2021 Lt. Governor’s Challenge winners announced
The 2021 Lt. Governor's Wellness Leadership Challenge has announced seven recipients of this year’s prestigious award. The mission of the annual challenge is to recognize local health and wellness programs, policies or environmental changes that help improve Delawareans’ quality of life. The winning submissions came from individuals, organizations and institutions across Delaware that made a commitment to enacting better health and wellness for their communities, ultimately helping elevate the well-being, productivity and prosperity of the State of Delaware.
“The record number and quality of entries went above and beyond expectation, especially during the pandemic,” said Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long. “All applicants clearly impact families, neighborhoods, workplaces, communities and/or schools with real physical and mental health policy or system changes. Thank you to all entrants who shared their health and wellness ideas, and best practices.”
The Winners of the 2021 Lt. Governor’s Challenge are, listed in alphabetic order: Brandywine Counseling & Community Services, which deployed a communication, wellness and mindfulness program to keep employees connected, and affirm the health and emotional well-being of the BCCS team; Delaware Libraries, which provided telehealth support services by distributing hundreds of laptops and Wi-Fi hotspots as well as assisting with tech issues, scheduling and directing patrons to resources to increase access to remote health and human services; Healthy Foods for Healthy Kids, which created a school-garden program to educate students about gardening, soil composition, plant biology and more, as well as improve eating habits in over 30 Delaware schools; Hispanic American Association of Delaware, which worked with neighborhood-based groups to provide educational health sessions, workouts and guidance to local resources such as cancer screenings and mental health support for at-risk minority women; Reach Riverside Development Corporation, which deployed an employee mental well-being program that included workout sessions, recreational time, group counseling and certified counselors being made available to employees; Rose Simon, founder of Love and Hope Rescue Mission, which hosted health seminars and food drives, and distributed school supplies and vaccines by bringing doctors and other experts to vulnerable communities; and the Seaford School District Behavioral Health Team, which deployed an integrated and coordinated mental/behavioral health program driven by Student Support Teams at each school.
An honorary mention for unique programming related to COVID-19 was awarded to Freeman Arts Pavilion.
