The future is in our children’s hands, and the best way to start ensuring the best future they could possibly have is by teaching them how to live healthier lifestyles.
Monet Cares understands this. And to help promote its cause, Monet Cares has set up a Musical Theater and Health Institute that promotes healthy living through fun and music.
“Monet Cares is an organization and the motto is “Their Life, Your Hands: Promoting Healthy Lifestyles for our Youth.” Its focus is to promote healthy lifestyles so that kids can live longer, healthier and happier lives,” says Monet Bagneris, former Miss Los Angeles County and founder of Monet Cares.
Bagneris was inspired to start her organization through her education. “I did my studies through USC’s Keck School of Medicine,” Bagneris says, “I got my Bachelor of Science there and in my studies I learned about the increased incidence of diseases like Type II Diabetes, Obesity, and heart issues among younger and younger kids.”
A lot of the health issues with kids stem from lifestyle choices, Bagneris explains, “Monet Cares is focused on promoting these healthy lifestyles through healthy eating, getting physically active and focusing on the five dimensions of health.”
These five dimensions of health, according to Bagneris are physical health, mental health, social health, emotional health, and spiritual health.
To help the promotion of healthy living, Monet Cares has setup an event dubbed the Musical Theater and Health Institute, that’s happening August 2nd through the 4th.
“It will be held at Lake Avenue Church. There will be workshops on singing, dancing, acting, a personal trainer will come and teach them the importance of living a physically active life,” says Bagneris.
Additionally, “A chef from California Pizza Kitchen will provide a hands-on cooking experience for the girls to learn how to make one of their recipes and the importance of knowing what kind of food you’re putting into your body.”
A panel of college students who are in the arts or in sports will also be there. Bagneris tells us that some of these students will be from the Ivy League, while some from California schools, and each will basically serve as mentors for the young ladies and to answer any questions they might have.
“The ‘Motivating Me,’ panel will be composed of 4 very inspirational individuals including the current Miss Los Angeles County and my mother, the Pasadena City Attorney,” says Bagneris.
Bagneris explains that “The purpose of this Institute is to promote self-confidence, self-esteem and healthy lifestyles for these young ladies.”
On the final day, August 4, there will be a performing arts showcase, says Bagneris, where the girls can showcase what they learned in the Institute in front of friends, family, community leaders, and public officials.
The showcase is open to the public. This first event will be focused on girls, and Bagneris says another event will include boys as well.
The reason for the organization’s focus on this particular age range is because it is a crucial time when kids, boys and girls, “are going through developmental changes, and there’s a lot of identity questioning, and at that point in time, they’re faced with people who approach them with drugs, peer pressure and all kinds of negative influences,” says Bagneris.
The organization wants the kids to “recognize who they are, have that self-confidence within themselves, and understand that there’s so much potential that they have. All they need are the tools to be able to embrace who they are and go on the path of success rather than the path of destruction,” Bagneris adds.
Bagneris also want to add that she’s “also providing scholarships for individuals whose families aren’t able to afford the Institute, and also looking for individuals and companies to sponsor the girls because currently there are girls on the scholarship list.”
The Musical Theater and Health Institute will be held at Lake Avenue Church, 393 N. Lake Ave. Registration is $125 and there will be multiple-child discounts as well.
Prices are inclusive of three healthy meals plus one snack.
For more information about Monet Cares and its Musical Theater and Health Institute, visit http://monetcares.org or you can call (818) 570-1321 for more details. You can also email [email protected] for more information.
