Banking & Finance December 4, 2018 8:26:56 pm

UNC Active Schools receives $1.2M in grants

The University of Northern Colorado’s Active Schools Institute produces a summer camp for elementary students to encourage physical activity. The camp is called Bear Physical Activity Week, or Bear PAW. Courtesy UNC.

By Jensen Werley

GREELEY — The University of Northern Colorado Active Schools Institute was awarded $510,000 in grant funding through the Colorado Health Foundation from 2018-20. This is in addition to the health foundation’s 2016-18 grant of $710,000.

In addition, Active Schools was awarded more than $26,800 in grants from three additional organizations this year: Colorado Education Initiative, Active Schools U.S. and Alliance for a Healthier Generation.

Active Schools uses the money to promote physical activity in community schools.

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“We know active kids do better in school and in life, every day. For youth to benefit, physical activity learning communities must be cultivated and supported,” Russ Carson, founding director of Active Schools, said in a written statement.

The Institute offers continuing education for physical activity leaders, such as a two-year, online-hybrid master’s program, and further assists schools and professional development providers with data and evaluation needs to improve children’s health. Among the institute’s activities has been the Bear Physical Activity Week (Bear PAW) camp, where children in grades K-5 participate in physical activity for a week during the summer.

Active Schools was awarded the Collective Impact Engaged Scholar Award in October by UNC’s Office of Community and Civic Engagement and presented a poster about its involvement at the event. From 2016-18, Active Schools tallied a total of 266 outreach activities involving more than 3,100 participating professionals and more than 500 hours of engagement with Colorado schools.

Active Schools U.S. also presented the UNC Active Schools Institute with one of two annual National Partner of the Year awards this year for its contributions to physical education and physical activity leadership best practices over the past year.

“We’re trying to become a more self-sustaining entity, and it’s saying a lot that we’re getting this amount of funds from so many different sources,” said Michael Capps, Active Schools’ lab manager.