The Poe Center Fulfills Its Mission
by Barrie Hancock
The other night at dinner my 6-year-old said unprompted, “Mommy, cake is not healthy.” I looked up from my plate in bemused alarm; did my husband and I finally get through to her, or was she running a fever? Something was surely amiss. Before I could ask, she continued, “It has a lot of sugar in it…” Now composed and ready to probe, I replied that was true and inquired where she learned such important information (beyond the 700 or so times we have reminded her of the very same idea only to be placated with vigorous nodding and then conveniently ignored the next time a prized treat was within her reach). She replied, “at Poe.” Ahhhh, this was starting to make sense. A friend (and former colleague) of mine had texted me earlier in the day when she ran into Ally and posed for the enclosed picture during a field trip to the Poe Center. If you are not familiar with the organization, “The MISSION of the Poe Center for Health Education is to educate and empower North Carolina children, youth and their families to make choices that increase positive health behaviors.” Well, if what my daughter picked up on her morning adventure there is any indication, they are doing their jobs admirably!
Ally went on with her newfound penchant for preaching the benefits of healthy eating, citing that vegetable oil was healthy to cook with; one should not use butter or salt on corn; no butter should be used on popcorn; 100 percent apple juice was a good choice, but anything less was just sugar water; fruits and vegetables were healthy; bagels were ok, but with not too much cream cheese; and brown bread was better than white bread. Very informative, though the best part was yet to come. After finishing her dinner, she asked, “Mommy, can we have grapes for dessert?” We sure can. Thanks, Poe Center http://www.poehealth.org/ for the third-party credibility that every PR professional (and parent) can appreciate!
