Over a hundred parents and students came to the Matthew Kuss Middle School on March 23, 2016 for a Family Fun Night organized by Partners School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard. The program engages both adults and children in some healthy movement while learning about nutrition and a range of community resources that they can access to maintain or improve their health. Participants joined Fitness Leader Mike Ramos to move to music and Chef Jessica Williams of Creating Healthy Solutions to learn how to cook with tofu. Participants also had the opportunity to speak with representatives of thirteen agencies including the Bristol County District Attorney's Office, BMC HealthNet Plan, Child and Family Services, Children's Advocacy Center, Citizens for Citizens, Fall River Parent Academy, Katie Brown Educational Program, Mass Council on Compulsive Gambling, People Incorporated, Southcoast Health, Stanley Street Treatment and Resources, and the Fall River YMCA, along with Partners for a Healthier Community covering its Soda-Free Challenge. Click here for a 33-minute video of the event. Click here for photos and video of a similar event at the Atlantis Charter School. For more information, contact School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard at 774-319-0107.

(Top row) After parents and children sign in at the Kuss Middle School, Partners School Wellness Coordinator Marcia Picard welcomes them to the event and divides them into three groups. (Rows two through four) Fitness Leader Mike Ramos gets each of the groups moving to music to illustrate how fitness can be fun. (Rows five and six) Chef Jessica Williams of Creating Healthy Solutions teaches parents and students how to cook a tofu egg scramble dish using coconut oil, zucchini, onion, tomato, and spinach. (Rows seven and eight) Chrisey Caisse of the Katie Brown Educational Program, Deb Paulino of BMC HealthNet Plan, and Kara Strang of Partners talks with parents and students about sugar at the Soda-Free Challenge table. (Row nine) Fall River School's Physical Education District Coordinator Brad Bustin tells parents about the new Parent Academy while Ashley Carreiro and Joanne Bewer of the PI Healthy Families Program answer quesions, and Raquel Cabral of Stanley Street Treatment and Resources explains their programs. (Bottom row) Marcia Picard thanks the participants and then introduces Kuss Parent Liaison Grace Melim who draws the winning door prize numbers for the ten bags of groceries donated by Southcoast Health, one of which was won by Melissa Latinville.