Community Outreach & Support
Support Groups | Lil' F.I.S.H. Club
Feel Important... Stay Healthy
Sponsored by the La Porte Hospital Foundation, the Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club® was developed in 2000 to encourage healthy behavior among fourth grade school children. The goal of the Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club is to give children the tools to establish healthy behaviors and to make positive future health and lifestyle decisions by increasing knowledge about health and wellness issues. The Wellness Resource Center of La Porte Hospital has partnered with 12 local elementary schools, both public and private, to conduct health assessments and to deliver quality health education in a fun, interactive way.
Each Fall, a written questionnaire helps to assess students’ health knowledge, attitudes and behaviors. Education is provided to the students throughout the year on topics such as nutrition, tobacco, personal hygiene, self-esteem, heart health and exercise, dental health and alcohol and other drugs. Each lesson is designed to fit Indiana State Health Education standards for fourth grade so that teachers do not lose valuable class time. Because we know that parents have a very important influence over the health of their children, we provide a monthly family newsletter with interesting articles and fun family activities.
The Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club has earned an enthusiastic response from the La Porte community and is fortunate to have multiple partners in it’s mission to improve the health of children. Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club partners include the La Porte Community Schools, South Central School Corporation, St. John’s School, St. Joseph’s School, Door Prairie Seventh Day Adventist School and the La Porte Family YMCA. In 2008, the La Porte Hospital Foundation received a grant from the American Dental Association Foundation on behalf of the Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club. Through this generous grant, we were able to provide battery operated toothbrushes, replacement toothbrush heads, replacement batteries and dental floss for every forth grade student.
For more information about the Lil’ F.I.S.H. Club program, call the Wellness Resource Center at (219) 325-5455.