UNH Health and Physical Education students received the 2018 Outstanding Achievement Awards for Physical Activity and Health for Residents with Disabilities. The New Hampshire Governor’s Council on Physical Activity and Health, on behalf of Governor Christopher Sununu, aims to recognize those who achieve success in promoting healthy lifestyles through physical activity and wellness services and programs.
The organizations Friends in Action and UNH Health and Physical Education (HPE) work together to provide meaningful activities for participants and experiences and training for future educators in leadership and advocacy skills on behalf of individuals with disabilities. The UNH HPE program is run by Professor Michelle Grenier of the Department of Kinesiology.
The UNH HPE students have been providing programming for the Friends in Action group for over 10 years, all on a volunteer basis. The HPE program believes that healthy living and physical activity should be available to everyone. The program’s students plan, organize, and teach activities for young adults with developmental disabilities in an environment where they can socialize and recreate with their peers. The goal is to promote healthy lifestyles through physical activity and wellness information.
Heidi Chase, Executive Director: “I can walk in at any time each week and feel confident on the programming I see in New Hampshire Hall. The two primary elements, exercise and friendship, have sustained this program for over a decade.”
