Joe Rosier, president and CEO of The Rapides Foundation, and Ritchey Cable, an instructor at Grace Christian School in Alexandria, were presenters at the Grantmakers In Health annual conference March 8 in Baltimore, Md. They were part of a breakout session titled “Sparking Youth Creativity to Develop Social Media Campaigns” that focused on The Rapides Foundation’s 2011 Get Healthy Cenla Video Challenge.

The Get Healthy Cenla Video Challenge invited one team from each high school in Central Louisiana to create a 30-second video on the importance of healthy eating and physical activity. Thirty-nine schools accepted the challenge. The winner was Grace Christian School, which won a $10,000 cash prize. In addition, their winning video was reproduced and used as part of The Rapides Foundation’s Diet and Physical Activity Initiative.

In addition to Rosier and Cable, presenters at the GIH conference session included three of the Get Healthy Cenla Video Challenge judges: Carmen Ashley of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Gary Drews of The Colorado Health Foundation and Dwayne Proctor of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. During the presentation, audience members were able to see a replay of the Video Challenge Film Festival, which was held in the Coughlin-Saunders Performing Arts Center in Alexandria last May. Avoyelles High School won second place and LaSalle High won third.

The Grantmakers In Health 2012 Annual Meeting on Health Philanthropy was attended by health foundations and corporations throughout the nation. This year’s focus was Health and Equity for All. Grantmakers In Health (GIH) is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to helping foundations and corporate giving programs improve the health of all people. Its mission is to foster communication and collaboration among grantmakers and others, and to help strengthen the grantmaking community's knowledge, skills, and effectiveness. Print