Healthy Heroes Program

Spearheaded by Laury Sinclair, of the Rotary Club of Wellington North, to commemorate the centenary of Rotary International in 2005, the Healthy Heroes Program has since been adopted by Rotary clubs in District 9940 and 9970 (now District 9999).

A Rotary club’s role is to contact and work with schools to introduce the program and cover the modest cost of the program materials.

Studies show that 31 per cent of New Zealand children are overweight or obese, and this is carried through to adulthood. As a result, obesity related illnesses are on the increase, and health costs are mounting. Healthy Heroes challenges children aged eight to 12 years to complete five daily tasks on five days out of seven for a period of nine weeks. The challenges relate to physical activity, healthy eating, getting adequate sleep, mind stretching and helping others. The aim is to build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

While the point of contact is the school, the program is implemented at home and parents/caregivers record results online. The school keeps a register of participants and their performance each week. The sponsoring Rotary club supports the school in maintaining the register and helping the children complete their activities.