Hawks hero rolls Healthy Habits program into local schools

Illawarra Hawks great Tim Coenraad visited Lake Heights Public School today - with the club's freshly minted community engagement officer spreading some happy and healthy messages to students in the local region.

The ‘Peoplecare Healthy Habits Program' is a Hawks initiative that aims to increase awareness about the importance of individual health and teach kids how to apply healthy habits to their everyday life.

"It's trying to get kids to make smarter choices in term of their health. We touch on four different things over half an hour in the classroom - what we eat and drink and how it affects our health, different ways of moving and exercising, the benefits of sleep, and the last thing is advice and guidance around mental health," Coenraad said.

The recently retired Hawks legend is determined to make a difference to kids in the region - encouraging youngsters to find a good balance between strong physical and mental health.

"It's not just done in the classroom. We go out and have some fun on the basketball court as well. It's a really good program, it's free for schools and we really like to think we are making a difference. If we can get through to at least one or two kids from each of these classes, hopefully we can change their lives for the better," Coenraad said.

The 'Peoplecare Healthy Habits Program' has been running for several years - with Coenraad hoping to bring some of the current Illawarra Hawks roster along to the school visits when they return from the month-long NBL Cup in Melbourne.

Lake Heights Public School Principal, Keiren Corbyn, said the program was integral to the continued development of the physical and mental health of students in the Illawarra region.

"All the feedback from the teachers so far is the program was excellent. Tim was really good with the kids and they were super engaged. Everything he discussed in the classroom was extremely valuable and it was just awesome to get the Hawks out into the school. We really enjoyed having Tim and I'll be speaking to other principals to spread the great word about the wonderful benefits of this program," Corbyn said.

Mr Corbyn also highlighted the symmetry between the program and the latest focuses of the education system.

"A new four-year education plan is currently being written and once implemented, one of the key directions will be around student wellbeing. It's all about kids being able to regulate emotions and be self aware of things like mindfulness and the importance of healthy eating and stating active. This Hawks program aligns with what we are trying to do as a school and it's definitely going to help our students connect and thrive," Corbyn said.

"It's an exiting program and I don't just want to tick boxes with programs like this, I want to make a difference. It's important for me to go out and convey a positive message and show these kids a few small things they can do to make improvements to their health and overall lives," Coenraad said.

If you want the Illawarra Hawks to visit your school - jump onto the Hawks community page and request a visit or send an email to community@hawks.com.au

The Illawarra Hawks Healthy Habits program is proudly delivered in conjunction with Peoplecare.