Melanie Bloodworth
By: Katrina Irwin
Updated: March 15, 2010
If you've ever been to the state fair, you know the healthy eating options are few and far between. That's why a team of 12 kids from Rochester started up a business to try and change that.
"We just thought that it would be a great opportunity for some young people to get real business skills and opportunities and create a healthy snack out of new york state produce to sell at the fair," says Melanie Bloodworth.
She runs the "biz kids-real" program. It's part of the city's parks and rec department. She's being honored as a healthy hero- for helping the kids make healthy snacks and sell them at the fair.
"During that week the young people learn basic business skills and the tools to actually start their own small business," Bloodworth adds.
They made fruit cabobs and sold fruit juice. It was a big hit. Already, they are planning to do the same thing again this summer. Bloodworth says, "we're looking at doing a lot more test marketing locally before we go to the fair. So we'll be going to a lot of the public markets and hopefully some of the festivals as well before we go to the fair this year."
