Our Challenge: Promoting a Healthy Lifestyle in West Contra Costa County
- According to a study, more than half (56.2%) of Contra Costa adults were either overweight or obese.
- In the greater Bay Area, low-income adults and American Indian/Alaska Native, African American and Latino adults were more likely to be obese than adults in the region overall.
- In 2008, almost one-fifth (18.6%) of Contra Costa adults reported that they did not participate in any physical activity in the past month.
- In parts of Richmond and San Pablo, there is a lack of access to affordable, healthy foods and safe places to be active.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests that communities create environments that foster healthy lifestyle choices by implementing strategies to increase healthy eating and physical activity:
Overweight Adults (BMI 25+) in the
Greater Bay Area
%
African American
%
Latino
%
White
%
Asian
%
Contra Costa County
%
Men
%
Women
* Statistics reported by Contra Costa Health Services report on adult obesity.
Our History
Before founding Weigh of Life, Jan Schilling served as a Registered Dietician for 50 years. Throughout her career, she watched the CDC track the incidence of overweight and obese individuals in the United States. When she began her career, 15 percent of the population was overweight or obese; when she retired, that number had grown to 67 percent, with the highest rates among diverse populations in low-income areas, such as Richmond and San Pablo.
Further, residents in low-income neighborhoods often have barriers to achieving healthy lifestyles that higher-income neighborhoods do not. High crime rates and unsafe spaces prevent residents from getting outdoor exercise, and the high cost of gyms and health clubs are often prohibitive.
Weigh of Life was created so that individuals at any income level who want to improve their exercise and nutrition habits and promote preventive health can do so in a safe and supportive environment.
Who We Serve
Weigh of Life engages 500 participants per week, 98 percent of whom are native Spanish speakers, in a range of activities related to health, wellness, education, and economic improvement.
Weigh of Life Accomplishments Since 2006
Teachers who Started as Students
Number of Students Helped Since 2006
Lesson Locations in West CC County
Current Number of Members
%
Participants that are losing weight. 20-25% are maintaining a healthy weight (BMI between 20-25).
Weight lost by our current administrator.
Since 2006, we have helped 15,000 Richmond and San Pablo residents achieve a healthy weight and a balanced diet.
Challenges and Solutions
- Challenge: Need safe and convenient place for regular exercise.
- Solution: Weigh of Life offers exercise classes at four locations around Richmond and San Pablo. Childcare is provided.
- Challenge: Commercial gyms are cost-prohibitive for many.
- Solution: Through fundraising, Weigh of Life offers exercise classes at a low cost.
- Challenge: Healthy fruits and vegetables are expensive and not readily available in many neighborhoods.
- Solution: Through a partnership with Urban Tilth, Weigh of Life offers discounts at $10 per box for organic fruit and vegetable boxes with pickups arranged at the exercise class locations.
- Challenge: Many people are not familiar with how to prepare healthy low-fat meals.
- Solution: Weigh of Life offers cooking classes.
Our Offerings
Exercise Classes
We provide regular high-impact aerobic fitness classes every week at community centers in the underserved areas of Richmond and San Pablo. Classes include including Zumba, step aerobics, and kickboxing. See the Class Descriptions page for more information.
Nutrition Classes
Classes include healthy eating demonstrations, cooking tips, and information on balanced diets.
Child Supervision
Child supervision is offered so that parents — the gatekeepers to their families’ fitness and nutrition habits — can achieve and promote healthy lifestyles. When parents are exercising, we ensure that children stay active, too. Our child supervision has anywhere from 30-60 minutes of outdoor physical activity and opportunities to develop social skills.
Weigh In Opportunities
To help participants achieve their goal of weight loss or maintenance, participants may choose to track their weight one day per week at each site. In fact, several physicians at Kaiser Richmond, LifeLong Medical Care, and other local health care providers refer patients to Weigh of Life for weight management.
Job Training and English Skills
Weigh of Life is a partner with RichmondWORKS, which received a grant award from the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, the California Workforce Development Board and the Employment Development Department in the amount of $300,000 to fund Project IMPACTO. Project IMPACTO (Immigrant Participants Accessing Career Training Opportunities) will serve 75 English Language Learners with basic skills, GED and High School Diplomas, career technical education in growth sectors, job placement and support services.
Testimonials
"Over a period of six years Weigh of Life has positively impacted over 4,000 individuals and is on its way to reaching even greater numbers of individuals and families."
Former Mayor of Richmond, Gayle McLaughlin
"With Weigh of Life, I learned how to eat healthy and passed these new habits on to my family. As of right now, I have lost 50 pounds and dropped 8 sizes. It’s satisfying knowing that you can accomplish what you truly put your mind to."
Karla Aguilera
Our Board of Directors
Ruth Vasquez-Jones
Executive Director
Ms. Vasquez-Jones grew up in Richmond, graduated from De Anza High School and is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley. Ruth has been part of the West Contra Costa Community for over 30 years. For 13 years, she was the Community Affairs Director for the Brookside Community Health Center. Ms. Vasquez-Jones has over 25 years of experience in community relations, grant writing, fundraising, board and program development.
Jan Schilling
Founder
Jan Schilling founded Weigh of Life in 2006 after spending over 50 years working as a registered dietitian. She holds a Masters in Public Health from UC Berkeley and a Masters in Nutrition Science from the University of Ohio.
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Throughout her career, she watched the CDC track the incidence of overweight and obese individuals in the United States.
When she began her career, 15 percent of the population was overweight or obese; when she retired, that number had grown to 67 percent, with the highest rates among diverse populations in low-income areas, such as Richmond and San Pablo.
Further, residents in low-income neighborhoods often have barriers to achieving healthy lifestyles that higher-income neighborhoods do not. High crime rates and unsafe spaces prevent residents from getting outdoor exercise, and the high cost of gyms and health clubs are often prohibitive.
Weigh of Life was created so that individuals at any income level who want to improve their exercise and nutrition habits and promote preventive health can do so in a safe and supportive environment.
Genoveva Garcia Calloway
Board Member
Genoveva Garcia Calloway is a retired mental health professional and former Mayor who served 16 years as a City Council member of the City of San Pablo. She spent 35 years with the Contra Costa County Mental Health Division as the Program Manager.
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Genoveva has always been passionate about participating in the community, especially when it comes to ending the obesity epidemic in local neighborhoods. Several years ago, she and the San Pablo City Council learned that San Pablo possessed the highest childhood obesity rate in the county and the third highest in California. Genoveva felt that was unacceptable and since then has provided leadership on the Council to work on initiatives that address the epidemic.
With her city council experience, Genoveva brings strengths in understanding and setting policies for the organization. With fluency in both Spanish and English and 40 years as a San Pablo resident, Genoveva also brings detailed knowledge of community players and a valuable network of like-minded individuals.
To stay healthy, Genoveva makes sure to eat balanced meals as much as possible. She enjoys going for walks, joining a Weigh of Life Zumba class, and doing water walking at the Plunge (Richmond’s indoor pool). She also likes to read, dance and travel to Calistoga for the mineral pools that “soak the stressors away.”
Becky Stevens
Board Member
Becky Stephens, MA, brings an extensive background in the health promotion industry to the Weigh of Life board.
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She spent a decade in Washington, DC, encouraging legislators to mandate healthy lunches in schools and worked on getting a label approved for a health claim on soy foods. After moving to the Bay Area, Becky worked for Vitasoy, an international soy foods company, where she managed the consumer hotline, advised on nutrition policy and public relation issues, and developed recipes and marketing materials. She has also worked for the Better Health Foundation.
Margaret Jordan
Board Member
Margaret Jordan, RN, PhD, is a retired nurse and clinical health psychologist. She worked with young doctors to help them learn effective patient communication skills and methods to partner with patients as they worked to adopt healthier lifestyles.
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Margaret is passionate about serving on the Weigh of Life board because she believes that good health is important for living a happy and productive life. She occasionally serves as substitute instructor for Weigh of Life’s nutrition classes and loves being a resource to help members learn skills that enable them to prepare healthy meals for themselves and their families.
With a professional knowledge of how behavior change occurs and a history of working with city council and community groups to make Richmond a safer and more livable city, Margaret brings her highly informed activist background to Weigh of Life’s work. She enjoys helping to spread the word about Weigh of Life to parts of the community that are currently not taking advantage of the program.
To stay healthy, Margaret likes to cook balanced meals and avoid refined sugar. She also enjoys walking in the water at the Richmond Plunge and hiking around the Bay Area with her husband and dog. An East Bay native, Margaret lived in Detroit for 35 years and is very happy to have returned home to Richmond.
Margaret currently volunteers at UCSF, where she teaches communication skills to first and second year medical students. She is active in the Richmond community and is currently President of the Point Richmond Neighborhood Council.
Management
Beatriz
Manager
Rosa
Front Desk
Gema
Social Media Administrator
Our Supporters and Community Partners
Our Mission
Weigh of Life is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that provides opportunities for families to enjoy improving their health through exercise classes, nutrition education and social support.
Veterans Memorial Hall
968 23rd St
Richmond, CA 94804
Nevin Community Center
598 Nevin Ave
Richmond, CA 94801
Shields Reid Community Center
1410 Kelsey St
Richmond, CA 94801
Helms Middle School
2500 Rd 20
San Pablo, CA 94806
(Open only during school year)
Social Support
We believe it is harder to achieve goals alone, which is why we provide social support for our participants. To promote community, we participate in multiple social events every year and partner with other nonprofit organizations. We motivate our members through family dinners, community events and outdoor activities.