Published Sept. 3, 2009                                                         

We had plenty to discover in partnership with Robert Crown

   We’ve learned a lot working with the Robert Crown Center for Health Education over the past year— and we hope you have, too.
   Educators at the Hinsdale facility have passed along information about helping kids develop healthy eating habits, recognizing signs of depression among teens, dealing with bullies and embracing a positive self-image.
   They’ve also advised parents on effective ways to have “the talk” with kids and shared the 10 questions kids ask most often about sex education.
   The series has given us the opportunity to introduce some of the volunteers who have kept the center going during the past half-century — women like Hazel Barr and Chris Blake.
   And as part of our 2008-09 Making a Difference partnership, we’ve let readers know how the facility has grown and some of the plans for the future.
   Just because our partnership with Robert Crown is coming to a close this week doesn’t mean we’ll stop covering the center. Later this month, there will be a dedication of the new Brain Room and the re-opening of Valeda, the glass lady. We plan to be there.
   We hope a year’s worth of stories has helped our readers appreciate just what a wonderful facility the Robert Crown Center is. More than 5 million schoolchildren have participated in its programs, and the center currently serves 140,000 boys and girls from 600 schools each year. Educators start with simple lessons for small children — such as hand washing for preschoolers — and eventually teach kids in high school about much more complicated topics, such as drug abuse.
   One of the most impressive things about Robert Crown is its ability to change with the times. As bullying, steroid use and body image have created concerns for young people, the center has added those topics to the curriculum.
   Educators no longer stand in front of a group of 100 kids and lecture them. Today the focus is on an interactive experience that allows students to discover information.
   We’ve enjoyed spending some time with those who make the Robert Crown Center a success. Often we write a single article about a nonprofit agency’s fund-raiser or new program and don’t really have the space or the time to fully explain what it is the agency does. The Making a Difference series is designed to remedy that problem, one organization at a time.
   Next week we’ll announce our new partner for 2009-10. As much as we’ve enjoyed working with Robert Crown, we’re excited to share information about a new organization and how it is making a difference in Hinsdale.

 

—       Making a Difference is a yearlong partnership between The Hinsdalean
and the Robert Crown Center for Health Education, which works
to teach and motivate youth to lead healthy, happy and safe lives.