Robert Crown Center for Health Education

Founded in 1958 as a museum of health, family living, and sex education, the Robert Crown Center for Health Education has grown into a world-class educational organization invested in the future of the greater Chicago communities it serves. In a move to a new facility in Hinsdale in 1974, it became the world's first fully-instructional health education center for students and teachers alike with sophisticated and stimulating teaching aids that allowed young people to learn the wonders of the human body, its functions, and their responsibilities to it. Schools throughout the region came to depend on the Robert Crown Center's thought provoking programs as an integral part of their own curriculum. In 1987 the Center began to respond to the needs of students in Chicago by taking programs right into the schools. Suburban schools were included in this outreach in 1996, with pre-school/daycare facilities added a year later.

More than 5 million youth have participated in Robert Crown health and wellness, comprehensive sex education and substance abuse prevention programs in its Centers, schools and other community settings. Each year, over 140,000 boys and girls from 600 schools across 8 counties participate in Robert Crown programs, about half of which are now presented in the community.

Last year the Center introduced a new program, F.I.T. (Fighting Internal Temptation), focused on increasing awareness of obesity, its causes and its consequences for children, ages 6 – 13. This initiative teaches children healthy dietary choices and provides suggestions for physical activities in a city neighborhood. The program incorporates urban themes, which help keep the students interested and involved, and activities including music, healthy snacks, dancing, games and dynamic presentations. F.I.T. is one of the few programs in the country designed specifically to reduce the rates of obesity in inner city children of color and children from low-income families.

An award of $5000 will help fund the F.I.T. (Fighting Internal Temptation) program.

To learn more about the Robert Crown Center, click here.