Be Well Philly – 2014 Health Hero Challenge

This year’s Be Well Philly/Philadelphia magazine Health Hero Challenge included a personal trainer specializing in women’s fitness, a high school health and physical education teacher, a pastor who started a “Fit Ministry,” and a child health advocate who works to influence Pennsylvania health laws that pertain to children. All of the finalists make a difference in the health and well-being of their communities.

Pastor W. Lonnie Herndon of The Church of Christian Compassion in southwest Philadelphia founded a fit ministry at his church that helps educate his congregation about healthy eating and gets his church members moving with exercise classes.

Colleen McCauley, the health policy director at Public Citizens for Children and Youth (PCCY), has worked for thirteen years to change laws in Pennsylvania that pertain to children’s health. One recent campaign got the Children’s Health Insurance Program to start covering replacement glasses for children who lost or broke the one pair of glasses that the program had previously provided.