2007 Champions

The Community Wellness Champion Forums are part of a National Prevention Initiative by the Indian Health Service to gather "Promising Practices" in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Local Champions know "what works" in their community and go the extra step to support others to develop healthy families and healthy communities.

Who are Community Wellness Champions? These are the people who are really getting things done and making a difference for healthier families in the communities where they work and live. They are grandparents, fitness leaders, special teachers, community organizers, health workers, parenting instructors, and master gardeners, to name a few. What they share is a commitment to the health of their communities, and the ability to make things happen.

It is often said that "health is created at the community level." Families and communities are like the "kitchen" where wellness is "cooked up" and supported. These Wellness Champions are master cooks in this kitchen; they know how to pull together the right ingredients to get things done at the local level.

We are all aware of the many barriers getting in the way of healthy change in our communities and neighborhoods. Many excellent plans with the best of intentions have been derailed by politics, shortage of resources, turf battles, apathy or misunderstanding. What makes these Community Wellness Champions special is they have overcome these barriers and succeeded where many others have failed. Their knowledge, skills, and experience are valuable tools to help our communities move toward a healthier future.

We brought these locally identified "Community Wellness Champions" together as a group, in order to share what has been working, learn from their experiences, draw lessons for other tribal communities, and develop regional support networks. Now we can share their stories with you.

Click a Champion’s thumbnail to see more about their project.

To download a printable PDF file that includes all the Champions write-ups, click here.
(You must have Adobe Reader® to view PDF files)

Colleen Buckley Breastfeeding Promotion in the Community	Holly Mayer-Taft Community CPR Training	Larry Brown, Jr. Community Volunteer, Rock Creek
Darla McCloskey Comprehensive Approach to Hepatitis C Infection and Treatment	Pamela McCloud Comprehensive School-Based Clinic for STDs	Karen Red Star Elderly Exercise Program / Diabetes Education
Mary Tobacco Health Education for the Oglala Sioux Tribe	Angela Erdrich & Sandeep D. Patel Health in Action - Physicians Promoting Health via Community Outreach Projects	Shannon White Injury Prevention - Ride Safe Program for the Sisseton-Wahpeton Tribe
Randy Bear Ribs Listening Sessions of Standing Rock: Giving the People a Voice to be Heard	Melisa Kitto Mammograms: Early Detection / Early Intervention	Darrel Iron Shield Mi Tawa (That's Mine / I Own It) Project
Richard Allen & Marie Schmit Native Youth Fitness / After School Program	Dr. Mark Butterbrodt, assisted by Elaine Yellow Horse Pine Ridge Fitness Center & Community Garden	Katherine Labonte Rapid City Community Adolescent Obesity Prevention
Terry Friend Rapid HIV Screening at the Lakota Nation Invitational Basketball Tournament	Ron Sully Senior Fitness	Verna F. Moran Special Diabetes Program for Indians
Judy Cuka Tobacco Prevention & Cessation	Jarret Baker & Jared Eagle Trying to Make a Difference in Children's Lives	Julie M. Cain United Tribes Technical College Youth Day at International Powwow
Lisa Schrader-Dillon, Pauletta Red Willow & Alfreda K. Richards-Patton Walk to Iraq & Back Project	Tillie Aldrich & Alena Spears Wellness Challenge

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