![]() "(My grandmother) is happy we are preventing kids from getting what she has," she said. Visiting sites are chosen based on interest by staff and the group visits once a week for four weeks.įounding member Sophia Papakostas, 16, said seeing her grandmother take insulin shots and eye foods she can't eat creates a personal and urgent interest in helping prevent the disease. The age group is targeted because "their brains are like sponges," the 17-year-old Carroll High junior said. The group of girls prioritized the age group to tackle youth obesity and diabetes. It all started because diabetes struck the uncles and aunts, grandparents and siblings of the group of close friends, two of whom have gone off to college, said founding member Aleena Villareal. "The difference is not just a statistic, but being able to interact with these students," the 16-year-old Veterans Memorial High School junior said. "It's very easy to see that not only are they engaged in the fun activities, but are also retaining information, even if it is as simple as the correct food portions," founding member Saherish Surani said of an average 26 percent hike from pre- to post-test questionnaires administered during the visits. Then, clad in the Banunu mascot costume, founding member Zoya Surani popped out from behind stage curtains of the Yeager cafeteria. ![]() Halfway through the movie that features three friends - Berry, Peaches and Banunu - the children were singing along as Berry and Peaches helped Banunu became healthier. Launched by the nonprofit organization It's Your Life Foundation, the program has reached about 30 schools since its inception in 2013. She is a Co-Founder of Project iConquer, a non-profit project geared toward raising awareness about diabetes and childhood obesity in 3- to 7-year-olds. The group executed its usual structured program that teaches healthy living through original 3-D animated movies written by project participants, puppet shows, exercises and a Zumba dance. The project has since reached about 13,000 children ages 3 to 7 in day cares, Corpus Christi ISD elementary schools and Head Start programs in the Coastal Bend. ![]() Yeager was used as a pilot campus for the program about two years ago. "They love it."įour of the project's six founding members, all teenagers from Corpus Christi ISD schools, and new additions since the project was founded visited the campus Dec. "Peel banana, peel peel banana," her class chanted and danced to the last time iConquer, a youth-driven health and nutrition education program, visited the school. They take the action with them to the classroom, said Yeager Elementary physical education teacher Jerri Ann Auger. You can tell when children sit in for a Project iConquer presentation. ![]()
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