ENGLEWOOD — Eight Englewood schools will be recognized Friday for their community gardens by the Whole Kids Foundation.
The 2 p.m. event at Miles Davis Magnet Academy, 6740 S. Paulina St., will also recognize gardens at Hinton Elementary School, Jesse Sherwood Elementary School, Johnson College Prep Academy, Kershaw Magnet Elementary School, Langford Elementary School, Providence Englewood Charter School and Schmid Elementary School, who all received grants from the foundation, said Nona Evans, executive director of the Whole Kids Foundation.
“The Whole Kids Foundation has a central belief that it takes strong collaboration among community stakeholders to help our kids reach their greatest potential,” Evans said. “When kids grow food they are more willing to try a wide range of vegetables."
She added that last fall the foundation pledged $20,000 to support schools in Englewood and the eight schools were chosen. In July, Whole Foods Market broke ground for an 18,000-square-foot store at 63rd and Halsted streets.
But the foundation is not alone in its efforts to change the way Englewood children think about eating.
Chicago-based investment firm William Blair and Company has agreed to provide a $20,000 matching grant that will help create a Healthy Teacher Program for educators, according to Laura Van Peenan, managing director of investment banking for William Blair.
“William Blair is committed to giving back to the communities in which we live and work, and we are honored to join Whole Kids Foundation in an effort to improve the health and well-being of educators and students in Englewood,” Peenan said.
Leslie Fowler, executive director of nutrition support services for Chicago Public Schools, said the school district appreciated the support from the foundation and that the gardens helped change the way students think about eating.
“We want to teach our students not only how to make healthy choices, but also the reasoning as to why they should make them," added Fowler.
Schools interested in applying online for a garden grant from the foundation must do so by Oct. 31.
Event organizers said Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Whole Foods Market co-CEO Walter Robb are expected to attend.
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