Be Well Acres Homes
Be Well™ Acres Homes is an initiative of MD Anderson Anderson in collaboration with the Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development, Inc., the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council and more than 30 community organizations united together with residents of Acres Homes.
Be Well Acres Homes aims to mobilize the community to promote health and wellness. We unite partners to carry out community-led solutions that will make positive, long-lasting changes in people’s lives.
The Be Well Acres Homes action plan was developed with and for the community, in alignment with the Houston Complete Communities initiative, a City of Houston program focused on bridging the gap between equity and opportunity in 10 historically under-resourced neighborhoods, including Acres Homes.
Building on a roadmap for community investment developed by the community residents themselves through the City of Houston Mayor’s Office of Complete Communities, Be Well Acres Homes has convened more than 30 organizations who are united together with residents of Acres Homes to implement cancer prevention and control activities. To date, 23 organizations have implemented 25 evidence-based interventions focused on healthy eating, active living, sun safety and tobacco-free living. These projects are guided by the Be Well Acres Homes Steering Committee to ensure that resident feedback and long-term sustainability are built into all aspects of the work.
The Be Well Acres Homes Steering Committee also serves as the Community Advisory Board for the Acres Homes Cancer Prevention Collaboration (Acres Homes CPC), one of five new centers for cancer control research created as part of the Persistent Poverty Initiative of the National Cancer Institute — the first major program to address the structural and institutional factors of persistent poverty in the context of cancer. The Acres Homes CPC is implemented in the context of MD Anderson’s place-based cancer prevention approach, Be Well Communities™.
We are building a healthier community together!
If you need a more accessible version of the materials and information provided as a PDF, please contact us at BeWellCommunities@MDAnderson.org.
Our Current Activities
Healthy Eating and Active Living
- Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development is addressing food insecurity through hosting farmers markets up to twice per month and providing access to fresh produce and live cooking demonstrations on how to prepare healthy foods sold at the farmers market.
- Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council provides access to fitness classes and nutrition education to promote healthy lifestyles among Acres Homes residents.
- Acres of Angels is providing fitness classes and nutrition education to residents within three Acres Homes senior living facilities. Additionally, they are offering cooking demonstrations and gardening education for these participants.
- Aldine ISD is a CATCH® district that supports healthy eating and physical activity for the whole family. Five campuses are implementing the Active Kids afterschool physical activity program in sun-safe environments.
- Beauty’s Community Garden continues to expand their gardening and nutrition programming in local elementary and middle schools. Additionally, they host live cooking demonstrations each month at the Acres Home Chamber’s farmers market.
- Lone Star College – Houston North is committed to providing access to nutrition education to the Acres Homes community. They offer healthy eating programming through their Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) program.
- The Community of Faith Church – Compassion in Action program is implementing weekly fitness activities to increase access to physical activity programming among younger Acres Homes residents. Compassion in Action is also offering quarterly wellness events for Acres Homes residents aiming to increase access and awareness of healthy living resources. They are also expanding their existing food distribution program to offer access on weekends and evenings.
Sun Safety
- Aldine ISD is increasing sun safety behaviors among their students and staff. This includes the district-wide Sun Safety Procedures, sun safety education lessons and mass communication messages. The entire district also participates in Sun Safety Week which occurs during the first week of March each year. With Be Well Acres Homes funding, Aldine ISD has installed sunshades above playgrounds and fitness equipment at Anderson Academy, Caraway Elementary, Goodman Elementary, Harris Elementary and Houston Academy to minimize students' sun exposure during outdoor recess and activities. Additionally, several campuses have received sunscreen dispensers for use throughout the day, and the District Improvement Team also has access to sunscreen dispensers in their workplace.
Tobacco-Free Living
- MD Anderson's accredited Tobacco Treatment Training Program is offered to health care providers and professionals in the community, helping them become tobacco cessation ambassadors in their organizations. To register or apply for a scholarship to cover course fees, please contact CTTS@MDAnderson.org.
- CATCH My Breath is a free, evidence-based youth vaping prevention program with published evidence of reducing students’ likelihood to vape. Currently, 26 Aldine ISD staff members have been trained in this program.
Sustainability
- Be Well Communities is actively planning for the long-term sustainability of Be Well Acres Homes. To support this effort, the Steering Committee selected the Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development and the Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council as co-leaders. Leaders from these organizations are collaborating closely with Be Well Communities to develop a strategic plan, strengthen their leadership of the Steering Committee and engage in capacity-building opportunities to ensure the work continues well into the future.
- To date, 91% of previously funded Be Well Acres Homes programs are being sustained. With this continued focus, current funded organizations are creating sustainability plans that will help support their ongoing work.
Steering Committee
We engage representatives from community-based organizations to form a steering committee that guides planning and implementation. Current steering committee members represent the following organizations:
- 10th Fitness LLC
- Acres Home Chamber for Business and Economic Development, Inc.
- Acres Homes Community Advocacy Group
- Acres Homes Super Neighborhood Council
- Acres of Angels
- Aldine ISD
- Back to Eden
- BakerRipley
- Beauty’s Community Garden
- Brighter Bites
- City of Houston Health Department
- City of Houston Parks and Recreation Department
- Civic Heart Community Services
- Collaborating Voices Foundation
- Harris County Precinct 1
- Harris Health
- Healthy Outdoor Communities
- Honor Humanity
- Houston Food Bank
- Houston Parks Board
- Kings Bike and Hike Community
- Lone Star College – Houston North
- Memorial Hermann Community Benefit Corporation
- METRO
- Nature and Eclectic Outdoors
- Near Northwest Management District
- Prairie View A&M University
- The Community of Faith Church - Compassion in Action Program
- The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD
- The Metallic Sunflower Foundation
- The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
- University of Houston HEALTH Center for Addictions Research and Cancer Prevention
- UTHealth Houston School of Public Health
- UT Physicians Multispecialty Victory and Greens
Thanks to Be Well Acres Homes, Aldine ISD introduced the Active Kids after-school pilot in several Acres Homes elementary schools, leading to impressive outcomes: 87% of students improved their cardiovascular fitness by the end of the program.
5 simple ways to get involved
- Subscribe to the Acres Homes Community Advocacy Group newsletter to stay informed about what is happening in the Acres Homes community.
- Attend a fitness class at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center.
- Visit the Acres Home Chamber of Commerce farmers market.
- Participate in a gardening activity with Beauty's Community Garden.
- Be a part of Be Well Acres Homes and spread the word by promoting health and wellness: #BeWellAcresHomes.
Be Well Acres Homes in Action
Outdoor fitness equipment and sunshades installed at the Acres Homes Multi-Service Center
Cooking demonstration during 44 Day event
Participants from the Academy for Lifelong Learning (ALL) hosted by Lone Star College - Houston North Victory campus
Attendees participating in a physical activity class during 44 Day
Acres Homes CPC Community Advisors attending events
Acres of Angels hosting fitness classes and nutrition education for residents of Acres Homes senior living facilities
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For more information, email us at BeWellCommunities@MDAnderson.org