DATE: Sunday, August 17, 1997               TAG: 9708150341

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 11   EDITION: FINAL 
                                            LENGTH:   32 lines

HOPE HOUSE

HOPE HOUSE: Hope House Foundation will expand its Health and Wellness project to include 10 more individuals with developmental disabilities thanks to a $32,000 grant from McGowan Charitable Trust of Washington D.C.

The Health and Wellness project began in January 1997 as a one-year project funded through the Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation to help educate 6 participants who had recently left institutions and now reside in Portsmouth. Since that time, all 6 engage in regular exercise; participate in monthly potluck meals, where they learn to cook low fat meals; and set and strive for individual health goals.

The grant will help Hope House educate and train ten more people with developmental disabilities in the areas of nutrition, exercise and overall wellness. The project will include a health and behavioral assessment for each person, a personalized wellness plan and exercise plan, nutritional counseling and peer support groups.

Both Hope Houses's Health and Wellness project and PATHWAYS community integration project will be collaborating to help the health grant reach all Hope House participants by having speakers and activities at PATHWAYS meetings focus on healthy living.

Hope House Foundation is a private, nonprofit organization which provides supportive living for nearly 80 people with disabilities.

The community is invited to attend the Norfolk PATHWAYS meetings that are held the first Thursday of each month at First Presbyterian Church, on the corner of Colonial and Redgate. For more information, contact Paula Traverse-Charlton at 625-6161.

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