Byesville Rotary learns how WIC promotes health for kids and expectant mothers

Pictured: Joe Waske, Byesville Rotary President, Karen St. Clair, WIC Program, and Rich Dair, Speaker Host.

Readings for July 27:

• July Rotarian: pp. 56 and 57, and "Dental health" p. 64.

Board meeting: July 22, 12n at Plus one Pizza.

Karen St. Clair, from the Guernsey County WIC program, spoke to the club about the nutrition education program. WIC is a federal program providing nutrition supplements to people who meet the program guidelines. People eligible for the program include expectant mothers, mothers who are breastfeeding, and parents who have a child under 5 years old. They must also live in Ohio, meet the WIC income guidelines, and have a medical card. To find out more about the Guernsey County program, call 740-439-3577, exts. 242, 248, or 249.

Parents who are interested in the program must interview with a WIC staff member as part of the qualification process. The interview includes a nutrition assessment and a brief health assessment geared toward identifying possible health problems such as a child’s failure to thrive or low blood iron.

Karen stated that the program not only provides monthly food coupons aimed at improving the nutrition of participants’ diets but also provides education about nutrition. WIC staff will recommend changes in diet and issue a food packet of coupons individualized for a family’s specific nutrition needs. The food coupons help a family purchase nutritional food such as cereal, juice, milk, fresh fruit and vegetables.

The program also provides breastfeeding information and support for women who want to breastfeed their new infant. More information about WIC is available at http://www.odh.ohio.gov

In other business, the club voted to donate money to support Kelly DeLancey‘s participation in the Junior Olympic Nationals being held in California, July 27-Aug. 1. Trevor Black reported that the annual golf outing fundraiser earned almost $3500 for the Scholarship Fund. He felt the club can do even better next year by increasing the numbers of teams participating. The clubs next chicken BBQ will be held August 7 at the Rotary gazebo in Byesville.

The club’s next meeting will be 7:30 am, July 27, 2010, at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 (GPS use 60299) Southgate Road, Byesville. Anyone interested in learning more about the Byesville Rotary can call Membership Chairs Marty Patchen, 740-685-3828, or Larry Miller, 740-439-2767