I spent the day yesterday visiting the 4-H camp I went to as a child. The Foundation I run is currently funding a component of their summer camp on health and fitness and they asked me to come up and see it in action. Site visits are pretty telling. And, they are time consuming. But, usually... they are worth the visit.
In this particular case, the three hour drive to get to Camp Grant Walker seemed worth it. I was a two-time alum (4th and 6th grade visits) and very curious about how it looked 25 years later.
It was exciting to see the camp grounds again and visit the archery field where I once (twice, thirty times) tried to shoot a bow and arrow. And, the dance pavilion made me very nostalgic. I remember evenings there with "Almost Paradise" playing as I wondered if any boy would ask me to dance. I have fond memories of my time at camp.
And even though I was heavier than most of the kids then, I remember being active there. Swimming, running, playing. I don't remember feeling especially fat. I remember feeling great there.
My site visit was rolling along and I was going into one of the classes where they taught the kids about nutrition. They were talking about calcium and how important it is for the body and our bones. And, guess what they were making with calcium in it? Homemade ice cream! Made with real half and half. And, lots of sugar. Ugggh. Ice cream. Certainly, making ice cream at a camp is fun. And, trust me.. those kids licked up every bite. But, there are so many other things that could demonstrate the importance of calcium. Right? I now feel like a contributor to obesity in children rather than a program that is working to fight it. Frustrating. I try to not get too angry.
We enter the next room. They are teaching kids about all of the various careers having to do with nutrition. Dietician, nutrition, chef, etc. Each day they do a different one and the kids learn something about that particular career. The career of the day was.... cookie decorator, of course. And, all the children were decorating cookies! Again, feeling a bit like perhaps this was not the true intent of the dollars.
On the long drive home from camp, I thought.... a lot. I was quite perplexed by this. I was angry at the camp that had offered me such incredible experiences. By the time I got home I came to a conclusion. I have influence. Not just me as a person, but my role in my company. I have power and I have influence. I can help make change. I can not fund snacks that aren't healthy. I can require all organizations receiving funds adhere to certain standards, certain requirements. A health and fitness program can not have ice cream and cookies as its snacks! It's unacceptable. I can't, in good faith, allow our dollars to go to programs that are contributing to the problem. Even if the children are learning a lot, the bad food is only reinforcing bad choices.
It may be a long time before I'm asked to go camping again.
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