March 29, 2012 - From Refusing to Eat Carrots to Getting Excited About Kale

As an undergraduate at Brandeis University, Mariah Rich immersed herself in the Waltham community—particularly as a volunteer with Waltham Kids Club (an after-school program for elementary school children in Waltham public housing communities) and as an intern with Healthy Waltham (a civic group in the CDC’s Healthy Communities model that works to improve community health and well-being).

“Over the course of my four years with Kids Club, I observed the challenges faced by many of the children in terms of maintaining a healthy weight,” Rich says. “To address that challenge, I introduced mandatory physical activity into the program and overhauled its Dunkaroos, Doritos, and juice-filled snacks to include whole grains, fresh produce, and water.”

She didn’t stop there. Recognizing an overarching need to address the children’s social and built environments, she worked with Healthy Waltham to start one of the first school gardens in Waltham at the Stanley Elementary School.

“Working with Healthy Waltham, I realized that some of the most powerful interventions are those that engage communities in hands-on, experiential learning,” Rich says. “Combined with educational environmental activities such as taste tests and nature trivia contests, children who refused to eat carrots were transformed into gardeners excited about kale.”

As a Schweitzer Fellow, Rich is continuing her commitment to improving the health and well-being of the Waltham community.

CLICK HERE to read a Five Questions for a Fellow interview with Rich on ASF's official blog.

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