NOTE: As of Feb. 29, 2024, Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) has rebranded to Landmarks for Families. Our nonprofit, community programs and residential services remain committed to cultivating thriving youth and families in this new chapter.
This spring the Carolina Youth Development Center’s Wellness Committee, a committee made up of board members and CYDC staff, launched our first ever CYDC Wellness Program. The program was launched in an effort to encourage our residents and staff to engage in healthy and well-being practices including physical activity, healthy eating and positive mental health habits.
Our first effort included our Steps in the Sunshine challenge where residents and staff were encouraged to walk each day outside, around campus. Those who completed the challenge were provided with prizes of bluetooth headphones or a step tracking device. We had over 12 staff and residents complete the challenge!
In July, we kicked off our second challenge, Eat In Season Recipe Share! Each week the Wellness Committee chose one in-season produce item and then encouraged our staff to use that item in a recipe throughout the week and share on our internal chat board. The recipes were then shared with our social media community.
We saw some amazing dishes, see below for some of the highlights!
Week one featured summer squash where staff shared recipes for Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Zucchini, Spiralized Summer Squash and Pasta Primavera.
Week two we saw a few delicious recipes featuring cucumber including Maast-o Khiar, cucumbers with greek meatballs and a Thai Cucumber Salad.
`Week three, our Wellness Committee chose peaches, and staff member, Victoria, one of our most engaged participants posted her grilled peaches and Halloumi with basil-jalapeno sauce.
Our final week featured corn! Staff shared recipes for corn, avocado and tomato salad, Elote as well as Succotash.
Stay tuned for more wellness challenges!
