RACINE — A $50,000 grant has been made by the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation to the Southern Local School District, Racine, as part of its $350,000 School Wellness Initiative grants program to seven southeastern Ohio school districts.

The grants represent Phase II of the Foundations’ multi-year, multiphase initiative designed to prevent obesity and to improve the nutrition, physical activity, and general health of students, staff and families, led by the seven area school districts.

The $50,000 to Southern Local School District has been designated for use in expanding a community accessible district fitness center.

Other southeastern Ohio school districts receiving grants of $50,000 each in Foundation funds are as follows:

• Crooksville Exempted Village School District at Crooksville, to implement a walking trail with stations, curriculum implementation, a new fitness center and improved district-wide nutrition policies;

• To the New Lexington City School District, New Lexington, to establish two new Wellness Centers with fitness equipment and a climbing wall;

• To the Nelsonville -York City School District, Nelsonville, to implement a walking trail, renovate a fitness center and create a school garden;

• To the Southern Local School District in Perry County to expand a walking trail and institute curriculum improvements targeted to students, staff and the community;

• To Eastern Local School District in Winchester, to renovate a community accessible fitness center;

• To the Logan-Hocking Local School District at Logan to implement a fitness trail and add fruit/vegetable bars at elementary schools.

“Support for and results from these progressive projects will contribute to the Foundation’s overarching outcome for the School Wellness Initiative, which is to increase the number of individuals who are physically active and who consume healthy foods, incorporating physical activity and healthy nutrition into their daily lives,” said Terri Donlin Huesman, director of programs for the Foundations.

The Osteopathic Heritage Foundation which has a $1,501,765 investment in community health and the Osteopathic Heritage Foundation of Nelsonville are pre-eminent in supporting community health and quality of life programs in central and southeastern Ohio as well as advancing, on a national scope, osteopathic medical care, biomedical research and osteopathic medical education.

Their mission is to improve the health and quality of life in the community through education, research and service consistent with the principles of its osteopathic heritage and the philosophy of osteopathic medical care.