New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids – Camden Receives Best Collaborative Effort Award

New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids – Camden Receives Best Collaborative Effort Award

Award recognizes outstanding collaboration in implementing childhood obesity prevention strategies

New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids-Camden (NJPHK-Camden), a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, announced today that it received the “Best Collaborative Effort of the Year” Award by the Non Profit Development Center of Southern New Jersey.

Presented at the inaugural awards and networking event honoring local nonprofit agencies and leaders for excellence in service in South Jersey, NJPHK-Camden was recognized for its outstanding community action in implementing and strengthening childhood obesity prevention strategies to support access to healthy foods and increase opportunities for safe physical activity for children in Camden City.

The NJPHK-Camden is co-directed by United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) in Camden County and the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties.  NJPHK-Camden partnerships include:  Campbell Soup Company, Cooper’s Ferry Partnership,  and Rutgers Cooperative Extension of Camden County.

 “Through the collective actions of local stakeholders who are committed to advancing policy and environmental change in the City of Camden, NJPHK-Camden is creating opportunities for a better life for all of Camden’s youth,” stated Mike Moynihan, executive director, UWGPSNJ in Camden County and co-director NJPHK-Camden. “We are incredibly proud to share in such an innovative partnership that allows us to make a lasting impact that none of us could achieve alone.”

“Our collaborative efforts have resulted in thousands of children benefiting from wellness policies, breakfast in the classrooms, outdoor park renovations and increased use of parks by children and families,” said Tim Kerrihard, president, YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties, and co-director, NJPHK-Camden.

"We are glad to recognize a program which has had a measurable impact on the local community and sets a great example for collaboration in the region," said Ren Cicalese, III, board member of the Non Profit Development Center of Southern New Jersey.

Founded in 2005 to increase donors “social return on investment” and to stimulate new sources of philanthropy in this region, the Nonprofit Development Center of Southern New Jersey provides ideas, resources, and training for nonprofit executives, staff, board members, and volunteers.

About New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids
New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids (NJPHK) is a statewide program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation with technical assistance and direction provided by the New Jersey YMCA State Alliance. The goal of the program is to convene, connect and empower community partnerships across the state in order to design and implement childhood obesity prevention strategies that support access to affordable healthy foods and increase opportunities for safe physical activity in the cities of Camden, Newark, New Brunswick, Trenton, and Vineland. In Camden, the initiative is led by the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey and the YMCA of Burlington and Camden Counties.  For more information about NJPHK-Camden, visit http://www.njhealthykids.org/communities/camden/

About the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nation’s largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For more than 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.