borhoods, stay together, cross at the cornerwith adults, carry flashlights and not run to thehouses.

Treats don’t have to be sticky, gooey candyto be fun. Many families are replacing candywith miniature toys, books, stickers, balloons,crayons, Halloween-themed pencils or stick-ers, whistles, little cars, baseball cards andrubber spiders or worms. If you want to teachyour children about different healthy treatsyou can try cheese with crackers packages,sugar free gum, cheese sticks, juice box pack-ages, small packages of nuts, canned fruit,popcorn in small bags, raisins or pretzels.Adults should inspect all packaging for tam-pering, allergy and choking threats. Children’sconsumption should be limited to avoid sick-ness and then the remainder of the treats canbe donated to local food pantries.

This year we helped our WIC families toenjoy a happy, healthy and safe Halloween.And remember offering non-food treats bene-fits the whole family because we all tend toeat the left-over candy! ■

5

PENNSYLVANIA’S ADAGIO HEALTH WELCOMES 2008-2009 DIETETIC INTERNSBy Barbara Jinar, CLE, IBCLC, Outreach Coordinator, Adagio Health/WIC Program

Pennsylvania’s Adagio Health recent-ly welcomed their 2008-2009Dietetic Interns. After a two-week

orientation, these interns are now activelyworking in their assigned rotations.Adagio Health’s Dietetic Internship expos-es the interns to a variety of sites withineach area of practice. Working with theirmentors, interns are able to focus on pro-grams of study that are tailored to theirown backgrounds and professional inter-ests. The internship also offers an inten-sive, community-based program providinginstruction and supervised experience inall areas of dietary practice. Designed toemphasize community-based experiences,the internship has the primary goal ofpreparing dietetic professionals to practicein community-based nutrition programsand to use community resources effective-ly. During the next nine months, these 12interns will be provided with the opportu-nity to increase their knowledge of foodand nutrition science and to acquire thecompetencies needed to practice dieteticsin both traditional and community settings.

Adagio Health’s Dietetic Internship program began in 1991 as a recruitment nutritional toolfor the Adagio Health WIC Program and has since graduated over 160 interns. Designed as anine-month generalist program emphasizing community-based experiences, the Internship’s pri-mary goal is to prepare dietetic professionals to practice in community-based nutrition pro-grams and to use community resources effectively. All interns must complete a six-week rota-tion which allows them to become familiar with the WIC policy and procedures. During thesix-week WIC rotation, the interns become part of the WIC staff. They help to motivate andchallenge staff members with their fresh and new ideas. The interns must present Power Pointpresentations on various nutrition topics during their rotation. This helps the WIC staff to staycurrent on nutrition issues. Staff members enjoy teaching and learning from the interns.

Over the years, this internship program has allowed Adagio Health to employ 12 interns.Currently, Adagio Health has four graduates on staff and has had individuals graduate from theinternship that are now part of the WIC staff across Pennsylvania. After successfully completingtheir Dietetic Internship, interns are eligible to sit for the American Dietetic AssociationCommission on Dietetic Registration examination to become Registered Dietitians. ■

CLASS OF 2009 – Pictured here is the current class ofAdagio Health’s Dietetic Interns. They are (front row,left to right) Aislinn Crovak, Natalie Austin, ColleenStauffer, Catherine Dorian; (middle row, left to right)Amanda Loscar, Nina Colamarino, Jennifer Jaworski,Maryann Haugh, and (back row, left to right) Kira Paris, Lauren Henderson, Hillary Standiford, Katie Purcell.

CHILDREN HELPING CHILDREN — High school stu-dents in Cabell County, WV, donate books, pennedand illustrated during their gifted studies, to WICparticipants (left to right) Duron Jackson, HayleHardey and Amara Jackson.

BOO! — WIC staff and others enjoyed the Halloweenfestivities. Pictured are (front row, left to right) Betty Rojas, Flor Onorato, Sulin Santapau; and (back row, left to right) Karen Lazarowitz, Ruth,Ciprian, Kathy Diaz, Evelyn Ortiz, Lillian Rivera,Paola Espin, Joanne Compres, Kathy Diaz, VanessaOrtiz, Ana Velasquez, and Helana Abraham.

PENNSYLVANIA WIC’S SOUTH CENTRAL COMMUNITY ACTION PROGRAMS BREASTFEEDING

EDUCATOR AWARDED GREEN APPLEBy Karen Gosnell, Retail Store, Outreach, and Nutrition Coordinator, SCCAP, Inc.

On June 17, Audrey Hess, RD, Breastfeeding Educator for Adams CountyWIC Program, a component of South Central Community ActionPrograms, Inc., Gettysburg, PA, was recognized with the Green Apple

Award by Healthy Adams County during the Adams County Health Summit.The Green Apple Award is presented to a new member of Healthy AdamsCounty who has taken on a significant role in the work of a Task Force. Audreyhas worked very hard to start a Breastfeeding Task Force in Adams County.

Along with her co-chair, Jayne Sorber, IBCLC of Gettysburg Hospital, Audreyhas held regular Task Force meetings with professional and community members. She has openedcommunication with day care centers, medical practices, employers and the community regarding thehealth significance of breastfeeding. World Breastfeeding Week activities have brought breastfeedinginto the community light. It is Audrey’s goal to make breastfeeding the normal way to feed an infantin Adams County. Her work starting a Breastfeeding Task Force is an important step toward that goal.Congratulations Audrey! ■

PENNSYLVANIA’S ALLEGHENY

WIC HONORS BREASTFEEDING

SUPPORTERSBy Candis Sines-Westerberg, MEdAllegheny County Health Department

Local Doctor Honored forBreastfeeding Promotion

Dr. Heidi Swanson of Hampton,PA, was honored bythe Allegheny County Health

Department/WIC Program for her promotion of breastfeeding in herPittsburgh practice. Dr. Swanson is apediatrician as well as an InternationalBoard Certified Lactation Consultant.She promotes breastfeeding to herpatients, as well as her peers, and hasbreastfed seven children. Dr. Swansonis a valuable asset to Pittsburgh familiesand for breastfeeding promotion. Thankyou Dr. Swanson!

Breastfeeding Friendly Place Awards

Allegheny County HealthDepartment annually honorsworkplaces and other public

places who are accommodating tobreastfeeding mothers. The 2008 win-ners are MEDRAD, Inc. and MemorialPark Presbyterian Church inMcCandless.

MEDRAD, Inc. was chosen becausethey have two private rooms speciallybuilt for breastfeeding employees.Memorial Park Presbyterian Churchwas also chosen because it has a roomwhich not only allows moms to breast-feed in private, but which also allowsthem to watch the service while theyare breastfeeding.

Congratulations to MEDRAD, Inc.and Memorial Park PresbyterianChurch for their ongoing support ofbreastfeeding! ■

6

WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEK AT NEW JERSEY’S GLOUCESTER COUNTY WICBy Karen Kurtz, IBCLC

The Theme for World Breastfeeding Week this past August was“Mother Support, Going for the Gold” in honor of the SummerOlympics. At Gloucester County WIC, we took advantage of this

theme to enhance our celebration. In the months leading up to WorldBreastfeeding Week, we collected stories from our mothers about thosewho supported them. We also took pictures of breastfeeding babies andtheir family members. In each of our three offices we created a bulletinboard combining these stories, the pictures we took and information onhow WIC and others can support breastfeeding mothers. Mentioned in ourmoms’ stories were family members, several hospital Lactation Consultantsfrom the community, one pediatrician and La Leche League. EachLactation Consultant and the pediatricain recieved a letter and a certificate thanking them for their helpin supporting our moms and signed by the nutrition and breastfeeding staff. All the mothers who sent usstories or whose pictures we took got a letter thanking them, a copy of their picture and a breastfeedingmagnet.

Included in the display were some lovely coloring pages of children helping with family chores andmaking their mom comfortable as their way to support breastfeeding. These pictures were colored byone of our peer counselor’s sons, Silas, and blank copies are now available for siblings who visit with us.

The WIC office supplied breastfeeding helium balloons to decorate each siteand the staff all wore buttons with the International Breastfeeding symbol. Ourcolorful bulletin boards attracted the interest of participants and family mem-bers at WIC to read the positive breastfeeding messages.

Below we highlight one example of our stories we received. We made up aspecial certificate for the grandmother in this story who was instrumental inhelping a mom through two difficult breastfeeding experiences. Here is thestory of Grandmother Barbara, mom Barbera and her children.

“My mother is my biggest supporter. I have a 2 ½-year-old son that requiresa lot of attention, of course. Mom spends time with my son so I can nurse mynew daughter without interruption. She reminds me to take my vitamins andhelps me with everything when I am stressed or tired. She loves her grandchil-dren very much and knows that breastfeeding is best for them. I don’t knowwhat I would do without her!” ■

AUDREY HESS

PROUD GRANDMA —Grandma Barbara with the new baby.

FAMILY AFFAIR — Momshows off her twobreastfed children.

AWARD-WINNING MOMENT — Dr. HeidiSwanson, MD, IBCLC (enter) accepts heraward, as she is surrounded by (left toright) Nellie Wianco, IBCLC; Becky Ulke,IBCLC; Mary Ufnar, IBCLC, RN; andKathryn South, MS, RD, LDN.

MID-ATLANTIC REGION CELEBRATES BREASTFEEDING IN STYLE

NEW JERSEY’S ST. JOSEPH’S WIC CELEBRATES WORLD BREASTFEEDING WEEKBy Opal Horvat, IBCLC, Breastfeeding Manager

St. Joseph’s WIC Program in northern New Jersey celebrated World Breastfeeding Week with parties,balloons and gifts for our WIC moms. On two days in two different administrative sites, healthyrefreshments were served to participants and they went home with little t-shirts for baby that said,

“I love Breastmilk” and “I eat at Mom’s” (in Spanish). Moms also took away photo frame magnets withbreastfeeding sayings of encouragement, as well as certificates honoring their breastfeeding efforts.

Big bright balloons sent the message to all that “Babies were Born to be Breastfed” and “BreastfeedingDoes a World of Good.” ■

WIC EMPLOYEE’S DAUGHTER DEVELOPS BREASTFEEDING

BUMPER STICKERBy Alma L. Ortega, Outreach Nutritionist

Kathyria Nieves-Colon prepared the artistic concept for thePuerto Rico WIC ProgramBreastfeeding Division

bumper sticker. She is the daugh-ter of the Puerto Rico WICProgram Breastfeeding Divisionsecretary, Migdalia Colon.

Kathyria’s idea was then fur-ther developed for print by ourgraphic artist, Fernando Roque.

We are proud that our WICbreastfeeding work impacts ourfamilies too. ■

“GOING FOR THE ‘GOLD” AS LOCAL WV MOMS CELEBRATE

BREASTFEEDING IN WHEELING-OHIO COUNTYBy Tammy Amos, Local Agency Outreach Coordinator

The Wheeling-Ohio CountyHealth

Department WICProgram, which servesfamilies in theNorthern Panhandleof WV, participated orhosted activities tohonor breastfeedingmoms. Ohio Countyhad a celebration withfood, games andprizes, as did Marshalland Wetzel-Tylercounties. Hancock andBrooke County hon-ored their breastfeed-ing moms, too. The WIC offices received donations from local business-es and community organizations to fund their celebrations.

The “Going for the Gold” theme tied in with the Summer Olympics,which also began in August. When training to be an Olympic athlete,competitors put in long hours of grueling work to achieve a stellar physi-cal condition. Their preparation includes getting optimal nutrition.Breastfeeding mothers also put in long hours, and they have to take careof themselves and their infant by getting the best nutrition possible. Likeathletes, breastfeeding moms also need support to be successful, whichis where their families, lactation consultants and WIC peer counselorscome in.

Jill Beaver said she appreciates the support of the WIC staff. Beaverbreastfeeds her seven-week-old daughter, Kendra, and she attended theOhio County WIC Breastfeeding Week celebration. “It’s nice to havethat pat on the back because (breastfeeding is) not one of the easiestthings to start doing. It is very time consuming. Yes, the breastmilk isalways the right temperature and always ready, but it’s that every two-to-three-hour feeding as opposed to the four-to-five hour with formula,”said Beaver, who did not breastfeed her sons, who are now 10 and 5.

The Ohio Valley Breastfeeding Coalition sponsored a Walk to SupportBreastfeeding that drew a record crowd while WIC Programs in Ohiooffered a Mom’s Day Out and a luau. These joint efforts illustrated thesuccess that can occur by partnering to support mothers as well as rec-ognizing mothers offering their children the best with breastmilk. ■

WEST VIRGINIA’S VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEMS WIC HOSTS

GOLD MEDAL MOMS LUNCHEON FOR BREASTFEEDING WEEKBy Christine Compton, Breastfeeding Peer CounselorWV Valley Health Systems WIC Program

World Breastfeeding Week started the month of August at theKanawha WIC office in WV. The peer counselors and lacta-tion consultants hosted a Gold Medal Moms Luncheon to

honor breastfeeding moms and their supporters. A new format wasadopted for the celebration, which was an “invitation-only” event.Mothers that did not receive any formula for the first six months ofthe child’s life were selected to come to the luncheon.

Moms, babies, dads, siblings and grandmothers filled the educa-tion room to share stories, great food and fun. Mothers received goldnecklaces and gold chocolate coins in honor of being “gold medalmoms.“ The theme was chosen to tie into the 2008 worldwide themeand to play off of the Olympic Games that began just days after thislocal event. Several Olympic-themed games were also played,including a one-armed diapering contest using dolls, a word-searchof Olympic sport names written into a short story about breastfeed-ing, and a famous mother’s word scramble contest. Numerous prizeswere donated by area merchants and everyone who attendedreceived at least one present. A special distinction was even made toa family of four (including mom, dad, big sister and currently breast-feeding baby sister) that chose to spend their 10th wedding anniver-sary with us that day.

These Gold Medal Moms truly showed that going the extra milefor their child was well worth it! ■

MOTHER’S DAY IN AUGUST — The Marshall CountyWIC clinic celebrated World Breastfeeding Week with a special Mom’s Day Out including refreshmentsdonated by local businesses, plus games and donatedprizes.

ARTISTIC INSPIRATION — KathyriaNieves-Colon (below) and herbumper sticker design.

MOMMIES MAKE THE BEST MILK IN RANDOLPH ELKINS (WV) WIC

To celebrate World Breastfeeding Week, the Randolph-Elkins WIC Program inElkins, WV, held an open house. Breastfeeding information was available,videos supporting breastfeeding were shown, refreshments were served and a

door prize with a breastfeeding message was given to all participants.Participants went to different stations where community agencies including

Appalachian Community Health Children’s Outreach, Early HeadStart, Mountain HeartChildcare Resource and Referral Center, Right From the Start/Hapi Project, WestVirginia Birth to Three, Women’s Aid in Crisis Domestic Violence Center and YouthHealth Services provided information on their benefits available for families. Theseagencies were appreciative of the contacts made to increase enrollment in their programs as well as assistance in continuing to build collaborative partnerships for service coordination.

The outcome was positive as parents received information in a friendly, nurturingenvironment in order to make decisions about the care of their families. Breastfeedingis a wonderful gift! ■

EARLY HEADSTART OFFERS EARLY INTRODUCTION TO ITSPROGRAM — Staff from Early HeadStart participated in anopen house hosted by Randolph-Elkins WIC Program to shareinformation for families to make an informed decision.

7

BEAUTIFUL BEGINNINGS CLUB AT DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA WICBy Akua Woolbright, PhD, Public Health Nutritionist andBreastfeeding Coordinator

The District of Columbia WICProgram has a most appeal-ing club for breastfeeding

moms. It is called the BeautifulBeginnings Club, and it teachesour moms about breastfeedingtechniques, proper positioning andfrequency. During the meetings,moms also learn about nutritionand eating habits for better breast-feeding results, while making newfriendships.

Gwen West is the LactationConsultant, and Joyce Hayes andLisle Turner are the Breastfeeding Peer Counselors facilitating theseactivities. Many of our classes are bilingual and held in both Spanishand English. Some special activities DC WIC pregnant and breast-feeding mothers are able to participate in include: receptions wheremothers who breastfeed for six months or longer are honored andgiven certificates, the annual Get Fresh Festival, Mother’s Day cele-brations, baby showers, and holiday festivities. In addition to havinglots of fun at these events, mothers receive information about breast-feeding and are able to share their personal experiences.

We want to congratulate our DC WIC breastfeeding support stafffor helping mothers give their babies the best food possible which isbreastmilk. ■

ANNUAL BREASTFEEDING CELEBRATION IN

MARYLAND’S HARFORD COUNTYBy Mary Noppenberger, RD, CoordinatorHarford County WIC Program

More than 70 mothers attended the annualbreastfeeding celebration at the UpperChesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air,

Maryland on August 5. In attendance at the cele-bration were Maryland WIC Program DirectorKathy Knolhoff, Maryland BreastfeedingPromotion Coordinator Amy Resnik, and ActingHealth Officer for Harford County HealthDepartment Susan Kelly. New WIC BreastfeedingPeer Counselors Stephanie Hazzard and AngelaChrisikos were awarded their certificates for com-pletion of the Peer Counselor Training Program.

What a joy it was to see so many happy,healthy babies and mothers gathered to celebratebreastfeeding! This annual event really showcas-es the results that the WIC peer counselorsachieve in coordination with the local hospital.The celebration is an outgrowth of ongoingbreastfeeding support groups held every Tuesdayand Thursday. The group continues to grow – at any given meeting, there are 20 to 30 mothersand babies who come for encouragement andassistance with problem-solving from the peercounselors, hospital lactation consultants, andeach other. The hospital’s administrators increas-ingly recognize the value of the support group, as mothers keep coming back with each newbaby. ■

8

GOING FOR THE GOLD IN MARYLAND’S MONTGOMERY

COUNTY WICBy Katie Rodriguez, Nutrition Assistant, Montgomery County WIC Program

Maryland’s Montgomery County WIC Program celebratedBreastfeeding Awareness Month in August by holding a breastfeed-ing poster competition between its five clinics. Since the Summer

Olympics were occurring, the message “Go for the Gold!” was chosen asthe theme for the posters.

The Gaithersburg WIC clinic won first prize in the competition. Whentrying to come up with ideas for the poster, the Gaithersburg staff memberslooked at what the Olympics represented to them. The Olympics aren’t justabout being the best in one’s sport and winning. It’s about many differentraces, ethnicities, and cultures coming together to complete a task and dotheir best. And it’s about teamwork. This is also true of breastfeeding. Nomatter what a mother’s race or ethnicity, she can go for the gold by breast-feeding her child. The Gaithersburg clinic poster showed the intertwinedfive rings of the Olympics which represent the 5 continents participating inthe Olympics and the meeting of athletes from around the world. Theposter displayed photos of babies from different races and highlighted thebenefits of breastfeeding – or how the mother and child both “win” whenthey breastfeed as a breastfeeding “team.”

Montgomery County WIC’s Breastfeeding Month activities culminatedwith its annual breastfeeding shower/picnic aimed at promoting breastfeed-ing to pregnant women. There were food, games, raffles, children’s activi-ties, and discussions led by WIC breastfeeding peer counselors. Many dif-ferent vendors donated food or prizes that were given away. Breastfeedingmothers were recognized with certificates for going for the gold. Both theposter contest and the picnic showcased Montgomery County WIC team-work in working to promote and support breastfeeding. ■

MEET DELAWARE WIC’S NEW CASTLE COUNTY (DE) BREASTFEEDING COORDINATORBy Desiree Garcia

The ball hit the floor and the whistle blew.The game was over... and so were myvolleyball playing days... or so I thought.

I was fighting to hold back the tears in my eyesas I made my way slowly toward the lockerroom when I was approached by a womanholding a notebook. She kindly introducedherself as the head volleyball coach forIndependence Community College in Kansas.She indicated that she was very interested inme playing for her team and was willing tooffer me a scholarship.

It was an easy decision to sign with thePirates — volleyball and education — twogreat pursuits to continue. After two fun andsuccessful seasons on and off the court, mygoal to attain an Associate’s degree and returnhome to Las Vegas, New Mexico (yes, that’sNew Mexico — population 14,000 — a littlesmaller than the similar named city in Nevada)was realized. All was going as planned and Iwas prepared to pursue a Bachelor’s degreefrom our local university.

However, as the magnet reads, “We planand God laughs” and another door opened forme. I received an unexpected academic andathletic scholarship invitation to play volleyballfor Delaware State University. And, once again,two more years came and went. Other thanwaiting for that Olympic phone call, definitely

not a reality or even a goal, my volleyballcareer was officially over and I was able to re-direct my passion to Nutrition.

Upon earning my Bachelor’s degree inFood, Nutrition, and Dietetics, I returned to thewest, ending up in Arizona, where my fatherresides. But this time, I was not alone. George,my soon-to-be-husband and a four-year schol-arship football player who I met at Del State,was with me.

I was fortunate to gain employment in theCounty Health Department’s WIC Programwhere my skills and knowledge were furtherenhanced. I found my experience there to bevery useful as I was blessed to become a newmother. I found it fulfilling to share my breast-feeding experience and knowledge, as aCertified Breastfeeding Counselor, to assistmothers in finding the joy of breastfeeding.

George’s career has brought us back to hishome state of Delaware and another door hasopened for me. I am happy to be back with theWIC Program as the Breastfeeding Coordinator.I can say that it is a true pleasure to work withsuch a great group of professionals, dedicatedto serving our clients and the citizens ofDelaware, and I look forward to working withour team and serving the WIC community formany years to come. ■

MID-ATLANTIC REGION CELEBRATES BREASTFEEDING IN STYLE

MOMS STICK TOGETHER —These DC WIC moms are takingpart in one of the many breast-feeding events hosted by theBeautiful Beginnings Club.

PA’S ADAGIO WIC STAFF ATTEND GUIDED GOAL-SETTING TRAININGBy Barbara Jinar, CLE, IBCLC, Outreach Coordinator, Adagio Health/WIC Program

Adagio Health staff recently attended“Guided Goal-Setting” training. The loca-tion for this training was at the Adagio

Health Natrona Heights Training/ConferenceCenter. The training was part of a three-year(2005 – 2008) $370,000 USDA grant awarded tothe PA Department of Health WIC Program. Thethree Indiana University of Pennsylvania facultymembers included Stephanie Taylor-Davis, PhD,RD, LDN (principal investigator); Mia M. Barker,PhD (co-investigator), both in the Department ofFood and Nutrition; and William F. Barker, PhD(co-investigator), Department of Educational andSchool Psychology Development. The trainingwas based on “Evaluation of Guided Goal Setting(GGS) as a Behavior Change Approach andMonitoring Protocol in Pennsylvania WIC.”

The purpose of this grant was to enhance thequality of WIC services and further Value-Enhanced Nutrition Assessment (VENA) initiativesthrough an evaluated and measurable, participant-centered nutrition education counseling approachthat empowers participants to actively engage in nutritionist-guided food-based change toimprove lifetime nutrition and health behaviors. Using information obtained from the PA stateagency staff, local agency directors, nutrition education coordinators, and WIC nutritionists; aGuided Goal Setting (GGS) Practices Training Module and accompanying assessment instru-ments will be developed, implemented, and evaluated to assess the utility of this nutrition edu-cation counseling approach in WIC. These modules will serve as a model to illustrate for WICnutritionists how to incorporate GGS to facilitate virtually any food-based nutrition educationmessage or behavior change goal. In addition to evaluating improvements in staff competencyrelated to GGS, an experimental component will be employed to examine the benefit of struc-tured reinforcement protocols with GGS. ■

TRAINING IN PROGRESS — Attendees at theGoal-Setting Training were (back row, left toright): William F. Barker, PhD; CassondraBurgess, MS, RD, LDN; (front row, left toright) Mia Barker, PhD; Pao Ying Hsiao, MS,RD, LDN; Stephanie Taylor Davis, PhD, RD,LDN; Julie Slinn, RD, LDN, WIC OperationsManager; Barb Jinar, CLE, IBCLC, OutreachCoordinator; Karen Virostek, MS, RD, FADA,LDN, Director of Nutrition Services; JohnMerola, WIC Quality Assurance; and MegenErwine, RD, LDN, Nutrition Ed Coordinator.

PENNSYLVANIA’S FAYETTE COUNTY WIC REACHES OUTBy Betty Zackal, WIC Director, Fayette County Community Action Agency, Inc.

“Carnival Day”

Pennsylvania’s Fayette County Community ActionAgency, Inc. (FCCAA) joined Uniontown Children’sPublic Library for the culmination of the library’s

summer reading program on August 14. The CarnivalEvent had many activities for the local children. FCCAAWIC staff assisted children in playing Cornhole Jr. withfruit and vegetable beanbags. The children decided whichbeanbag was a fruit and which a vegetable and tossedthem into the appropriate hole. In addition, there wasface-painting, bowling, mini-basketball throw, ice creamsundae making and more. Fruit and vegetable coloringbooks were distributed, as well as informational brochures from localservice agencies. The children received tickets that were entered intodrawings for prizes at each station as they participated in the activity.

A total of 150 children and adults attended this wonderful event.

Healthy Living Expos Health Fair

FCCAA WIC reached out to the community September 5 and 6,during the Uniontown Mall Healthy Living Expos Health Fair.Nutritionists Maria Cavanagh and Mary J. Hepburn, Nutrition

Aides Lynn Palmer and Audra Kenney, and WIC Director Betty Zackalwere available at the mall to answer questions about the WICProgram and to do on-site applications.

Fourteen local health-related agencies participated in the event. Fayette County WIC dis-tributed canvas tote bags, as well as informational brochures on WIC and nutrition. WICexhibited on both days from 10 am until 9 pm. The mall event coordinator stated that a totalof 19,000 people were at the mall for the combined two days. Great outreach opportunity! ■

CARNIVAL TO REMEMBER — WICstaff (left to right) Janice Smiley,Nutrition Aide, and Betty Zackal, WICDirector/Outreach Coordinator workthe games during the library’s event.

TRAINING IS GRAND — Taking part in the MarylandWIC Training Center Annex Grand Opening are (left toright) Carol Bass, Director, Garrett County (Maryland)WIC Program; Debra R. Whitford, Chief, Policy andProgram Development Branch, Supplemental FoodPrograms Division, USDA Food and Nutrition Service;Diane Aversa, Chief, Financial and ContractManagement, Office of the Maryland WIC Program;and Diane Limbacher, Director, USDA Mid-AtlanticRegional Office.

WIC DIRECTOR BETTY ZACKAL

MARYLAND WIC TRAINING CENTER

ANNEX CELEBRATES GRAND OPENINGBy Ellen Hisamoto, RD, LDNMaryland Training Center Coordinator

The Grand Opening of the Maryland WICTraining Center Annex was held onOctober 15 with the Local Agency WIC

Coordinators, WIC State Agency staff, CCI-Montgomery County WIC Program staff, and representatives from the USDA National and Mid-Atlantic Regional Offices in attendance. The Training Center Annex is located at 9001Edmonston Road in Greenbelt, easily accessiblefrom the Capital Beltway (I-495), the Baltimore-Washington Parkway (MD 295) and I95.

The “Annex” was created in collaborationwith the CCI WIC local agency to provide forexpansion of the Maryland WIC Program’s stafftraining program beyond what is offered at itsTraining and Temporary Services Center inBrooklyn Park. Since that Training Center openedin August of 2006, WIC WISE training has pre-pared new and temporary staff to perform WICcertification and nutrition education responsibili-ties using the information system. Last February,an additional week was added in which the sameemployees return four weeks later for training oninfant and child nutrition, prenatal and postpar-tum nutrition, and breastfeeding with emphasis ondevelopment of effective counseling skills.

The Annex will facilitate provision of thisexpanded training and allow for continuedexpansion. “WIC WISE 1” will continue to beheld at the original Training Center; “WIC WISE2” will be held at the Training Center Annex.Many other meetings/trainings will be scheduledthere, for example, Local Agency Coordinators’meetings, WIC Advisory Council meetings,Nutritionists’ and Breastfeeding Coordinators’meetings, committee meetings, WIC vendor train-ings, and dietetic intern classes. Maryland WICalso looks forward to hosting regional meetings atthe Annex, which can accommodate groups aslarge as 50. Twenty training laptops onsite, inter-active SMARTboard technology, and videoconfer-encing capability, as well as co-location with CCIWIC’s new Greenbelt clinic, will allow for theprovision of unique training opportunities. ■

9

WEST VIRGINIA WIC BOASTS NWA CALENDAR WINNERSBy Christine Compton, Breastfeeding Peer CounselorValley Health Systems WIC Program

For the third straight year, the NationalWIC Association’s Calendar ArtCompetition was a big success! The

National WIC Association invited childrenfrom all clinics to participate in itsChildren’s Art Competition for the 2009Nutrition Education Calendar. The contestwelcomed more than 300 entries!

Several West Virginia children will behighlighted in the new edition of the NWAcalendar. The Boone County WIC Programhad four winners for the 2009 edition:Emma and Caitlyn Mulligan, Paige Ferrelland Keirsten Bassham. The children werehonored recently with a celebration at theclinic site. They also each won a $50 giftbasket from Scholastic Books.

The Mulligan girls, co-winners and sis-ters, Emma (age 4) and Caitlyn (age 7),were very excited to win. The girls’ broth-er, Nikoles Mulligan and Mikayla Chandlerwon last year’s contest. This made the girlseven more determined to make a goodshowing this time around.

Paige Ferrell (age 5) enjoys dancing andcheering for fun. Her family has participat-ed in WIC on and off for seven years.Keirsten Bassham (age 5) enjoys playing dress up and outside activities like swim-ming and riding her bike. She wants to be a cowgirl or a cop when she grows up.Her family has participated in WIC for eight years. Keirsten’s mother, Christina,says, “WIC is a really big help for families that need it. It’s wonderful – a great pro-gram! I really love the way they interact with the kids.”

The 2009 NWA wall calendar, “Steps to a Healthier Family,” features beautifulfull-color artwork created by WIC children from across the country. The calendaroffers WIC participants ideas on how achieve health goals. It provides physicalactivity, health, and nutrition information to help WIC parents care for their chil-dren. A quiz is featured each month to engage participants in active learning.Healthy and easy-to-make recipes using the new WIC foods are presented toencourage family meals. ■

HERE’S WHAT’S HAPPENING AT PENNSYLVANIA’SHOME NURSING AGENCY WICBy Diana Wallace, RN, WIC Director

Children’s Book Drive atPA’s Home NursingAgency WIC

Pennsylvania’s HomeNursing Agency(HNA) WIC Program

(Blair and Centre counties)participants recently bene-fited from a donation ofover 400 books for chil-dren and families. Thesebooks were donated aspart of a project designedand presented by KristinaScanlan, daughter ofHNA’s Director of Human Resources.

Kristina is a 2008 graduate of Central Cambria HighSchool and is currently attending Westminster College,majoring in Neuroscience. Kristina is a Senior Girl Scoutof Troop 719 of the Talus Rock Council and a participantof Governor Rendell’s Healthcare School of ExcellenceProject. She used the project to achieve her Gold Awardand to complete her community education projectrequirements through the Healthcare School ofExcellence.

Kristina developed an interactive educational programon healthy eating habits and exercises and then proceed-ed to present the program to over 500 children in ele-mentary school classrooms, Brownie and Jr. Girl ScoutTroops.

The response to her program was excellent. Kristinamet with HNA WIC staff to discuss her plans for the pro-ject. She designed a comprehensive program that wasfun, interactive and specific to her audience. The chil-dren loved the program and Kristina had many requeststo present it. As part of the project, she asked groupswho received the program, to donate books to be distrib-uted to our WIC families.

Kristina is to be congratulated for her innovation, creativity and commitment to excellence. We want toextend our congratulations to Kristina and our best wishes for her future. We also want to say thank you on behalf of our WIC families who received all of thewonderful books that were donated.

Cooking with First-Time Moms at Pennsylvania’s Home Nursing WIC

HNA staff recently partnered with PennsylvaniaState University Cooperative Extension’s ExpandedFood and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP)

and HNA Nurse Family Partnership Program to conduct aseries of cooking classes for first-time moms. The fourclasses were held at the WIC office over a four-weekperiod and focused on healthy eating, food safety andserving a variety of foods from all of the food groups.

Each class began with a series of stretching exercisesto get everyone up and moving! The participants pre-pared all of the food for the meals and everyone ate ameal together at the end of each class. The attendancewas excellent and fun was had by all! ■

WINNERS TABLE—From left to right,Paige Ferrell, Caitlyn Mulligan andEmma Mulligan enjoyed a WIC-style celebration for their honored artwork inNational WIC Association 2009 Calendar.

IT’S ALL IN THE FAMILY—MikayalaChandler and Nikoles Mulligan won the2008 National WIC Association CalendarArt Competition. Four children in thefamily are now winners in this annualevent!

NEW JERSEY’S CAMDEN COUNTY HAS AN NWA 2009 CALENDAR WINNERBy Kathy Kachur, WIC Coordinator

New Jersey’s Camden County Health and Human Services WIC Program wasnotified this summer that one of our children’s drawings was selected byNational WIC Association (NWA) as a runner-up in the annual Calendar

Drawing Competition for 2009.A drawing by Elisha Govan, age 5, was selected for the wall and pocket calen-

dar for the month of April. NWAreceived over 300 drawings fromchildren all over the country forthis calendar competition.

The NWA awarded Elisha agift basket of books fromScholastic, Inc. Elisha’s family,mom Tamia, sister Miah-Reeseand brother Judah came to WICto pick up his prize since Elishais now in school.

Congratulations to Elisha and his family for the winningdrawing. ■

KRISTINA SCANLAN

WE HAVE A WINNER — Picking up Calendar winnerElisha Govan’s prizes are (left to right) sister Miah-Reese, mom Tamia, and brother Judah. Elishaattends school and could not pick it up himself.

10

WEST VIRGINIA’S VALLEY HEALTH SYSTEMS

CABELL COUNTY WIC CLINIC SUPPORTS

“TAKE A FLOWER TO CHILDCARE” DAYBy Jenna Rose, MA, RD, LDNutrition and Outreach Coordinator

WV KIDS COUNT set aside Tuesday,October 21 as a special day to show howmuch we support and appreciate child-

care providers. On this day, parents, children andcommunity leaders were asked to take a flower toa childcare provider in appreciation for the workthey do with our children. The flower could bedrawn, made out of paper, or be a real or artificialflower.

Since so many WIC participants rely on child-care providers, for one month the Valley HealthSystems Cabell County clinic facilitated partici-pants making a flower before they left a nutritioneducation contact so the children could contributeto the recognition of their childcare provider. Thechildren and parents made flowers from pipecleaners, foam, and Cheerios. Approximately 25flowers were displayed on a poster reading, “WICchildren appreciate all of the hard work you do.They made these flowers especially for you. Thankyou from all of us atWIC.”

CommunityOutreach LiaisonSherii Carpenterdelivered the postersto 10 daycare facili-ties in Cabell County,along with WICbrochures. The day-care centers werevery appreciative andhung the posters.This outreach projectwas a good network-ing tool and hopefullyas they see theposters at their cen-ters they will remem-ber to refer to WIC. ■

PENNSYLVANIA’S ADAGIO HEALTH OPEN HOUSE WAS A GREAT SUCCESS!By Barbara Jinar, CLE, IBCLC, Outreach Coordinator, Adagio Health WIC Program

The Adagio Health WIC Programhosted a Community Open Housefor their new office in Kittanning,

Pennsylvania. When we say “new” office,we mean that literally. The landlordworked with the Adagio staff to design abuilding specifically to serve WIC cus-tomers in an attractive, flow-efficientfriendly area. The facility includes officesfor the nutritionists, a lab, a check distrib-ution area, a nutrition education room,and a waiting room with a play area.There is also a breastfeeding peer coun-selor office where mothers can nurse theirbabies. The lab is bright and child-friend-ly with primary colors and a jungle border. The check distribution area is very convenientas it has access to both the nutrition education room and the waiting area.

Replicating the other Adagio Health WIC offices, the Kittanning WIC office has a TotalNutrition Time (TNT) Zone. The area is equipped with computers from which customersmay access over 50 different Nutrition Education modules on CDs. Using this tool fornutrition education enables staff to individualize nutrition education to each participant foreach visit. The TNT Zone also permits enhanced flexibility for customers to schedule theirWIC appointments. The TNT Zone has large areas of display space for nutrition educationdisplays, supporting education materials and for referral materials for local agencies and programs. The TNT Zone includes its own wall-mounted play area to entertain thechildren while the adults learn about nutrition.

More than 50 leaders of the community attended the July 23 Open House and were pleased to support the “pride” of the WIC staff and WIC customers in their new surroundings. ■

MARWIC TIMES Calendar ■ ADA Public Policy Workshop, “Champion Nutrition.” Renaissance Washington, DC

Hotel. Washington, DC. February 8-10.

■ American Heart Association Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism Conference.Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club. Palm Harbor, FL. March 10-12.

■ Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE). Denver, CO. October 17- 20.

■ The deadline for the Spring issue of MARWIC TIMES is February 17, 2009. Pleasesubmit articles, photos and calendar events to your State editor. No Polaroid pictures used. 5” x 7” digital photos (saved as JPGs, please) preferred. All photographs must include a detailed caption.

SUPPORTING THOSEOFTEN TAKEN FOR GRANTED — WIC partici-pant Christian Clagg andhis mother Tiffany taketime following a nutritioneducation class to make aflower in support of “Take aFlower to Childcare” Day.

OPEN HOUSE — Among those attending the OpenHouse were (left to right) Patricia L. Kirkpatrick,County Commissioner; Debbie Eberle, RD, LDN,WIC Office Manager; Mary Good, Medical OfficeManager; and Jim Skahill, County Commissioner.

received the most votes. 20,000 copies of Marsupial Sue for each state are heading tochildren in need in Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Carolina, West Virginia and Alabama.The West Virginia WIC Program was chosen to receive books from this special donation asa result of being registered with First Book, and at least 80% of the children the programserves are from low-income families.

“We’ve been involved with First Book in the past, and I’m honored to have our programchosen in this Book Donation Challenge,” said Denise Ferris, WV WIC Director. “Theirenthusiasm for books and encouraging children to enjoy reading really resonates with us atWIC, and we are excited to have a popular children’s book available for WIC partici-pants.”

Over the past six years, through the Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories program, Cheerioshas distributed more than 30 million books free inside cereal boxes, and has donated morethan $2.5 million to First Book to help get books to children from low-income families.During the past two years, Cheerios also worked with First Book to donate a year’s worthof books to each child participating in one of 100 selected reading programs across thecountry. For more information, see www.spoonfulofstories.com. ■

WV WIC Program continued from page 1

responsibilities. There are also14 weeks for twooff-site rotations, foodservice management (sixweeks) and clinical (eight weeks). Examples ofscheduled rotations are Food and Friends inWashington, DC, Harford County (MD) PublicSchools, Fairfax County (VA) Public Schools, andMontgomery General Hospital in Olney, MD.

The program provides a broad-based, super-vised experience designed to meet theCommission on Accreditation for DieteticsEducation’s (CADE) core competencies requiredfor performance as an entry-level dietitian. TheMaryland interns are excited to be the first groupfrom Maryland to participate in the dietetic intern-ship program and look forward to the opportuni-ties it will bring. ■

A Great New Partnership continued from page 1

11

New Jersey State Department of Health - WICPO Box 364Trenton, NJ 08625-0364

West Virginia celebrated her 145th birthday Friday, June 20, 2008. To paytribute and educate families, the Shenandoah Valley WIC Program joinedforces with other family-friendly agencies of the Eastern Panhandle at the

West Virginia Welcome Center in Martinsburg, WV. While representing the won-derful state of WV, employees had the opportunity to also remind patrons from various states that the benefits of WIC are available nationwide!

Informational materials were offered in promotional bags stuffed with dona-tions such as electrical plug protectors from Hemocue, Lincoln Financial paper-weight-sized pennies and Safety Council identity brochures. General Mills donat-ed individual serving sized WIC-approved cereals which are always handy whentraveling with kids. Modern Woodmen of America donated coloring books,jump ropes, activity sheets, pens, pencils, potholders, and bibs which benefitedchildren of all ages and abilities.

The Shenandoah Valley WIC mobile unit drew the attention of all types offamilies with its colorful emotion-based messaging while all agencies had activi-ties to offer restless travelers. Smokey the Bear greeted children while parents viewed tourist information offered by the WV Division of Parks and Recreation. The Chamber of Commerce and Cracker Barrel shared the history of the area, while Boy Scouts presented free hot dogs and food for donations. The Welcome Center hosted a birthday party complete with cake and juice while Mother Nature put forwardpleasant weather!

To highlight the mission of WIC, as well as grant the entertainment of the day, Shenandoah Valley WIC Director Mitchell Greenbaum displayed his energy by engaging children in physical activity. As he began to jump rope, kids swarmed to get in on the fun while parents rolled with full belly laughs, and travelers without children stopped to watch the lively competition! ■

WEST VIRGINIA’S SHENANDOAH VALLEY WIC CELEBRATES WEST VIRGINIA DAY WITH A UNIQUE APPROACH TO OUTREACHBy Pamela Riggleman, Local Agency Outreach Coordinator

THE RIGHT AND WRONG WAY TO USE A JUMP ROPE — BoyScouts Dustin and Joey Ashton of Hedgesville, WV (photo at left)practice the square knot on each other even though it proves notto be as much fun as burning calories fast like CalvennaShinholster and Ntayez Smith of Union, NJ (photo at right).

HALLOWEEN, BURLINGTON (NJ) WIC-STYLE

New Jersey’s Burlington County WIC Program entertained WIC participants during their appointments on Halloween. Pictured here is the staff who worecostumes: Program Nutritionists Nkechi Okoye and Heather Brown; and Clinic

Attendants Ginger Nielsen, Michelle Phillips and Cheryl Wallace. The WIC childrenenjoyed the day. ■