What does the inside of an avocado look like? What are chia seeds? Can you tell me the five food groups? Are all fats bad for you? How do you use a blender? – All of these questions and more are ones that I received from kids, grades Pre-K through 8th grade, during my role as Lead Nutrition Educator for the Salvation Army of Harrisburg, PA.
I have been involved in the Salvation Army’s efforts to provide Nutrition Education to Harrisburg youth for quite some time. First I was a volunteer in their afterschool program that taught nutrition lessons and recipes to K-4th graders. Then I joined their summer youth enrichment program as a seasonal Nutrition Educator for two consecutive summers, teaching nutrition lessons Monday through Friday, all day, everyday for nine weeks. This organization, their values, and my love of teaching nutrition content kept me returning year after year and pursuing all of the experience and opportunities that I could. That is how I came upon my current part-time position as Lead Nutrition Educator. In deciding what concentration I wanted to pursue during my Dietetic Internship, I knew that I did not want to let go of my ties with the Salvation Army. As my final summer as a Nutrition Educator was ending I made the decision to talk to my boss about working for the Salvation Army part-time and performing a Leadership concentration in that role. After talking about the details of what that position would look like, they decided to hire me for the year.
I have been involved in the Salvation Army’s efforts to provide Nutrition Education to Harrisburg youth for quite some time. First I was a volunteer in their afterschool program that taught nutrition lessons and recipes to K-4th graders. Then I joined their summer youth enrichment program as a seasonal Nutrition Educator for two consecutive summers, teaching nutrition lessons Monday through Friday, all day, everyday for nine weeks. This organization, their values, and my love of teaching nutrition content kept me returning year after year and pursuing all of the experience and opportunities that I could. That is how I came upon my current part-time position as Lead Nutrition Educator. In deciding what concentration I wanted to pursue during my Dietetic Internship, I knew that I did not want to let go of my ties with the Salvation Army. As my final summer as a Nutrition Educator was ending I made the decision to talk to my boss about working for the Salvation Army part-time and performing a Leadership concentration in that role. After talking about the details of what that position would look like, they decided to hire me for the year.
I could not have asked for a better experience in my leadership concentration. During this past year I have continued to teach nutrition to kids but have also added several duties to my role. I have created more curriculum to teach from, started a wellness program for the staff in my building, learned how to write grant reports, trained and managed staff so they knew how to teach the curriculum I created, met with school district and communities members to share ideas and create more opportunities for kids and families and much more. This position has been a new level of leadership for me. I have learned so much about the community that I live in as well as the great importance of programs like the Salvation Army and others that provide services and assistance to youth and families. While I cannot yet tell the path that my career will take in the future, I will always have a heart for nutrition education in the community.
