Where SNACK Came From
Did you know that SNACK was created in 2007? In that year, a group of health inspired individuals met to discuss the current health trends of Yamhill County youth. To combat increasingly busy, yet sedentary lifestyles, the group decided to create the nonprofit organization that we now know as The Western Oregon Center for Pediatric Therapeutic Lifestyle Change (WOC), which is the parent organization to the SNACK Program. WOC’s board of directors is made up of community members and representatives from organizations and institutions all around Yamhill County.
Time and time again, we’ve told you about all of the support that both Linfield College and Physicians’ Medical Center has shown for our program. Without their support, SNACK wouldn’t have the office or interns that it needs. WOC’s president and vice president, who also happen to be the co-founders of the organization deserve a huge thank you for their assistance in providing SNACK with these services.
President and co-founder, William Koenig, has played a big role in SNACK since its creation. He also happens to be a pediatrician at Physicians’ Medical Clinic. Vice President and co-founder, Janet Peterson, also has an important role in the SNACK Program. Janet stays very involved with the program and is often times found exercising or cooking alongside the kids and interns. She also directs a lot of Linfield College students to SNACK for internships as she is a professor of health and human performance and serves as the internship coordinator at the college.
Janet was heavily involved in our GAINS series last year: “I enjoyed leading sessions or participating alongside the kids, families and interns each week. Witnessing the change in these kids over one summer was impactful. Kids, regardless of size, who felt that they ‘weren’t athletic or coordinated’ completed a 5k, mastered the ladder and hiked on the flanks of Mount Hood. Transformative.”
Camilo Zamora has been with WOC since 2017. He currently serves as the secretary of the organization. He brings expertise to the board as a medical and legal interpreter and translator. Carmen Mendenhall has also been with WOC since 2017. She currently serves as the treasurer to the organization. Carmen works at Physicians’ Medical Center as the account manager.
Jennifer Scott and Kevin Dao have been serving as board members for WOC since 2016. Jennifer brings a lot of experience to the table as she has worked as a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist for more than 20 years. Kevin fits in great with the organization as his interests include community based healthcare, mental health, and grant writing. Last but not least, Stephanie Arciga has been a WOC board member since 2017. She is a great addition to the team as she is a Linfield College graduate, a previous SNACK intern, and engaged in and connected with our local Latinx community.
Our board members are great community leaders and show a lot of care and concern for the Yamhill County community. We are grateful for the creation of WOC as it is what makes our program and everything that we do for the community possible.
