FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 17, 2017
For Information, contact:
Jody Kass, PPC Executive Director: 704-412-4506 x101
PLANTPURE COMMUNITIES ANNOUNCES 10 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENTS
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The nonprofit organization PlantPure Communities today announced the recipients of ten scholarships for the renowned Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate Program offered through the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies (CNS) and eCornell. These scholarships were made available via a collaboration between PlantPure Communities (PPC) and CNS, and eligibility was targeted to participants in the PPC Pod Program and PPC Oasis Program. PPC works to build stronger, healthier, more sustainable communities through a wide range of research, policy and program activities and by working with local nonprofits, governments, businesses, and other health and community-based organizations.
“PPC received over 130 applications for this very popular, valuable course,” said Jody Kass, PPC Executive Director. “We are so thankful to CNS for their partnership and for allowing us to offer this exceptional educational resource to our on-the-ground Pod leaders who are bringing the science of plant-based nutrition to their communities.” The Pod program was designed to create and support a grassroots movement by empowering a network of independent local groups and people working to promote the benefits of a whole food, plant-based (WFPB) lifestyle.
“CNS is pleased to support PPC’s efforts to strengthen the Pod Network and Oasis Program by offering these educational scholarships to active community leaders helping to share the science-based nutrition and health message. There is so much confusing information out there. It is crucial that this information reaches everyone, and especially those who live in food deserts, low-income, and other underserved neighborhoods where food borne chronic diseases are rampant,” said Jenny Miller, CNS Executive Director.
The scholarship recipients will be bringing this science-based nutrition education back to their communities in Ohio, North Carolina, Oregon, Massachusetts, Georgia, Alabama, Illinois, Texas, Michigan, and even Canada.
Richard Brown, a Cincinnati, Ohio, Pod member has been living and studying a plant-based lifestyle for 15 years. He is ready to take his knowledge to the next level and feels the course will give him the ability to do so. “I want to take on more active and important roles in promoting a plant-based diet to the public,” he said.
Judy Petullo, who runs the VegNet Bend Pod in Oregon, looks forward to creating presentations to help answer questions and guide others in the Pod she leads. “The knowledge I gain from the program fits perfectly with my passion and desire to share information with others about the benefits of plant-based nutrition,” she said.
Darlene Porter, Plant-Based Manna-Tobans Pod leader in Sandy Lake, Manitoba, Canada, believes it is an exciting time to be involved in the plant-based movement and shared her thoughts about the scholarship. “When you speak to people, you want to be confident that your information is current and correct,” she explained.
Nina Gheihman, a PhD candidate in sociology at Harvard University, and founder of the Boston Plant-Based Millennials Pod, is committed to providing strong leadership for her group. “The course will be a useful tool as well in my personal advocacy for those I help to educate about the power of plant-based diets for health, ethics, and the planet,” Nina said.
Khadesha Quammie, a member of a Durham, North Carolina Pod said, “I would love to incorporate this information and develop holistic plans of care for my patients that focus on therapeutic interventions, as well as the integration of a whole foods, plant-based diet.” Khadesha is beginning a doctoral program in physical therapy this summer.
Jeremy Glogower, vice president of operations at the Plant-Based Nutrition Support Group (PBNSG) in Michigan, is a longtime admirer of Dr. Campbell’s work. He reports that this way of eating has changed his life and that he wants to take the science-based course because it “will empower me in my life’s journey of plant-based advocacy, lend credibility to my mission, and assure those I help that I know what I’m talking about. Every day I wake up with the goal of saving and changing lives. This certification in plant-based nutrition bolsters my goal to be a knowledgeable, positive social leader in my community.”
Through the continuing partnership between the Center for Nutrition Studies and PlantPure Communities, PPC expects to offer another scholarship opportunity later this year. The timeframe and application guidelines for the second round of scholarships will be announced in the spring of 2017 on PPC’s website and to those registered on PPC’s website: www.plantpurepods.com
For general information about the certificate program (not the scholarship), go to the CNS website at:
www.nutritionstudies.org/courses/plant-based-nutrition/
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