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Thousands of Children across the U.S. Learn How to Lead a Balanced and Active Lifestyle with General Mills Champions(R) Grants Program

Thousands of Children across the U.S. Learn How to Lead a Balanced and Active Lifestyle with General Mills Champions(R) Grants Program

Published 05-25-05

Submitted by General Mills

MINNEAPOLIS - The General Mills Foundation and the American Dietetic Association Foundation, in partnership with the President's Challenge, have awarded 50 community groups and schools across the country with $10,000 grants that support innovative programs to help children develop lifelong nutrition and physical fitness habits.

This year's diverse grant recipients include School's Out Fun & Fitness in Sunnyside, Washington, in which Hispanic children and teens who are out of school for holidays, spend their free day at a local community center learning about nutrition, how to make healthy snacks and participate in games and other physical activity; Pyramid for Lift: Fit It In, a rural Topeka program in which schools host monthly Family Fitness Nights; the St. Louis based Healthy Futures diabetes prevention program that inspires eight-to-eleven year old African-American children to maintain healthy eating habits and physical activity; the Denver Museum of Nature & Science's You are What You Eat exhibit, which teaches students about food nutrition, nutrition-related diseases, healthy eating and the benefits of physical activity; and the Kids Under Construction program in Maryland, which serves three-to-five year olds who are cared for by their low-income grandparents.

All 50 programs have a fitness and nutrition component, and operate with the guidance of a dietetic professional. Since 2002, the General Mills Champions® Grants Program has invested more than six-million dollars in youth nutrition and fitness programs that have served more than 100,000 children across the country.

Additional components of the initiative include sponsorship of the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards (PALA), as well as the development of nutrition and fitness mentoring models. For example, the Foundation supports the PALA program in Minneapolis Public Schools, where this year, some 11,000 second-eighth graders earned the PALA Award for completing the six-week fitness program.

"The program takes a grassroots approach that calls on community groups and schools to champion the future health of our young people by focusing on nutrition and fitness programs that can have a life-long impact," said Chris Shea, president of the General Mills Foundation.
Utilizing its resources and expertise on nutrition issues, the ADAF plays a critical role in evaluating the grant proposals.

Information on the General Mills Champions program, grant applications, best practices and model programs that can be adopted by any organization are available at www.generalmills.com/foundation Additional information on the Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards can be found at www.presidentschallenge.org

The General Mills Foundation, celebrating 50 years of giving, is a champion for a stronger community. In fiscal 2004, General Mills awarded $86 million to communities across the country. The amount represents more than five percent of company pretax profits in fiscal 2004. Of the total, the Foundation contributed more than $20 million in grants in the targeted areas of youth nutrition and fitness, social services, education, and arts and culture.

The American Dietetic Association Foundation is the philanthropic arm of ADA. It is a 501(c)(3) charity devoted exclusively to nutrition and dietetics. The Foundation funds scholarships and awards, education and research projects, and ADA strategic initiatives that promote optimal nutrition health and well being of the public. It is the largest provider of scholarships and awards in the field of dietetics.

2005 GENERAL MILLS CHAMPIONS® GRANT RECIPIENTS:
(listed alphabetically by organization name)

Healthy Futures
Adams Park Community Center
St. Louis, Missouri

Healthy Futures serves 200 eight to eleven year olds, from a low-income African-American community, who may be vulnerable to diabetes, poor dietary habits or physical inactivity. Healthy Futures is a diabetes prevention curriculum that inspires children to maintain eating habits and physical activity conducive to a healthy lifestyle. The program, including SPARK and 5-A-Day Power Play curriculum, helps children develop a healthy body image, increase aerobic activity, reach and maintain a healthy body weight, increase daily intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and identify those at risk for diabetes. Twice weekly classes are held over eight weeks and Children's Olympics, Back-to-School Kick-off and Family Nights recruit youth and ensure support from caregivers.

CAP Healthy Kids Challenge
Albany Community After-School Program
Albany, Oregon

CAP Healthy Kids Challenge serves 400 five-to-eleven year olds, including a high percentage who require special needs care. This program focuses on eating breakfast, making healthy snack choices and increasing daily physical activity. KidLinks is used to train staff, parents and kids, while CATCH PE and the President's Challenge/Active Lifestyle Program are also utilized. Sustainable behavior change is achieved through daily one-hour sessions, parent involvement and communication.

Project F.I.N.E. (Fitness Information and Nutrition Education)
Baylor College of Medicine
Houston, Texas

Project F.I.N.E. serves 3,000 Hispanic and African-American girls, ages 11 to 17, who are members of the Girl Scouts of San Jacinto Council. This program is designed to increase knowledge and behaviors to help participants meet two goals of the 2005 USDA Dietary Guidelines. The program is distributed via the Internet through a Girl Scout link on the Houston Texans (an NFL franchise) web site. Focus is on building knowledge, changing behaviors and skill building. The program culminates with a poster contest. Tracked results are used to improve the program and eventually make it available to a wider audience.

Operation Better Start
Berkshire Health Systems- Berkshire Medical Center
Pittsfield, Massachusetts

Operation Better Start has expanded to serve 3,000 Caucasian elementary school children in a large rural area dominated by high poverty rates. Using the expertise of a Registered Dietitian and physical education teacher, students learn about the Food Guide Pyramid, the importance of breakfast, portion size and healthy food choices while reducing screen time and increasing playtime. Program leaders use the Jump Up and Go 5-2-1 Survey to test and demonstrate the children's increased knowledge and behavior change.

S.N.E.A.K.E.R.S. (Sensible, Nutritious Eating and Kids Exercising Regularly and Successfully)
BJC School Outreach and Youth Development
St. Louis, Missouri

SNEAKERS is delivered to 500 fifth graders in the Ritenour School District, a Caucasian and mixed minority population. This interactive, eight week program is taught by a Registered Dietitian and focuses on increasing calcium, fruit and vegetable intake and increasing daily physical activity to 60 minutes per day. Students take pre- and post-tests to measure behavior change. Staff members are taught the SNEAKERS curriculum so the program can continue for years to come.

Right Track
Boys & Girls Clubs of Deep East Texas
Nacogdoches, Texas

Right Track serves 500 five to twelve year olds in a primarily African-American community. Registered Dietitians from Stephen F. Austin State University conduct education sessions and group exercise as much as five days a week for several hours each afternoon. Lessons focus on the Food Guide Pyramid, eating five servings of fruit and vegetables daily, learning the importance of hydration, healthy snacks and regular physical activity. Healthy snacks are provided through a partnership with the local food bank.

Family Fitness and Nutrition
Boy Scouts of America, Greater Niagara Frontier Council
Buffalo, New York

Family Fitness and Nutrition serves 800, six to ten year old, Caucasian and African-American boys through school, after-school, Boy Scouts and summer camp programs. The boys are taught how to select and prepare meals, read food labels and keep a food journal. Additionally, the boys work toward receiving their Physical Fitness Belt Loop Award. Parents are highly involved in preparing meals with the children and they also take a pre- and post-test to measure their skills.

Carroll County Healthy Lifestyles Youth Leadership Program
Carroll County Resource Council and Prevention Planning Board, Inc.
Green Forest, Arkansas

This program serves 3,000 Caucasian and Hispanic children ages four to fourteen. The first component of this program is six weeks of fitness and nutrition education for all kindergarten through seventh graders. In addition, 10 student leaders receive extra training and create presentations to share with their peers. Finally, the student leaders give their healthy living presentations at non-competitive soccer events, reaching thousands of other children from five local counties.

Healthy Teens
Children's Memorial Hospital
Chicago, Illinois

Healthy Teens serves 120 African-American and Hispanic 12 to 15 year olds from an urban, low-income community. Obese teenagers are given five personal clinic visits at the Arai School Based Health Center to meet with a physician, social worker and Registered Dietitian for a healthy lifestyle assessment. The teens are encouraged to train for the Chicago Junior Triathlon, take cooking classes by Operation Frontline and access fresh fruits and vegetables through the Farmer's Basket program. The teens keep health logs and receive follow-up visits to the clinic for two additional years.

CMS Goals for Life
Chillicothe Middle School
Chillicothe, Missouri

CMS Goals for Life serves 450 Caucasian 11 to 13 year olds in a rural community. The key goals of this program are increasing physical activity and improving quality snacking. School staff designate extra time before and after school for physical fitness activities. Participation is rewarded with points resulting in physical fitness related field trips such as bowling, golfing and skating. The school is improving the breakfast and lunch menus, decreasing snack and pop machine availability and adding fitness and health to science classes. Students celebrate National Fitness Week in all classes and learn skating in PE classes.

School's Out Fun & Fitness
City of Sunnyside Recreation and Community Center
Sunnyside, Washington

School's Out Fun & Fitness serves 250 Hispanic children, ages six to sixteen. This program takes advantage of 23 non-Federal Holidays when school is not in session and students are unoccupied. Participants sign-up for a day at the community center to make healthy snacks, learn about nutrition, play games and participate in physical activities. Students are given materials, some printed in Spanish, to take home to their families. Strong community partnerships assist in the long-term sustainability of this program.

Kids Cafe
Commission on Economic Opportunity
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

Kids Café serves 1,200 five to fourteen year olds from a racially diverse, low-income community. This program is implemented after every school day and at breakfast and lunch during summer programs. Interventions have been adapted from the Go With the Grain Program, SPARK and Pathways. Children learn to cook healthy snacks, eat a healthy meal, participate in family events and increase their level of physical activity. A pre- and post- family survey is used to chart the effectiveness of the program.

1, 2, 3, Keeping Fit...That's for Me
Community Action Agency of Columbiana County, Head Start Program
Lisbon, Ohio

This program serves 450 Caucasian three to five year olds and their caregivers in a low-income community. The program focuses on bringing positive nutrition and fitness changes to children and their parents using Healthy Start, Healthy Hops and Animal Trackers Curriculum. One week of nutrition training is followed by a year of monthly nutrition classes including parent and child activities. Ongoing consultation with a Registered Dietitian is provided. The program finale involves community exercise in the Town Square.

Becoming Rainbow Fit
Community Development Center
Shelbyville, Tennessee

Becoming Rainbow Fit serves 12,000 three to twelve year olds in South Central Tennessee. Child Care Resource and Referral (CCR&R) offers several Becoming Rainbow Fit 6-hour training seminars for 350 child care providers. Training focuses on nutrition, eating a variety of colorful foods and exercising through a variety of activities. Child care providers receive on-site consultation and resources for implementing the program. Parents are encouraged to participate. Each program will be tracked through CCR&R.

Project FANtastic (Fitness And Nutrition)
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Westchester County
Peekskill, New York

Project FANtastic serves 250 eight to ten year olds in a multicultural, low-income community. In a series of one-hour classes through out the year, students learn about the food pyramid, dietary quality, food safety, food security and resource management. They also keep a food diary and create an original cookbook. All students complete the President's Challenge Program. Parents are encouraged to participate through evening events in which the kids display their nutrition knowledge and fitness skills.

You are What You Eat
Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Denver, Colorado

You are What You Eat serves 10,000 elementary and middle school students from around the Denver area, a largely Hispanic but multicultural population. In a permanent Hall of Life exhibit in the museum, students learn about food nutrition, nutrition-related diseases, healthy eating, the benefits of physical activity, the significance of BMI and the relationship between calorie-burning activities and diet. Museum visitors are able to interact with the exhibit and create a personal health profile. Teachers are provided with materials to follow-up the exhibit in the classroom.

Get Smart at Mandela
East Side Health District
East St. Louis, Illinois

Get Smart at Mandela serves 300 African-American five to eleven year olds from a low-income community. All teachers at Nelson Mandela Elementary are trained in CATCH PE curriculum, making it possible for students to learn age appropriate physical activities and be more physically active. A Field Day/Fun Fest concludes the school year. Foodservice options are improved using CATCH "Eat Smart." More students participate in the school breakfast program and all learn about nutrition through CATCH "Go For Health."

Ready, Set, Grow! Fitness and Nutrition for All Kids
Easter Seals Connecticut, Inc.
Hebron, Connecticut

Ready, Set, Grow serves 160 Hispanic and multi-racial three to five year olds with special needs in a low-income community. This Easter Seals Head Start program is able to install an outdoor physical fitness center with handicap access. The students benefit from extra fitness time, age appropriate nutrition education and healthy meals. Parents are especially involved in making family nutrition and fitness changes encouraged through a seminar, written materials and a grocery store tour.

C.H.E.W. (Choosing Health: Enterprise Wellness)
Enterprise Charter School
Buffalo, New York

C.H.E.W. serves 500 African-American five to sixteen year olds in a low-income, center city neighborhood. Students learn to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into their diets. Peer counselors are trained and can demonstrate healthy behaviors and make presentations to peers and community groups. All students participate in the President's Challenge and keep logs to track their physical activity habits.

Coach K Drive 2 Fitness
Fitness Forward Foundation
Durham, North Carolina

This program serves 21,000 five to twelve year olds in Durham elementary schools, a primarily African-American and Caucasian population. Students earn points by meeting four daily behaviors: limiting TV and computer time to one hour, being physically active for one hour, not drinking sugar-sweetened beverages and getting 8-11 hours of sleep. With a teacher's help, students track their points online at www.d2f.org. Registered Dietitians assist PE teachers to teach the students more healthy behaviors each week. Students are rewarded for participation and achievement.

Sky's the Limit
Genesee Intermediate School District
Flint, Michigan

Sky's the Limit serves 625 African-American and Caucasian seven to eleven year olds from an economically depressed community. Teachers begin each school day with 10 minutes of physical activity. Students are given water bottles to keep at their desks to increase daily water consumption. Weekly, kids are served a healthy snack, such as fruit or whole grains. In addition to learning the food pyramid, students keep daily nutrition and fitness logs, which are used as assessment tools.

Healthy Garden Project
Head Start of Lane County
Springfield, Oregon

This program serves 800 Caucasian and Hispanic three to five year olds and their families from a low-income population. Children enrolled in the Head Start Program learn about fruits and vegetables by working in a garden throughout the summer. Parents and staff are closely involved in the program goals to increase fruit, vegetable and whole grain consumption, make family exercise affordable and fun and grow healthy foods in a community garden.

Healthy Children
Healthy Children of Rowan County
Salisbury, North Carolina

This program serves 250 six to ten year olds from a low-income, multi-ethnic community. For 13 weeks students allot one hour for physical fitness and one hour for nutrition guidance during the school day and in after-school programs. Students use pedometers to track an imaginary walk across the US. Parents and the community get involved through a health fair and Olympic event. Partnerships with Kids Sports and YMCA are their first steps in wide community support for this program.

Fit & Fun, A School to Community Physical Fitness and Nutrition Program
Healthy Community Alliance, Inc.
Gowanda, New York

Fit & Fun serves 3,000 Caucasian and American Indian four to thirteen year olds in an underserved rural community. This school-based program uses Fit & Fun curriculum and age-appropriate activities such as taste testing, sticker program for healthy food choices, fitness bucks for time spent being active, relay teams and Fit & Fun Night for families. BMI is measured before the program and afterwards to monitor effectiveness.

A Wellness Challenge
Hill Country Memorial Wellness Center
Fredericksburg, Texas

A Wellness Challenge serves 650 Caucasian and Hispanic six to eight year olds from a low-income community. The program is presented in the elementary schools in partnership with the local Wellness Center. Students learn about the power of fruits and vegetables through skits preformed by the Veggie-Power Club. Over the course of three months students track their intake of fruits and vegetables and the number of steps they take using pedometers. A local grocery store provides $5.00 coupons to parents for purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables.

Inchelium Project
Inchelium School
Inchelium, Washington

This project serves 300 five to eighteen year olds and their families in a remote American-Indian community. Students check in monthly with the Registered Dietitian who monitors weight, BMI and heart rate as the students participate in a three-month long campaign to increase healthy food consumption and exercise more. Parents and the community are involved through regular Family Nights Out where the focus is on shopping and cooking healthfully.

General Mills Youth Fitness and Nutrition Program
The Institute for Urban Family Health
New York, New York

This program serves 1,000 six to ten year olds in a Hispanic and African-American low-income, urban community. Teachers are trained by a Registered Dietitian to develop classroom snack and reward policies and increase daily structured physical activity by implementing Take10! in the classroom. Parents are involved in a workshop and learn economical ways to prepare healthy snacks at home. An after-school program for children and their families implements Look Who's Cooking curriculum and SPARK physical activity curriculum.

Friends in Fitness Initiative
Kentucky Easter Seal Society, DBA Cardinal Hill Rehabilitation Center
Louisville, Kentucky

Friends in Fitness Initiative serves 250 Caucasian and African-American children with disabilities. This program addresses the challenges faced by children with disabilities and their families who seek to eat healthfully and live actively. Just for Kids curriculum is used in 30-minute sessions with each child individually. Family and caregivers are involved through nutrition counseling by a Registered Dietitian and quarterly Friends in Fitness Days.

See you at the Games
Keystone State Games, Inc.
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania

See you at the Games serves 7,500 Caucasian seven to fourteen year olds. This four-month lifestyle modification program provides fun, interactive competition and kid-friendly nutrition and fitness education. Children from schools, 4H groups, churches, community centers, etc. form teams headed by an adult captain to take part in an array of group and individual physical activities. Teams report their activity weekly and track their points against other teams on a website. Metals to top teams are awarded at the Keystone State Games. See you at the Games coordinators work with teams weekly to teach healthy food choices.

Rise, Dine and Swim
LaPorte County Leadership, Inc.
LaPorte, Indiana

Rise, Dine and Swim serves 600 Caucasian and African-American five to seventeen year olds. Instructors are trained by a Registered Dietitian and teach Professor Popcorn curriculum to the students before each meal or snack time. Children receive weekly one-hour swimming lessons and one-hour sessions in a gymnasium to work on specific physical skills (running, stretching, shooting baskets) and complete the President's Challenge. Students are rewarded based on their personal improvement.

F.I.T (Fitness in Training)
Long Beach Unified School District
Long Beach, California

F.I.T. serves 600, 12 to 18 year olds in a multi-ethnic, low-income community. High school students can select F.I.T. class as a P.E. fulfillment. Students design, develop and implement a personal fitness and nutrition porfolio based on their personal needs. Students in F.I.T. also spend 20 hours in fitness and nutrition outreach, which can be accomplished by mentoring, teaching and role modeling in health and PE classes at the neighboring elementary school.

H.E.A.P.A. Fun (Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Fun)
Lowcountry Food Bank, Inc.
Charleston, South Carolina

This program serves 200 five to twelve year olds, primarily of African-American and Hispanic ethnicity, in a low-income population. Students who participate in the already existing Kids Café after school program at community centers will also be involved in H.E.A.P.A Fun. Children learn about good nutrition through demonstrations, hands-on activities and classroom instruction while being provided with a hot, nutritious meal. Parents are involved through a Family Fair and parent/child at-home activities.

Let's Get Fit Together
Mercy Medical Center
New Hampton, Iowa

Let's Get Fit Together serves 400 eight to twelve year olds in a rural Caucasian community. This program, a collaboration among two community schools, the Chickasaw Wellness Center and Mercy Medical Center, starts with a kick-off event bringing kids, parents and adult mentors together. The 10-week program is administered in PE classes and at a weekly after-school event at the Wellness Center. Mentors play and exercise with, encourage and motivate students to make healthy choices and develop a positive body image.

Fitness Challenge and Nutrition Explosion
Mesa Public Schools
Mesa, Arizona

Fitness Challenge and Nutrition Explosion serves 500 eight to twenty-one year old special education students in a multi-cultural community. This 20-week program includes lessons by a Registered Dietitian that teach students about good nutrition and how to select nutritious foods. Students track their BMI throughout the program. The fitness goal for each class is to walk the equivalent miles from Mesa, AZ to Washington, DC. Parents are involved through a fitness night and contact with the Registered Dietitian.

Project Empower
Newport Heights Elementary School and Victoria Elementary School
Newport Beach, California

Project Empower serves 1,000 five to twelve year olds in a Caucasian and Hispanic community. This program serves as a pilot project and CATCH curriculum training for the entire district of 10,000 kids. All students participate in 6 hands-on, age-appropriate nutrition workshops led by a Registered Dietitian in which they will learn about the new dietary guidelines, importance of a healthy breakfast, healthy beverage choices, healthy vs. fast food, healthy snacks, menu planning and physical activities. Older students develop breakfast menus for the school breakfast program. Parents and students participate in periodic Walk to School days.

Hickman Mills School District Teen Health Mentor Program
Nutra-Net, Inc.
Kansas City, Missouri

This program serves 3,000 three to eighteen year olds from an African-American low-income, urban community. Select high school students commit to serve at least one year as a Teen Health Mentor. Staff, Registered Dietitians and marketing professionals train these students in nutrition, physical activity, leadership, mentoring skills and communication. These teen mentors work with younger students, peers and community groups to share their knowledge. Staff works closely with the mentors to advance their career opportunities in these areas.

P.A.C.E.S Lifelong Fitness Program (Perry's Academic and Cultural Enrichment Services)
Perry Community School District
Perry, Iowa

This program serves 200 five to twelve year olds from a Hispanic and Caucasian community. This program is delivered throughout the summer and school year. Students and staff track mileage using pedometers. Accomplished mileage goals are rewarded with nutrition and physical activity related field trips. Materials developed from the Healthy Kids Challenge are used to teach students about nutrition and their bodies. A Registered Dietitian conducts monthly demonstrations and seminars for parents.

Healthy Starts for Healthy Families
Rockford MELD
Rockford, Illinois

Healthy Starts for Healthy Families serves 150 African-American and Caucasian teen mothers and their infant and preschool children in shelter/independence training programs. Teen mothers participate in a 12-week classroom training session to teach them healthy meal planning, shopping and preparation and personal fitness routines. Participants receive free transportation; membership and child care at a local YMCA. Participants work with case managers on an ongoing basis to ensure success in the program.

Schools for Healthy Lifestyles
Schools for Healthy Lifestyles
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

This program serves 7,000 five to twelve year olds in 22 multi-cultural elementary schools. Registered Dietitians and PE teachers teach students in monthly classes on a variety of nutrition and fitness topics. Nutrition curriculum and fitness activities are also worked into regular classroom activities. The students use pedometers to participate in walking programs. Parents are involved through family health fairs and walking events.

Pyramid for Life: Fit It In
Seaman Unified School District
Topeka, Kansas

Pyramid for Lift: Fit It In serves 3,500 four to twenty year olds and their families in a rural Caucasian community. Schools host monthly Family Fitness Nights in which families can exercise and play together, and parents can learn about health topics such as diabetes awareness, fast food facts, portion size, weight control and healthy cooking. High school students present nutrition information to younger students and track their nutrition and fitness behaviors in journals. Elementary students use Kansas Get Moving Energy Cards to record their activities.

S.A.M.P. Healthy Habits (School Age Mothers Program)
South Bend Community School Corporation
South Bend, Indiana

This program serves 100 Caucasian and African-American 14 to 19 year old pregnant or parenting teens. Instruction in good nutrition, healthy food preparation and physical activities are provided during regular class hours. Childcare is provided while the students attend field trips to a farmer's market, interactive health museum, grocery store and pool for water aerobics. The students use their nutrition and fitness knowledge to hold a Health Fair for other students at the school.

Kids Under Construction
Southern Maryland Child Care Resource Center, Inc.
Charlotte Hall, Maryland

Kids Under Construction serves 100 Caucasian and African-American three to five year olds who are cared for by their low-income grandparents. Project staff offer monthly home visits and bi-monthly support groups. Meetings are themed after different food groups. At each meeting staff deliver food from the food group, recipes for the grandparents to prepare, handouts describing appropriate physical activities and incentives such as balls and hula-hoops for the kids. A monthly nutrition newsletter is also distributed.

Team Nutrition - Healthy Food, Healthy Lives
Spooner Area School District
Spooner, Wisconsin

This program serves 1,100 Caucasian five to fourteen year olds in a rural community. Healthy Food, Healthy Lives is an extension of a successful pilot project conducted at the school. A different fruit and vegetable is highlighted each month, students will participate in a recipe of the month contest and variety of community educators will present to the students. Middle school students participate in a Walk to Health pedometer program, practice daily physical fitness and learn about proper hydration. Parents are involved through the pedometer program and Family Resource nights.

Teamwork: A Service-Learning Approach to Nutrition and Physical Activity
Texas Tech University
Lubbock, Texas

Teamwork serves 350 Hispanic five to eighteen year olds from a low-income community and 18 to 20 year old local college students. College students learn and demonstrate key nutrition and physical activity behaviors and then conduct hands-on classes for children at after-school programs. Parents are involved through a Family Night, in which the children demonstrate their nutrition and fitness knowledge through skits. Lessons from USDA's Team Nutrition and Win the Rockies youth activities are used.

Jardineria Para Su Salud (Gardening for your Health)
Tully Accelerated Elementary Magnet School
Tucson, Arizona

This program serves 500 Hispanic five to twelve year olds. All students participate in the development and maintenance of a school-wide garden project. The garden serves as a fun, hands-on way for the students to learn the relationship between food and health. Students are taught weekly about the Five-A-Day program and track their physical fitness using pedometers. All students also participate in the President's Active Lifestyle Award.

F.I.T.T.T. (Families Involved In Team and Trim Training)
Turquoise Trails Charter School
Santa Fe, New Mexico

F.I.T.T.T. serves 420 Hispanic and Caucasian five to twelve year olds and their families. Throughout the school year Family Play Sessions are scheduled four times a month. Sessions focus on teaching families active games they can play together. During the sessions each family prepares a healthy snack together helping reinforce the message to eat meals together at home. Recipes, activities, tips and nutrition information are shared in a monthly Spanish and English newsletter.

Eat More Fruit & Vegetables & Move
University of Tennessee Extension Service, Humphreys County 4-H
Wavery, Tennessee

This program serves 1,300 Caucasian nine to eighteen year olds from a rural community. 4-H honor club members form an advisory group to select kid-tested fruit and vegetable recipes, create a list of non-traditional physical activities and plan four physical activity events. Another group of younger 4-H members learn to prepare the selected recipes, learn the importance of physical activity and take part in the planned activities. The students also give presentations, demonstrations or make posters about what they learned. An Extension Agent publishes updates of the program in a local paper.

Burbank Sprouts School Gardens
Urban Resource Systems, Inc. DBA San Francisco Neighborhood Parks Council
San Francisco, California

This program serves 250, 10 to 14 year olds from a multi-ethnic, low-income community. Students regularly attend sessions with the garden coordinator learning about nutrition, fruits and vegetables and actively working in the garden. Four events, including a garden-grown salad bar and a garden workday, get parents and the community involved in the program.

Get F.I.R.E.D. Up (Fun in Recreation and Eating Right Daily)
Wynbrooke Traditional Theme School
Stone Mountain, Georgia

Get F.I.R.E.D. Up serves 1,000 African-American five to eleven year olds in a community with high obesity rates. All students and staff learn about eating 5-A-Day and compete in a contest by grade levels to earn an annual 5-A-Day trophy. The Lewis and Clark Geography Pedometer Program is implemented to get kids excited about using pedometers and regular physical fitness. Students take theme appropriate fieldtrips and participate in a Spice of Life community cook-off and tasting event.

Kids NutriFit
Watertown Family YMCA
Watertown, New York

Kids NutriFit serves 1,000 Caucasian five to twelve year olds through an after school program. Nutrition training by a Registered Dietitian occurs during snack time and involves communication tools that can be taken home and shared with parents. Physical activities are age appropriate and fun. Additionally, children join the North Country Steps Forward Program and log daily miles from pedometers to reach the goal of walking to Florida. The program is shared with other YMCAs in the area.

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