Despite taking a much-needed vacation from the public eye after eight years in the White House, the courageous Mrs. Michelle Obama continues to make it her business to helping others. With the launch of the Obama Center, the former First Lady is still making her rounds to speak about injustices in America. She’s still working with a Partnership for A Healthy America, works with several non-profits on improving education for minorities and will be in Philly for the 14th Pennsylvania Conference for Women in October, not to mention all of her other duties as a mom.
This year on her 60th birthday, former President and dedicated husband Barack Obama shared this lovely message:
“This is what 60 looks like,” he wrote via his Instagram.
“Happy birthday to my better half — who happens to be one of the funniest, smartest, most beautiful people I know. @MichelleObama, you make every day better. I can’t wait to see what this new decade brings you.”
Last year, the former President showed his lovely wife love via social media.
Barack took to social media and posted a super sweet throwback photo alongside a message celebrating how much she means to him.
“Happy birthday to my love, my partner, and my best friend,” Barack wrote alongside the pic. “Every moment with you is a blessing. Love you, Miche.”
In her final White House speech, First Lady Michelle Obama said, “serving as the First Lady has been the greatest honor of my life and I hope that I made you proud.”
Made us proud is an understatement! Little girls from across the world saw the poise, the beauty, the love and the rise of such an encouraging and giving First Lady. We are more than proud, we are in awe.
Forget that her book, Becoming, sold more copies and faster than any other U.S. President or First Lady in history.
Forget that Michelle was named as the #1 most stylish First Lady in Style Magazine.
Forget that Mrs. Obama is the ONLY First Lady in American history to hold two Ivy League degrees.
Forget that First Lady Michelle Obama is one of the few First Lady’s to show love for her husband openly without scandal.
Even if you forget all of that, we’ve got 16 other amazing accomplishments that former First Lady Michelle Obama has done. Take a look.
1. In 2010, she launched Let’s Move!, bringing together community leaders, educators, medical professionals, parents, and others in a nationwide effort to address the challenge of childhood obesity. Let’s Move! has an ambitious goal: to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation. Whether it’s providing healthier food in our schools, helping kids be more physically active, or urging companies to market healthier foods to our children, Let’s Move! is focused on giving parents the support they need to make healthier choices for their kids.
2. In 2010 she passed The School Lunch program with bipartisan support. The program provides free and reduced-price meals to more than 21 million low-income children, now requires districts to serve more fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein and low-fat dairy products.
3. Walgreens, Supervalu, Walmart and several regional grocers announced a commitment to build or expand 1,500 stores in communities with limited or no access to healthy food. This initiative will create thousands of local jobs, and will provide access to fresh food to an estimated 9.5 million people who currently have limited access. In California alone, the Fresh Works Fund has committed 200 million dollars to this effort to increase access to healthy food.
4. Darden, the world’s largest full service restaurant company, which owns Olive Garden, Red Lobster and other chains, made a commitment to improve kids’ menus by offering a fruit or vegetable and low-fat milk with every meal. Darden will also reduce total calories and sodium by 20% across their menus over the next 10 years.
TAKE A LOOK: Michelle Obama Is Officially A Guinness Book Of World Record Holder
5. The First Lady launched MyPlate and MiPlato, an easy to understand icon to help parents make healthier choices for their families. More than 6,100 community groups and 100 national organizations and corporations have partnered with the USDA to give families across the country access to this important nutritional information.
6. The First Lady worked with the US Tennis Association to build or refurbish more than 6,200 kid-sized tennis courts across the country, sign up more than 250,000 kids to complete their PALAs, and train 12,000 coaches to help kids learn the sport of tennis.
7. The First Lady launched Let’s Move! Child Care to ensure that our youngest children are getting a healthy start. As of January of 2013, more than 10,000 child care professionals and organizations have registered to implement new criteria for nutrition, physical activity, and limited screen time.
8. Walmart announced a new Nutrition Charter through which they lowered the cost of fruits, vegetables, and whole grain products by $1 billion in 2011. Wal-Mart has also pledged to work with manufacturers to eliminate trans fats and remove 10% of the sugar and 25% of the sodium in the food they sell by 2015.
9. Through Chefs Move to School, 2,400 chefs and nearly 4,000 schools have signed up to work together, teaching kids about healthy eating and helping cafeteria staff prepare healthier meals. That was all FLOTUS’ doing.