Sulphur Public School District Honored for Efforts to Improve Health

SULPHUR, OK (January 22, 2019) – Sulphur Public School District was honored on Tuesday for their efforts to improve health through the Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) Healthy Incentive Program for schools.

To receive the $25,000 incentive grant, Sulphur Public Schools put a variety of policies and strategies in place to promote health and wellness for students and staff. The district has chosen to use grant funds to refurbish the district walking track to promote physical activity for students, staff and community use.

TSET Board of Directors member Casey Killblane, Julie Bisbee, interim executive director and Sharon Howard, TSET healthy incentive program manager for schools, presented a plaque and big check to Sulphur Public Schools Superintendent Paula Crawford, Sulphur Board of Education members Fob Jones and Jenny Trett and Pam Chitwood from Arbuckle Memorial Hospital and the Sulphur Wellness committee. House Speaker Charles McCall was also on hand for the presentation. 

The incentive grant criteria focus on strengthening district wellness policies to improve school nutrition, increase physical activity, student wellbeing and provide tobacco-free environments for students, staff, faculty and families. These health-promoting practices and policies are recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Incentive grant funds must be used for projects or programs to improve health.

 “These grants recognize the efforts of school districts and school sites that are actively promoting healthy lifestyles,” said TSET Interim Director Julie Bisbee. “Studies show that active, healthy kids perform better in school and we want to recognize schools that are making the healthy choice the easy choice for students, staff and the community.”

TSET was created by a constitutional amendment in 2000 as a long term strategy to improve health and ensure settlement payments from a 1998 multi-state lawsuit against the tobacco industry are used to improve the health of all Oklahomans. The funds are placed in an endowment to ensure a growing funding source for generations to come. Only the earnings from the endowment are used to fund grants and programs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                
Whitney Dinger, whitneyd@tset.ok.gov
Direct: 405-521-4959
Cell: 405-227-0488

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 The Oklahoma Tobacco Settlement Endowment Trust (TSET) serves as a partner and bridge builder for organizations working towards shaping a healthier future for all Oklahomans. TSET provides leadership at the intersections of health by working across the state, by cultivating innovative and life-changing research, and by working across public and private sectors to develop, support, implement and evaluate creative strategies to take advantage of emerging opportunities to improve the public's health. TSET. Better Lives Through Better Health.