January 14th, 2011
The News Journal – Wade Malcolm

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Pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca announced a $250,000 donation to Delaware State University at the school's board of trustees meeting Thursday.

The grant, spread over five years, will fund the start of the Delaware Center of Health Promotion, a prevention-based wellness program located on DSU's campus, and run by registered dietitian Marianne Carter. The center will be housed in DSU's Wellness and Recreation Center and will advise participants on fitness, nutrition and other ways of healthy living.

"For those of us who went to college, we know about the freshman 15, and some of us gained more than that," said Tyrone Jones, director of corporate community alliances at AstraZeneca, which has its U.S. headquarters in Fairfax.

The grant will create a Healthy Hornets program, and the center's resources will be available to the community.

Rep. John Carney, D-Del., and state Sen. Bethany Hall-Long, D-Middletown, helped DSU secure private funding. Carney said DSU was an ideal spot to host the center because of its facilities and role as a historically black institution. Minorities in Delaware have worse outcomes for many diseases, he said.

"We were looking for a place for the Center for Health Promotion, and [DSU President Harry] Williams embraced it," Carney said. "We need to control health care costs. One of the ways to do that ... is help Delawareans live healthier lives."

The center will host its first event at 7 p.m. Wednesday with an appearance by Ian Smith of the VH1 show "Celebrity Fit Club."