One Hope United Recipient Of $18,300 Grant

From The Community Foundation Of The Fox River Valley

CHICAGO (June 26, 2014) – The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley has named One Hope United as a grant recipient for 2014.  The $18,300 award supports the Aurora Early Learning Center’s Healthy Lifestyles curriculum through the resurfacing of a state-of-the-art playground area.

“This grant from the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley ensures that One Hope United’s Aurora Early Learning Center continues to provide top-notch programs designed to improve the health and wellness of every child we serve,” says One Hope United Northern Region Executive Director Mark McHugh.  “At a time when childhood obesity and a lack of access to regular physical exercise are affecting the most critical years of a child’s development, One Hope United is proud to be leading the charge on providing children with healthy habits that we hope will last a lifetime.”

The Healthy Lifestyles curriculum is designed to help children develop healthy routines and activities by emphasizing proper nutrition, daily exercise and protecting our environment by recycling, reducing and reusing.  All food served at the Aurora Early Learning Center is cooked on-site, allowing the center to serve healthier food and cater to children’s taste preferences.

 The Aurora Early Learning Center serves over 330 children and their families annually, providing the highest quality early learning and parental support services.  In addition to the playground, the center has a garden where children plant, care for and harvest vegetables and flowers that are shared with their families. The center also provides services such as free museum passes and exercise classes.

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About One Hope United

One Hope United is a private human service organization that offers a diverse array of early childhood education, prevention, intervention and community-based programs. The agency serves thousands of children and families with a vision of ensuring the successful transition of our children to healthy and productive adults. http://onehopeunited.wpengine.com

About the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley

The Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley is a non-profit, tax-exempt, philanthropic organization that administers individual charitable funds from which grants and scholarships are distributed to benefit the citizens of the Greater Aurora Area, the TriCities and Kendall County, Illinois. For more information on the Community Foundation, please visit its website at www.CommunityFoundationFRV.org