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Youth excited about health

By Katherine Zhang, age 16 | April 27, 2021

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RUNNING YOUR BEST RACE Katherine Zhang, a 10th grader at The Kinkaid School, is a member of the Oliver Foundation Teen Advisory Board. The Teen Board is tasked with energizing the community to make healthier choices.

Life is a whole lot like a race. As a long-distance runner myself, I know this to be true. At the beginning, you feel that rush of adrenaline, the kind of blind courage that makes you willing to face any challenges. Along the way, you realize you’ve got a long way to go. There’s a whole lot more involved with fitness than just workouts. Nutrition, recovery, mental toughness – these are all ingredients to running your best race and living your healthiest life.

I’ve been privileged to have learned the importance of these healthy habits at a young age. But since joining the Oliver Foundation Teen Advisory Board three years ago, I have had the opportunity to use and expand my knowledge.

The Oliver Foundation is a Houston-based non-profit dedicated to the prevention of childhood obesity. It is made of a diverse group of teens looking to energize healthy habits in children through mentoring and community service.

The Teen Board helped create The OrganWise Guys Shorts!, a DVD collection of bite-sized lessons on being healthy, still shown at schools today. Championing the 7 Healthy Choices Messages, the Teen Board lives by the acronym YEAH: Youth Excited About Health.

The Oliver Foundation has taught me leadership skills and formal-meeting conduct from our monthly sessions. We review Healthy Choices Grants, available to teachers and non-profits, which allow local schools to start programs like class gardens and add playground equipment.

The Teen Board also participates in community service projects and speaks at local, state, and national conferences. We mentor and provide innovative, realistic advice to children and teens on how to live a healthier lifestyle.

Joining the Oliver Foundation is only the first step of my personal race, a race to foster a healthier community. To learn more, see oliverfoundation.com or @oliverfoundationteenboard on Instagram.

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