Because Nothing Should Weigh a Child Down

 2016: A Year Of Connecting With Children, Families and Community

 

Dear Friend,

This year has been an extraordinary journey for Live Light Live Right that brought together families, parents, professionals and partners to improve the health of low-income children in our community. Our team promoted healthy lifestyle choices, helped families to access resources and worked to treat and prevent childhood obesity in our community. In 2016 we:

  • Continued childhood obesity screening for over 8,000 children and provided treatment and care that helped 500 children and families improve serious health risks: 60% lowered their body mass index scores; and 40% decreased insulin, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, lowering their chances of getting type 2 diabetes or heart disease.
  • Conducted training classes for over 200 medical residents, physicians and health professionals about the treatment, management, and prevention of childhood obesity and the diseases it causes.
  • Provided a free exercise and recreational program to 150 children and their families.
  • Offered free nutrition education workshops and “Health Bucks” to 70 children and families that helped them learn about making healthy eating choices and purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.
  • Hosted a groundbreaking conference, “The Healing Power of Food” that explored health inequities in our community, the health benefits of a nutritious diet, food insecurity and resources to help families, and the important work done by local partners impacting more than, 5000 community residents.
  • Launched a new basketball program for children and teens and formed the Warriors, our new basketball team.
  • Expanded our new Kids Bike Club and participated in Bike East 2016, a 15-mile event.
  • Enhanced our childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes prevention program, P.A.T.H. (Parents as Teachers and Healers) with hands-on workshops, demos by our Chef/Nutritionist and lively Zumba classes that inspired parents to positively change their children’s dietary and fitness behaviors and make healthy lifestyle choices a part of their family’s daily routine.
  • Initiated Eat Light Shop Right, a partnership with local bodegas and food businesses that motivate them to sell nutritious, fresh foods that improve food insecurity. Children in Live Light Live Right toured local businesses and learned how to make healthy food and snack purchases.
  • Made great strides in our Bariatric Program, which transformed the health of 5 adolescents and has a wait-list of 12 future candidates. This is the first adolescent Bariatric program in East New York.
  • Forged several new partnerships including the Brooklyn Nets, Urban Harvest at Ujima (a program of Slow Food NYC), Airon Food Market, P.S. 284 Community School, the Dr. Robert C. and Tina Sohn Foundation, Brooklyn Children’s Society of SUNY Downstate, and Cathay Bank Foundation. These collaborations are essential to improving health risks, access to healthier foods and promoting childhood obesity prevention.

The Live Light Live Right team understands the challenges that families in our community face and the inequities that contribute to obesity and poor health. This year we also initiated and participated in several important events to promote, improve and impact children’s health: the 2016 Holiday Exercise Burnout at CAMBA; presentations of The Uprising of Chronic Disease: How the Environment Affects Your Health at local hospitals, collaboration with the Brooklyn District Public Health Office of the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, and the annual American Diabetes Association Expo.

We are leaving 2016 with a sense of gratitude and pride in our accomplishments. We are most proud of being partners with you and in our commitment to inspire, transform and promote health and wellness to the children and their families of Brownsville and East New York.

As stated by Roy T. Bennett in The Light in the Heart, “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return”, Live Light Live Right is dedicated to providing the low-income children and families we serve with quality services that are free and life-transforming.

By making a contribution of $50, you will be providing one family with a Fresh ‘n Fit card, a gift certificate to a local farmer’s market where they can buy healthy, fresh foods.

An end of year gift of $100 or more will help to provide a thorough medical evaluation with a pediatric specialist for an uninsured child, a series of physical fitness sessions or a scholarship to our 2017 Summer Day Camp.

Please take a look at our new inspiring video.

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Please click here to make a donation.

Wishing you and your loved ones a happy and healthy New Year.

With great appreciation,

 

 

 

Sarita Dhuper, M.D.

Founder and Executive Director

Live Light Live Right

Latest News

Join Dr. Sarita Dhuper At A Multidiscipline Symposium on Obesity

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Dr. Sarita Dhuper, Founder and Executive Director of Live Light Live Right will be speaking at Flushing Medical Center on May 15th on weight gain, weight loss, weight regain, and what drives this cycle.  She will also discuss the solution to these three areas. This symposium is a multidiscipline approach that will focus on medical, surgical and psychological aspects of morbid obesity.

If you are interested in learning more or attending, here is the link to download the flyer register.

 

Let’s Overcome Obesity Together!

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The cornerstone in the management of an overweight child is a lifestyle change that includes restriction of calories and increasing physical activity.  It sounds so simple, right?  Then why has the rate of obesity among children and adolescents tripled over the past three decades?  Currently, a third of New York’s children are overweight or obese.   These are the facts, now what can help?

Here are some practical goals to work with:

  1. Maintain a food diary.  I know, you have heard this before!  The reason why you have heard it before is because it works!!  This will help you self-monitor what you are eating and how much. Commit to it for 21 days.  It takes 21 days to break a habit.  When you see what you are eating, you take responsibility.
  2. Don’t buy foods that you know are trigger foods.  Come on…haven’t we ALL said to ourselves, “I will buy this bag of chips, ice cream, mac, and cheese etc. and I won’t eat all of it at one sitting.”  And, haven’t we ALL eaten it in one sitting?  Live Light Live Right is about moderation, not deprivation.  However, if something is a trigger food, it might be best to hold off on buying it until you are at a healthier weight.
  3. Slow it down!  How could you stomach possibly know you are full if you don’t give it time to register that it is full!  Slow it down and your body will love you for it!
  4. Reward yourself!  Met a goal?  Do something for yourself!  It doesn’t have to cost anything!  Go shopping in your closet.  We all have clothes that we wished we fit into.  You never know what has come back into fashion while you are getting yourself healthy!  Go for a bike ride, because you feel like you can do it now!  Give your kids a special treat…time with you!!  No phones, no TV…just you and them!
  5. Learn about nutrition.   Have a question regarding what is healthy, what isn’t?  Email the Live Light Live Right Program and we will help you!  Come to your medical visit with questions for our amazing nutritionists!  Want to know the answer now?  Google it!!  We have the world at our fingertips with our computer.
  6. Get moving!  The Live Light Live Right program offers FREE exercise for your kids.  Make sure they come!  Come with them!  Join in!  Make being healthy a family vision.  Come to as many classes as you would like.  If you can’t make it for an exercise session….take a walk with your family!  Just move!
  7. Live Light Live Right wants to help!   Research has shown that being a part of a social group makes weight management and a healthy lifestyle significantly more sustainable.  The Live Light Live Right program has been around for 14 years and we hope to be around for many more!  We have an incredibly supportive environment not only with the Live Light Live Right staff but with each of you!  Life-long friends have been made within the children and the parents.  Come to the next exercise class, the next workshop, the next health fair!  We will always be there to welcome you with a big smile and open arms!

Now let’s get healthy together!

For more information call Rena at 718-221-1598

Live Light Live Right Partners With Brightpoint Health

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As of December 1, 2017, we are thrilled to announce our new partnership with Brightpoint Health (www.brightpointhealth.org).  Brightpoint Health is a recognized leader in the delivery of high-quality, person-centered, integrated care resulting in improved health outcomes for people, families, and communities challenged by health disparities caused by poverty, discrimination, and lack of access.  The missions of Live Light Live Right and Brightpoint Health complement each other, and this partnership will play a vital role in the health and well-being of the children in our community.

Dr. Sarita Dhuper, Founder and Executive Director of Live Light Live Right stated, “By combining our resources with Brightpoint we are able to increase our outreach to the community and continue to provide excellent care to our patients.  The first-rate team of doctors, nurses, and administrators at Brightpoint have made this transition easy and welcoming.  We look forward to a bright future with Brightpoint!”

Please feel free to call 855-681-8700 to make an appointment at our Brightpoint office which is located at 2412 Church Avenue or call Rena Sooknanan at 718-221-1598, to set up an appointment at our Eastern Parkway office located at 1162 Eastern Parkway.

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