Monarch’s Lighthouse Club gets healthy in 2016

Participants at Monarch’s Lighthouse Club of Currituck in the Outer Banks region will begin 2016 with health and wellness in mind, thanks to a grant from the Outer Banks Community Foundation and the Pauline Wright Fund for Educational and Developmental Needs in Currituck.

The Lighthouse Club of Currituck’s Health and Wellness Initiative is based on a curriculum created specifically for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities called “Health Matters.”

Throughout the year, program participants will learn about health, wellness, nutrition and exercise.  Special activities will include a “Walk Across the Outer Banks Challenge” where program participants will track distances walked during the year to reach a collective goal of 200 miles by the end of 2016.  Nutrition and cooking classes, along with exercise and physical activities like yoga, dancing, and participation in Special Olympics activities, will be part of the year’s program.

Support from the Outer Banks Community Foundation and the Pauline Wright Fund will underwrite the program and the purchase of the “Health Matters” curriculum, light exercise equipment, and a treadmill for use at Lighthouse Club.

“People with intellectual and developmental disabilities face unique health challenges,” said Erma Brault, operations manager for Lighthouse Club. “This initiative will help the people we support engage in their own health and wellness and help them become better self-advocates for it. We are grateful to the Foundation for its continued support.”

The Lighthouse Club of Currituck’s Health and Wellness Initiative will kick off this month and continue throughout the year.