News

Positive Leadership & Youth Development In recent months, the John Rex Endowment was privileged to attend graduation ceremonies for participants from Planned Parenthood's Teens Taking Action, El Pueblo's Líderes de Salud and Wake County 4-H Extension's PODER. These local groups have a lot to celebrate! It's …

Continuing Our Commitment At the end of 2007, the John Rex Endowment invested in five Positive Youth Development grants. In May 2009, we convened a small group of community individuals, who previously expressed interest in positive youth development, for discussion of community needs, suggestions and ideas. In response …

Putting Wake to Wellness grant funds to good use, Farmington Woods Elementary rounded out their gym's design with the addition of new rowing machines which are used by all students.  Rowing has been incorporated as a motivational tool in PE class and an afterschool club with the ability to track progress on monitors…

Fourth graders at Vance Elementary School got an extra dose of veggies and a whole lot more with Veggie U lessons which aim to combat childhood obesity through a cooperative curriculum that involves some of the area’s best educators, chefs, dietitians and physicians.  Students tasted samples of microgreens, p…

Washington GT Magnet Elementary was awarded the A+ Fit School Designation by the NC Health and Wellness Trust Fund. Only seven schools received this designation which requires demonstrating that they are working to make significant contributions to the health and well-being of their students and staff. W…

N.C. Children's Hospital Opens Pediatric Subspecialty Clinic in Wake County Imagine being a child and hearing words such as gastroenterologist, pulmonologist or endocrinologist. Worse yet, imagine being a parent facing a wait of weeks or months for your child to see a pediatric subspecialist. A shortage of pediatr…

Five recently approved grants offer promising improvements in access to care with resources and services to assist the varying health needs of children in Wake County. We encourage you to learn more about these community projects and tap into these opportunities for the children and families you encounter through your o…

A new Orbiter Lap Counter at Conn Active Learning and Technology Magnet Elementary integrates fitness and technology. Students’ laps are counted, along with time, and recorded as they run by the orbiter wearing electronic lanyards. The Orbiter, which was purchased as part of a grant from the John Rex Endo…

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather while exploring new, nearby outdoor parks, trails and greenways. Walk the new trail connecting a playground and community garden at Gethsemane Seventh Day Adventist Church to the Sanderford Road Park and surrounding neighborhood. This project is part of our Active Communities and …

Students in kindergarten through fifth grade completed 25 miles over a 10-week period of training for a celebratory 1.2 mile event which was the final leg of a 26.2 mile marathon challenge designed to allow children to finish at a rate that is fun and safe for their growing bodies. The primary goal was to support an…