College comes with many choices such as what to eat, what major to choose and how to find a positive self-image. Project Health aims to help students with at least one of these decisions through peer support education.
Project Health’s goal is to strive to promote health and wellness in the UA community specifically among college students.
“Membership is open to all UA students and we recruit heavily on Get on Board Day,” Project Health advisor Michelle Harcrow said.
She said Project Health has a health and wellness fair in the fall, they aid fraternities and sororities in health-related programming, and assist Resident Advisors with health related talks as well.
“Some RA’s ask for us to come and talk with residents about healthy relationships, stress management, or eating healthy,” she said.
Project Health seeks to partner a great deal with organizations that need assistance with health related programming.
Harcrow said they collaborate with campus partners and work with them closely because they also seek to be a health and wellness supportive partner.
Jackie Parks, a former president and current graduate assistant for Project Health said one project they were doing this semester was the healthy bake sale.
“We have numerous things planned for the spring as we plan to recruit again on Get on Board Day,” she said. “We want to expand the bake sale to an entire week in the Ferg.”
She said the purpose of the healthy bake sale is to show students that they can have healthy treats that taste good as well.
Parks became involved with Project Health because she said she was moved by the concept of prevention that this organization promotes.
“I wanted to help educate people and that’s what Project Health does,” she said. “They teach you the damages of things before they become a problem.”
Project Health is an affiliate of the Bacchus Network that works with about a thousand campuses across the US. In 2010, the University’s Project Health organization was named outstanding network affiliate and for the past two years they were given one of the outstanding programming awards.
“For the programming awards, there were nine given out of the 100 to 125 applicants for the awards,” Harcrow said. “I recall the president of Bacchus telling us that we are doing great things here at the University.”
This organization is one of the newer organizations here on campus. Harcrow said she was given the program to restructure about four years ago.
For the spring semester, students can expect to see many health initiatives from Project Health Parks said.
“We have body appreciation week and the fashion show,” she said. “This is a week that promotes loving your body no matter what shape, size, creed or color you are.”
Their members will also put together Healthy Spring Break kits that will include things such as band-aids, Tylenol and information about staying safe over the break.
Students can also get involved with the Beautiful Health Mentoring Program and go to a local middle school to teach the students things to help them grow mentally, socially, and have a healthy regard for other people.
