4th Annual Aspen Ideas Mini-Fest Coming Soon!

The Community Foundation and The Times To Hold Aspen Ideas Mini-Festival

"The Great Obesity Epidemic” Featured Thursday, February 16 at the Robinson Film Center

Shreveport, LA (February 3, 2012) –The Community Foundation and The Times will be hosting the 4^th Annual Aspen Ideas Mini-Fest at the Robinson Film Center.  This will be the first in a series of four for 2012. February’s session, "The Great Obesity Epidemic: Bigger is Not Better,” will focus on obesity and its lasting impact on the community. 

Obesity is a serious, chronic disease that has been linked to coronary failure, diabetes, and much more. Over two-thirds of American adults are obese, and one in three children is overweight.  According to the Center for Disease Control and Preventive, the state of Louisiana had a 31% prevalence of obesity among adults in 2010. This was one the highest percentages in the nation.

 "Obesity is a major public health crisis affecting our community and our nation.  It is non-discriminatory, as it affects all ages and all races,” said Misty Alexander, Wellness Director of the YMCA and Coordinator for the Shreveport/Bossier Fit Cities Challenge.  "For the first time in centuries, today's children have shorter life expectancies than their parents.  The good news is that almost all of the effects of obesity-related illnesses are preventable or reversible.”   

The mini-festival will identify the contributing factors to America’s national obesity problem and what can be done to combat the problem. After the screening, a panel of local experts including Dr. Neslihan Gungor, a pediatric epidemiologist at the LSUHSC and Dr. Stephanie Broyles, a biostatistician at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center will lead attendees in an open discussion and ideas exchange. 

The event is free and open to the public. Doors open at 5:00pm with the video presentation beginning promptly at 5:15pm. 

For more information, contact The Community Foundation at (318) 221-0582 or visit the event webpage by clicking here.

About the Aspen Ideas Festival

Presented by the Aspen Institute and The Atlantic magazine, the Aspen Ideas Festival explores some of the most important ideas and pressing issues faced by society. The Festival strives to highlight the ideas of experts at the forefront of their fields and of leaders whose actions are changing the world.

About the Community Foundation of North Louisiana

Established in 1961, the Community Foundation of North Louisiana’s mission is to strengthen communities through philanthropy.  By bringing together fund donors, their financial advisors and nonprofit agencies, the Foundation is a powerful catalyst for building charitable giving and effecting positive change in our area.  Through the generosity and vision of our family of donors, both past and present, the Foundation has granted nearly $40,000,000 to vital nonprofit organizations since our inception.  In our shared endeavor to build a more robust, vibrant community, we fund a variety of critical initiatives, including education, health, arts and culture, and poverty alleviation.  Through integrity and sound financial practices, the Foundation has successfully stewarded the philanthropic interests of past donors and is poised to lead the next generation of givers to address the challenges facing our region.

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