June 26, 2006

Governor announces “HealthyTip” postcard contest
Contest helps spread message of HealthyKansas initiative

Kansans can share their ideas on increasing physical activity, eating healthy or ending their tobacco habit through a summer postcard contest Governor Kathleen Sebelius announced today.

The HealthyTip Postcard Contest is a promotion through the HealthyKansas “Change Something” initiative and will run through September 5. Each week a winning tip will be selected and posted to the HealthyKansas Web site – www.healthykansas.org.

“We’re looking for great, creative tips on increasing physical activity, eating better, and cutting the use of tobacco,” Sebelius said. “These postcards can be as simple or as elaborate as the artist wants to be. This is a fun and creative way to share healthy messages.”

The creator of the winning weekly tip will receive a HealthyKansas t-shirt, and all entries will go into a grand prize drawing to be held on Thursday, September 14 during HealthyKansas Day at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson.

Postcard tips should be geared to the three key audiences for HealthyKansas: students in grades K-12; adults in the workplace; and seniors. The success of HealthyKansas relies on encouraging Kansans to make healthy changes in their lives.

Contest forms and rules are available on the Web site – www.healthykansas.org. While at the Web site, Governor Sebelius encourages Kansans to take the HealthyKansas pledge.

“I urge all Kansans to join me in taking the HealthyKansas pledge to make a change for better health,” she said.

HealthyKansas “Change Something” is about encouraging children in schools, adults in the workplace and seniors in their community to make simple, but powerful lifestyle changes, including:

• Increasing physical activity to 30 minutes a day, five to six times each week;
• Eating healthy, including eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily; and
• Eliminating or significantly reducing tobacco use.

Governor Sebelius launched the HealthyKansas initiative in November 2004 as a comprehensive effort to control health care costs, improve the quality of health care and raise awareness of the dangers of obesity in children and adults.

To learn more about how you can “change something,” or to complete an on-line pledge card, log onto - www.healthykansas.org.

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