Mission

Motivate and educate kids to adopt and maintain active healthy lifestyles.

Need/Opportunity

One in three children in the United States under the age of 19 is now considered to be overweight. This burgeoning health crisis, left unchecked, will increase the incidence of diabetes and other diseases in this population of children as they age Being overweight will negatively affect their lives and make them the first generation to have a shorter lifespan than their parents. Not only is this a tragedy for the children and their families, but it also brings a staggering cost burden to our health care and social services systems. Research has shown that the two primary causes of this crisis are less active lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits. The contributing factors cited most frequently include: more sedentary lifestyle due to more TV, computer, and video games less physical activity in schools (cuts to PE classes and sports programs due to budget constraints) less outside play time due to geographic and security concerns in neighborhoods less family involvement in physical activities more children spending more time at home alone due to parents working and single parents lack of motivating and challenging sports and fitness opportunities easy access to fast food and oversized portions lack of understanding of healthy foods and eating habits As importantly, research indicates a consistent, positive relationship exists between overall fitness and academic achievement.

Beliefs

1. We believe that a child who develops a healthy and active lifestyle with success in sports and fitness activities, early in life, will: Live longer with less disease Have higher confidence and self esteem Perform better academically Have a stronger set of social skills Be able to better cope with stress Establish a set of values and be able to resist peer pressure Be better prepared to handle the challenges of life 2. We believe that participation in programs with sports and fitness challenges will motivate and positively influence outcomes for children, particularly lower-income and at-risk children. 3. We believe that “sport” encompasses all types of individual and group sports and fitness activity and that each individual’s goal should be for improvement in themselves without unnecessary comparison to others. 4. We believe that while there are existing organizations and programs addressing aspects of healthy active lifestyles for kids, a coordinated comprehensive approach is missing within the community and that a critical need exists for more disciplined evaluation and research to understand which programs and interventions have a sustained positive impact in addressing the need.

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