Malone Community Center 
Supporting and Celebrating Family and Community Health

From senior citizens to early childhood development, the Malone Center celebrates health and wellness.  Whether its dental check-ups, encouraging cancer screening, or supporting good nutrition by growing fresh veggies for children’s programs, Malone reaches out to serve the community, sometimes one family at a time.

Reaching out to the community, every holiday event not only offers fun and a celebration of culture, but health resources and education.  Juneteenth, an annual celebration commemorating the end of slavery is a perfect example.  Scheduled for Saturday, June 17 from 11 AM – 5 PM, Malone sponsors the event across from the center at Trago Park, 22nd & U Streets. The afternoon includes family-friendly fun, kids’ activities, and music as well as an extensive health fair offering a variety of free health screenings.  The event hosts between 1,000 – 2,000 people each year.

Whether it’s Juneteenth, Back to School, Halloween, or Kwanza, each Malone event reflects a culture of health.  But Malone’s health outreach and support is not only offered in the community setting, but one family at a time, a family like the McWilliams.

The McWilliams joined a ten week Malone health and wellness program designed by UNL Nutrition Sciences, Assistant Professor Megan Kelley and her students. The program objective was to get families to change the way they think about exercise and nutrition and to set realistic goals for their health.  To encourage, celebrate, and support their efforts, a Facebook page, CHANGING THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THE MCWILLIAMS, was created that also provided nutrition and exercises tips. Both parents and their children ages 14, 9, and 8 were active on the page, posting their healthy meals, steps taken and goals met. For example, Mom gave up soda, Dad started running and lost weight, and the kids were choosing healthier snacks. At the conclusion of the program, family members had lower blood pressure and blood sugar levels. 

Come join us on June 17 for family fun, a celebration of culture, and of course community and family health at Juneteenth.  If you want to know more about the Malone programs, events, and health outreach, visit the Malone website, or contact Regina Sullivan, Malone Health Outreach Specialist, at 402-326-8534.