Urmi Khatri

Meegan Alexander
Samantha Halliburton
Bach Tran
Table of Contents
Introduction ........................................................................................... 2
Background............................................................................................. 3
Proposal.................................................................................................. 5
Plan ......................................................................................................... 7
Staffing ................................................................................................. 11
Budget .................................................................................................. 12
Authorization Request ......................................................................... 14
References ............................................................................................ 15

1
 Introduction
Global
Childhood obesity is a serious public health crisis of the 21st century. According to the World
Health Organization, the number of obese children globally in 2013 was 42 million; and if
current trends continue, this number will rise to 70 million by 2025 (2014). Figure 1 highlights
childhood obesity prevalence worldwide. The graph depicts the Americas and Australia as the
continents with the highest rates of obese children.

Figure 1. Childhood obesity worldwide (World Obesity, 2015).

National
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity is defined as Body Mass
Index (BMI) at or above the 95th percentile for children of the same age and sex (2015). Over
the years, the United States childhood obesity rate has doubled, reaching a national average of
18% (Hernandez, 2015). Childhood obesity also results in negative health consequences such as
prediabetes and greater risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoarthritis, and sleep
apnea (WHO, 2014). Because obese children often become obese adults, these health risks can
reduce the life expectancy of an obese child by an average of 5 years (Blank Childrens Hospital,
2014). Thus, the fight to prevent childhood obesity must begin by changing the mindset of the
future generation through state and local organizations.

2
 Background
State
Currently, 32.2% of Texas children are obese, which is higher than the national average of 18%
(Hernandez, 2015). High numbers of obesity can also lead to increasing rates of diabetes,
hypertension, and heart disease (State of Obesity, 2016). Figure 2 compiles data from the State
of Obesity to highlight the number of cases of each health challenge reported in 2010 and
compares it to the projected number of cases in 2030, based on the current rate of childhood
obesity (2016).

Obesity Related Health Challenges in Texas

6,000,000

5,000,000

4,000,000

3,000,000

2,000,000

1,000,000

0
Diabetes Hypertension Heart Disease

2010 2030

Figure 2 illustrates a 45% increase in diabetes, a 32% increase in hypertension, and a 350%
Figure 2. Health Challenges in Texas.

increase in heart disease in Texas from 2010 to 2030 because of childhood obesity. The growing
number of medical cases contribute to the annual cost to Texas of $3 billion caused by
increased health care costs, absenteeism, and reduced productivity (Anthony, 2012).
Absenteeism affects attendance at school because an obese child might miss four times more
school than a child at a normal weight because of a fear of being bullied, or being embarrassed
about participating in physical activities (Blank Childrens Hospital, 2014). Absenteeism is also
linked to poor academic performance, increased drug use, and increased pregnancy rates,
highlighting the negative external effects of childhood obesity (Reese, 2007). The Texas
Comptroller of Public Accounts office predicts the annual cost of obesity to Texas to rise to $16
billion by 2025 (Anthony, 2012). To prevent the continuous growth of childhood obesity in

3
Texas and to lower the cost of obesity to Texas, it is essential to partner with local schools and
communities.

Local
Dallas Independent School District (DISD) has one of the highest obesity rates in Texas. Jim
Landers from the Dallas Morning News reports that approximately 50% of Dallas ISD students
are classified as obese based on their BMI (2015). These students are also at risk of becoming
obese adults with serious psychological, social, and health issues. In fact, a recent survey of
DISD students conducted by Dallas News revealed that 43% [of students] said they watched at
least 3 hours of television on an average school day and 27% [of students] said they had at
least one soda every day (Landers, 2015). Watching television and drinking soda every day
highlight a strong correlation to childhood obesity because they limit the students physical
activities and allow unnecessary snacking between meals. Because soda and junk food are
cheaper than healthy food, socioeconomic factors such as race and income also contribute to
the growing childhood obesity rates in Dallas (Joseph & Hobbs, 2016). Figure 3 illustrates DISD

Figure 3. DISD demographics (Joseph & Hobbs, 2016).

student demographics to reveal the high percentage of low-income, Hispanic students in DISD.
Joseph & Hobbs also report that 40.8% of Hispanic students in Dallas ISD are obese, highlighting
the effects that socioeconomic status has on the risk of developing childhood obesity (2016).
Ironically, 28% of DISDs students experience food insecurity, which means that they do not
have access to basic, nutritious food because of their low-income levels. This leads to their
choices of unhealthier food alternatives that ultimately result in childhood obesity (Landers,
2015). Schools surrounding low-income communities tend to have higher obesity rates, so it is
important to partner with a need-based school in DISD that has a high Hispanic population to
increase awareness of childhood obesity, promote healthy eating patterns, encourage exercise,
and inspire a well-rounded, healthy lifestyle.

4
 Proposal
Childhood obesity is prevalent in the United States, especially in Texas. Most people think
about the appearance of obesity; however, the health problems associated with obesity are
daunting. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, an insurance company, is collaborating with
Marathon Kids, a non-profit, to host a 5k kickoff event at F.P. Caillet Elementary School with the
purpose of fighting childhood obesity in Dallas, Texas.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas

According to the BCBSTX website, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas has worked with many
hospitals and physicians for more than 80 years to help improve the quality and to provide
affordable health care in local communities nationwide (2016). Through alliances, BCBSTX
desires to keep fostering health improvements to offer sustainable, measurable programs that
enrich and strengthen our communities (BCBSTX, 2016). Every employee of BCBSTX believes
that Texas consumers and employers deserve access to affordable, quality health care and
top-notch service from a company that puts the customer first, not shareholders; this means
that customer value is considered our cornerstone(BCBSTX,2016). Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Texas is known as a company that cares, and we focus on creating long-term value through
social responsibility (BCBSTX, 2016). Therefore, we make an impact by helping people change
behaviors and reduce preventable conditions such as heart disease, obesity, and diabetes (State
of Obesity, 2016).

Marathon Kids
Marathon Kids is an evidence-based, primarily running, walking, and healthy program for K-5
graders, in 13-service areas in the United States (Marathon Kids, 2016). Marathon Kids works
for any kid at any fitness level and was established out of the desire that kids deserve to live
happier and healthier lives (Marathon Kids, 2016). According to the Marathon Kids website, the
program helps kids set goals, track progress, and provide education for a well-rounded lifestyle
(2016). When children join a Marathon Kids running club, they exercise every day, resulting in
Marathon Kids changing the lives of 2 million children (Marathon Kids, 2016). By providing
tools, motivation, and support, Marathon Kids is striving to improve the health of children and
help them to live a happier and healthier lifestyle (Marathon Kids, 2016).

5
F.P. Caillet Elementary School

After researching many elementary schools in Dallas, Texas, BCBSTX has chosen F.P. Caillet
Elementary School to host the 5K Fun Run. F.P. Caillet is considered a Title 1 school because it is
an institution that receives aid from the government due to the fact that a large percentage of
their students are from low-income families (U.S. Department of Education, 2015).Although F.P.
Caillet Elementary is a low-income school, it has one of the highest volunteer rates in Dallas ISD,
highlighting the high community and parent involvement (Dallas ISD, 2016). According to the
Dallas ISD website, the school has 700 students, 95% of which are Hispanic and 80% of the 700
students are considered economically disadvantaged (2016). According to the 2015-2016
surveys conducted by Dallas ISD, parents of F.P.Caillet Elementary are considered valuable
partners and are encouraged to participate in school activities to ensure the students success
(F.P. Caillet Elementary, 2016). F.P. Caillets parental involvement programs include Parent
Teacher Association (PTA), monthly coffee with Principal Pantoja, Dads club, and AVANCE
Parent-Child Education Program Classes that are designed to bring Spanish families together in
low-income communities (F.P. Caillet Elementary, 2016). Thus, BCBSTXs collaboration with
F.P.Caillet Elementary School and Marathon Kids will have a lasting impact on the efforts to
prevent the rise of childhood obesity in Dallas, Texas.

Figure 4. Location of School (Google Maps, 2016).

6
 Plan
Project Timeline
September 30: Event idea created
October 21: Budget & event approved
November 14: Order catering
November 28: Marketing begins
December 9: Event
January 4: Planning for second event begins

Marketing
BCBSTX will provide art supplies from Staples to allow the students to promote the fun run
themselves by creating posters during art class that will be later hung in the hallways of F.P.
Caillet. Below is an example of a poster created by the students of F.P. Caillet Elementary. To
ensure that parents and guardians are aware of the event, bilingual fliers will be sent home
with the students. Finally, Principal Janeen Pantoja has agreed to make daily announcements
about the event in the weeks leading up to December 9, 2016.

Figure 5. Poster. (F.P. Caillet Elementary, 2016).

7
The Event
On December 9, 2016, BCBSTX will partner with Marathon Kids to host a 5K Fun Run for the
students of F.P. Caillet Elementary School. The theme of the entire event is Happy N Healthy,
to encourage all students to engage in physical activity. Because this event is occurring during
school hours, all able students will be required to compete in the fun run. Once completed,
each student will receive a gold medal from Oriental Trading Company as a token for
completing the run. The gold medal will also symbolize encouragement for the kids to live a

Event Schedule
9:00 am: Fun Run begins
10:00 am: Awards given; Snacks
11:00 am: Information Session
12:00 pm: Lunch provided by Freshella

healthy lifestyle.

Information Session
Due to the high parental involvement at F.P. Caillet, it will be beneficial to all the families if the
parents were educated on how to live healthier lives. Team Happy N Healthy from BCBSTX will
collaborate with the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to provide an information session to the
parents on how to eat healthier while remaining on a budget. Because this is a low-income
school, it is important to enforce the idea of living a healthy lifestyle on a budget to ensure
successful long-term effects of preventing childhood obesity.

8
Lunch

Freshella Catering, headquartered in Dallas, Texas will be providing a healthy and fresh lunch to
students, faculty, parents, and volunteers. Freshellas mission is to provide their customers with
fresh and healthy food options and a manageable price (Freshella, 2015).Thus, their mission
statement corresponds with the menu to reflect the healthy choices that we are guiding the
students toward. After completing the race, each student will be offered either an apple or a
banana as a healthy snack and source of energy, rather than chips or soda. At noon, lunch will
be served. Each student will be offered two entre options to highlight variations in healthier
foods. The first choice is a turkey burger slider served on a wheat bun. Since turkey is a much
leaner meat than a beef patty, it is healthier because it contains needed nutrients for the
children. The second choice is a grilled chicken and mozzarella quesadilla served on a whole
grain tortilla. The grilled chicken is also leaner than the red meat variety, and the mozzarella
cheese has much less fat than other cheese options while remaining high in calcium. Both the
wheat bun and the whole grain tortilla serve as a more nutrient choice than their white
counterparts. As sides, the students will be served cauliflower and carrots along with ranch as a
dip. While ranch seems unhealthy in this menu, when eaten in moderation the effects are much
less deleterious than expected. As a drink, each student will be served 2% chocolate milk, which
has the equivalent sugar content of unsweetened apple juice; therefore, conveying to the
students that they have the option of a delicious treat while remaining healthy. For the
students who are lactose intolerant, water will be served. By providing students with a well-
rounded meal, Team Happy N Healthy hopes to inspire the students to eat and live healthier.

9
Further Outreach
After the event has concluded, our next step will be to collaborate with F.P. Caillet PTA to
create a blog on the schools website to discuss easy healthy meal options on a strict budget.
BCBSTX will aid the PTA by organizing each department to create new recipes every week and
then rotate the departments every month. Ultimately, the PTA will choose the recipes to post
each week; however, the blog allows both F.P. Caillet and BCBSTX to maintain a relationship
and also provides BCBSTX employees the opportunity to continue serving the community.
Finally, the blog will provide a link to ChooseMyPlate so both parents and children can make
healthier eating choices. ChooseMyPlate is a website that is designed to improve the nutrition
and well-being of Americans (ChooseMyPlate, 2016). Thus, this will be a beneficial service for
the families to use in the future to plan healthy meals on a budget. In the future, we hope to
continue collaborating with Marathon Kids and Freshella to host 5K Fun Runs in various Title 1
high-risk, low-income schools in Dallas, Texas. The ultimate goal of the entire event and our
proposal is to take steps towards countering childhood obesity while educating the youth on
how to live healthier and more nutritious lifestyles.

Risks
Because of the size and nature of this event, we are anticipating three risks. The first risk is that
because this is an active event, there is a risk of injury to the children. If this were to happen,
the school nurse will be available to assist with any medical situation. The second potential risk
is the parents negative feelings toward the cost of buying healthier foods because it tends to
be more expensive than unhealthy foods. However, we hope to alleviate these fears by
educating these parents on how to remain on a strict budget while maintaining a healthier
lifestyle. The final risk we foresee is the children not being interested in the event. We are
aware that the students may not cooperate or listen, but we are optimistic that the event and
its activities will motivate these students to become more physically active in their lives.

Benefits
Although there are risks associated with the event, the benefits clearly outweigh the risks. The
first benefit is the opportunity to educate the families of F.P. Caillet on how to live healthier
and more active lifestyles. With this education, we hope to bring these families together over a
mutual cause of preventing the rise of childhood obesity; a cause that will only better their
overall health and quality of life. This event is also a great chance for schools to develop a
personal relationship with families. F.P. Caillet already has a strong bond with their families
because in a survey conducted by Dallas ISD 92% of parents felt comfortable interacting with
school administrators and faculty and 94% of parents felt that the school welcomed parent
involvement (Dallas ISD,2016). However, this is a benefit for the schools we plan on expanding
to in the future. The final benefit we hope to provide is an inspiration of encouraging these
students to continue to live a healthy lifestyle because exercise and eating a balanced meal will
help combat the risk of developing obesity as a child or adult.
10
 Staffing
During our event, we will require volunteers from BCBSTX. According to the 2016-2017 School
Profile provided by Dallas ISD, there are 700 students enrolled at F.P. Caillet Elementary school,
ranging from pre-K to 5th grade. Ninety-five percent of the 700 students are Hispanic with
Spanish as their first language (Dallas ISD, 2016). To ensure a successful event, we are going to
need the cooperation from both teachers and volunteers.
The teachers at F.P. Caillet will be a valuable asset as they will eliminate communication
barriers between the students and the volunteers because the majority of the school staff are
bilingual, speaking both English and Spanish. Teachers also will serve as an authoritative role
during the event, because they will be leading their own classes. Since there are 700 students,
45 teachers will not be enough for a successful event; thus, we wish to include 20 volunteers,
preferably bilingual, from BCBSTX. Since the event requires working with children, background
checks will be performed on all volunteers. Thus, totaling the ratio of student to

BCBSTX
5K FUN RUN EVENT
F.P. Caillet
Volunteers Teachers
3% 6%

F.P. Caillet
Students
91%

teacher/volunteer to 11:1.
Both the volunteers and the teachers will be provided itineraries of the event to ensure that
everyone knows the timeline of the day. Ten of the 20 BCBSTX volunteers will be responsible
for helping the teachers as they see fit. The other 10 will be responsible for helping our team
with each event phase such as the Fun Run, the award ceremony, the information session, and
the lunch. Freshella will cater and deliver the lunch that will be served by the cafeteria staff to
children, faculty, volunteers, and parents in the school cafeteria. After lunch, the Fun Run event
concludes and the school day resumes as normal.
Because the teachers and staff of F.P. Caillet will be paid their normal wages, BCBSTX is not
responsible for paying them any extra compensation for this event. However, each BCBSTX
employee volunteer will be offered a $50 Amazon gift card for their three hours of community
service. After the event is over, it is up to the employee whether to resume a normal day of
work or to take personal time off.

11
Our team Happy N Healthy hopes to continue to promote these events in the future. We are
excited to spend our time reaching out to the community, and offering great volunteer
opportunities in the Dallas area for our staff here at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas.

Budget
Team Happy N Healthy has worked on the budget and came up with specific lists of items,
prices, and the suppliers. In order to provide the gold medals for 700 students at F.P. Caillet
Elementary school, we chose Oriental Trading Company, which is the cheapest supplier
compared to World Class Medal or Dinn Trophy. The price for a dozen medals is $3.48; thus, the
price for 700 gold medals including tax is $221.75. Staples is very popular for office supplies, so
they will provide us 2 poster paper rolls for $65.06 including tax and 1000 fliers for $232.19
including tax. After researching many different caterers in Dallas area, Freshella remained the
top candidate because of its good reputation for delicious and healthy gourmet catering, high
rate of helpful and friendly service (Freshella Catering, 2015). This fits perfectly with the goal of
the event of educating kids on eating healthy on a budget. Freshella has agreed to provide
lunch for students, teachers, volunteers, and parents for about $13,500 including tax. To
encourage the 20 volunteers from BCBSTX to participate, we will give each employee a $50 gift
card from Amazon, and the total cost for this including tax is $1,080. As a result, the total
amount of the budget is $15,099 ($221.75+ $65.06 + $232.19 + $13500 + $1,080). Half of the
budget comes from BCBSTX, and the Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce will match the rest
of $7,549.5. A table and graph illustrate the budget.

12
 Budget
Item Price

Gold medal (Oriental Trading) $221.75.00

Food (Freshella) $13,500.00

Fliers & Posters (Staples) $297.25

($65.06 + $232.19)

Gift Cards (Amazon) $1,080.00

Total (tax included) $15,099.00

Blue Cross Blue Shield $7,549.50

Dallas Regional Chamber of Commerce $7,549.50

Happy N' Healthy Fun Run Budget

7% 1%
2%
Gold medals (Oriental
Trading)
Food (Freshella)
89%
Fliers & Posters (Staples)

Gift Cards (Amazon)

13
 Authorization Request
November 30, 2016

Mr. Dan McCoy

1001 E. Lookout Drive
Richardson, Texas, 75082

President McCoy:

Our team asks for your permission to proceed with our 5k Fun Run event at F.P. Caillet
Elementary School on December 9, 2016. We will be pairing with Marathon Kids, a non-profit
that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas sponsors. Our team hopes to instill a healthy lifestyle within
the Dallas community by helping our future generation.
We ask that BCBSTX pays $7,750 and the other half of $7,750 will be paid by the Dallas Regional
Chamber of Commerce. The funds will help to cover food, posters and fliers, gold medals, and
gift cards for our employee volunteers. This will be a great opportunity for BCBSTX to get
directly involved in the community.
By signing this document, I, __________________________, authorize the team Happy N
Healthy to utilize the funds of $7,750 to help create a 5k Fun Run for F.P. Caillet Elementary
School on December 9, 2016.

________________ _________________ _________________ ______________

Urmi Khatri Meegan Alexander Samantha Halliburton Bach Tran
Assistant Controller HR Manager Marketing Manager Financial Analyst
BCBSTX BCBSTX BCBSTX BCBSTX

X
Dan McCoy
President
BCBSTX

14
 References
Anthony, K. (2012, October). Tackling obesity with a focus on feeling good. Retrieved November
17, 2016 from http://www.forefrontaustin.com/feature/tackling-obesity-focus-feeling-
good.html
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas(BCBSTX). (2016). Company Information. Retrieved November
14, 2016 from http://www.bcbstx.com/company-info/
Blank Children's Hospital. (2014, February 04). 10 surprising facts about childhood obesity.
Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
https://www.unitypoint.org/blankchildrens/article.aspx?id=a08c96a2-c311-40d3-8eee-
93d15f92b7ef
ChooseMyPlate. (2016, May 9). Company Information. Retrieved November 28, 2016 from
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/about-us
Dallas ISD. (2016, October 27). 2016-2017 School Profile-F.P. Caillet Elementary school.
Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
http://www.dallasisd.org/cms/lib/TX01001475/Centricity/Shared/SchoolProfiles/SCHO
OL_PROFILE_120.pdf
F.P. Caillet Elementary. (2016). Our School. Retrieved November 18, 2016 from
http://www.dallasisd.org/caillet

Freshella Catering. (2015). About us - Freshella Catering. Retrieved November 27, 2016 from
https://freshella.com/about-us/
Google Maps. (2016). Location of School. Retrieved November 28, 2016, from
https://goo.gl/xrJJ72/
Hernandez, S. (2015, January 30). Texas children outweigh national average. Retrieved
November 14, 2016 from http://kxan.com/2015/01/29/texas-children-outweigh-
national-average/
Joseph, L. & Hobbs, T. (2016, February 16). DISD demographics. Retrieved November 17, 2016
from http://www.dallasnews.com/news/news/2016/02/16/dallas-isd-to-ask-city-for-
help-integrating-high-poverty-schools
Landers, J. (2015, September). To ward off child obesity, Dallas County working to change
tastes, behaviors. Health Care. Dallas News. Retrieved November 17, 2016 from
http://www.dallasnews.com/business/health-care/2015/09/11/to-ward-off-child-
obesity-dallas-county-working-to-change-tastes-behaviors
Marathon Kids. (2016). Why Run? Retrieved November 17, 2016 from
https://marathonkids.org/were-marathon-kids/why-run/

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 References
Reese, J. (2007, August 10). Childhood obesity indicates greater risk of school absenteeism,
University of Pennsylvania study reveals. Retrieved November 15, 2016 from
https://news.upenn.edu/news/childhood-obesity-indicates-greater-risk-school-
absenteeism-university-pennsylvania-study-revea
State of Obesity. (2016). Texas. Retrieved November 17, 2016 from
http://stateofobesity.org/states/tx/
U.S. Department of Education. (2015, October 5). Improving Basic Programs Operated by Local
Educational Agencies (Title I, Part A). Retrieved November 28, 2016 from
http://www2.ed.gov/programs/titleiparta/index.html
WHO. (2014, October 29). Facts and figures on childhood obesity. Retrieved November 16,
2016 from http://www.who.int/end-childhood-obesity/facts/en/

World Obesity. (2015). Childhood obesity worldwide. Retrieved November 16, 2016 from
http://www.worldobesity.org/resources/world-map-obesity/?map=overview-girls

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