We Can!^® Parent Program Training "TOPS" Expectations

When We Can! national partner Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS) contacted the We Can! team about providing a Parent Program training for their field staff, the team saw it as a great opportunity to share the program's messages and resources with a whole new grassroots force. TOPS field staff are located throughout the U.S. and Canada and encourage healthy lifestyles through weight-management support groups, providing a great audience for We Can! messages. Working with TOPS field staff also provided a chance to train community leaders on the Parent Program via Webinar—something the program has done in a limited capacity in the past.

The trainings—held on two sequential Saturdays in August—were a hit, exceeding expectations in participation and generating enthusiasm and interest for We Can! messages and materials among the TOPS field staff. More than 160 TOPS field staff leaders from the U.S. and Canada participated in the Webinar, additional staff listened to the Webinar via phone, and still others were prompted by the event to take the We Can! online training for the Parent Program.

Following the trainings, the TOPS staff has ordered scores of We Can! Parent Program materials to help them launch their programming, including both Leader's Guides (5.8 MB) and Family Guides (4.3 MB). Many will train TOPS members, but some are already thinking beyond TOPS to other community-based organizations that they can reach.

"We are excited to have our field staff serve as champions of this powerful messaging, as they reach out to fellow TOPS members as well as parents, grandparents, and families in their communities," TOPS President Barbara Cady said.

A national partnership with a grassroots base is a win-win for We Can!, TOPS, and most importantly, families across North America who want to stay at a healthy weight.