Illini Central students enjoy CATCH Fun Run

[May 23, 2018] 

On Thursday May 17th Illini Central students enjoyed a day of fresh air and sunshine. Grades kindergarten through fifth participated in a CATCH Fun Run celebrating the end of the school year and a successful year of learning about living a more healthy lifestyle.

The Community Approach to Child Health (CATCH) program is sponsored by the Abraham Lincoln Memorial Hospital Community Health Collaborative. The goal is to encourage children, still at a young age, to live a healthier lifestyle by choosing wisely in what they eat and drink, avoiding unhealthy habits, and staying active.

The program is led by Angie Whiteman, often known as the “CATCH Lady.” Whiteman noted during the Fun Run that while she is the CATCH lady – it is the individual schools with their full staff who make the program successful. Whiteman noted that the CATCH program provides a curriculum, but it is the individual teachers who commit to working the CATCH program into their lesson plans, and do the food demonstrations and encourage children to practice a healthy lifestyle including physical activity. She gave big kudos to the schools that are dedicated to helping our children in this manner.

She said that the CATCH program involves all the faculty from bus drivers to custodial to the teachers, school nurse and the principal.

Whiteman said there are 14 schools participating in CATCH this year, and at each school there is a lead team made up of a lead teacher, the school nurse, physical education teacher, cafeteria staff, and a parent leader. At Illini Central that team is Laurie Leslie, Sara Erlandson, Tammy Martin, Tonya Harris and Trisha Bergman.

The Fun Run at Illini Central took place on the school track with several dozen kids participating along with teachers and others. The CATCH program and ALMH provided each student with a race bib, sunglasses, and bottled water.

In all, it was a fun day for the kids, some of whom very much enjoyed hamming it up for the camera as they made their laps.

The kids and teachers also joined together for a large group picture, documenting everyone’s commitment to the program.

[Nila Smith & Mitch Douglas]