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D&E awarded grant for new program

The Davis & Elkins College Sport Science Department has been awarded a $5,000 grant from the Snowshoe Foundation to fund a new program, Project Life Change, with a goal of assisting residents of Randolph and surrounding counties in leading healthier lives.

“We are pleased that the Snowshoe Foundation has given us this opportunity through this grant to help the people in West Virginia make healthy lifestyle changes,” said Dr. Mary Ann DeLuca, chairwoman of the Sport Science Department. “We will utilize the Sport Science Department at Davis & Elkins College and our facilities to help our local population with overall wellness.”

DeLuca said the Sport Science Department decided to create Project Life Change after discussing the epidemic of obesity in the United State and especially in West Virginia. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than one-third – 35.7 percent – of U.S. adults are obese. West Virginia falls just below that average with a rate of 32.5 percent.

The 16-week Project Life Change program, scheduled to begin in August, will address the common issues that many overweight people struggle with throughout their lives. DeLuca said some of those topics include nutrition, healthy cooking and physical activity.

There will be no charge for participants, and DeLuca said she hopes they will make positive lifestyle changes that will affect their long-term health.

Additional details and dates for Project Life Change meetings will be released in the coming months.

Davis & Elkins College was selected for the grant from among a pool of more than 70 applicants with requests totaling more than $285,000. Through the grant awards, the Snowshoe Foundation seeks to enhance the quality of life in local communities in the areas of health, human services, education, recreation, the arts, culture and the environment, with an emphasis on children, youth and family programs.

The Sport Science Department at D&E provides students with a working knowledge of the physiology of exercise and exercise testing and prescription so graduates in exercise science may pursue employment in public and privately owned wellness and fitness centers, corporate fitness facilities and clinical therapeutic programs, and be well-prepared to continue their formal education at the graduate level. The department offers three options for the sport science major: exercise science, physical education and sport management.

More information is available at www.dewv.edu or 304-637-1243.

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