Success Stories - Kids
US Tennis Association serves Ten-and-Under Tennis
First Lady Michelle Obama plays table tennis with a young participant in a Let's Move! event at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in New York, New York, Sept. 9, 2011. Other participants include Serena Williams, John McEnroe, James Blake and Billie Jean King. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)
On the sunniest of sunny days earlier this month at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Let's Move! was alive with action packed fun. The First Lady joined tennis greats Billie Jean King, John McEnroe, James Blake and Serena Williams in serving, lobbing and smashing tennis balls with children from the Harlem Junior Tennis and Education Program and the New York Junior Tennis League. The stars and First Lady kept up pretty well with the junior acers.
Tackling Childhood Obesity with Fuel Up to Play 60
Ed. Note: Cross-posted from the USDA blog.
As students across the country get back in school and we gear up for Monday Night Football, the Fuel Up to Play 60 program is ready for another action-packed year of nutrition and fitness events. An initiative that encourages kids of all ages to be healthy and active, the overall goal of the program is to tackle childhood obesity.
Austin Gets Moving!
The YMCA of Austin, Texas, is coming up with innovative and creative ways to make combating childhood obesity a local priority. The YMCA partnered with the Mayor’s Fitness Council to kick off Let’s Move Austin in January, and has since become an inspirational model of leadership and cooperation with the Let's Move Faith and Communities initiative!
DC Farmers’ Market Hosts National Farmers Week Festivities
On August 4, the farmers' market by the White House was bustling with individuals celebrating World Breastfeeding Week and National Farmers Market Week. The festival’s purpose was to recognize the value of farmers' markets and the role that nutritious fruits and vegetables play in promoting wellness.
The event featured the dedication of a new USDA-funded Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) mobile clinic. The District of Columbia uses the mobile clinic to travel to medically underserved areas and provide services to nearby residents. Mobile clinics are an important part of increasing access to services like nutrition assistance.
Erie, PA hosts “Let’s Move at the Playground”
Last month “The Erie on the Move Taskforce,” Erie, Pennsylvania’s local chapter of the Let’s Move! Campaign, hosted a day of fun at the Holland Street Playground in inner city Erie. Entitled “Let’s Move at the Playground,” it offered an opportunity for over 100 neighborhood kids to get out and move while bringing neighbors and community members together to enjoy one of Erie’s public parks.
Video: First Lady Introduces Let’s Move! Child Care
You may have seen the blog post on Let’s Move! yesterday announcing Let’s Move! Child Care, a new effort to work with child and day care providers to help our youngest children get off to a healthy start. Using a checklist and web tools developed in a public-private partnership between the HHS, Nemours, and other partners child and day care providers will emphasize positive choices like increased physical activity, reduced screen time, and eating fruits and vegetables. The Department of Defense, General Services Administration, and the nation’s second largest childcare provider, Bright Horizons, have already committed to implementing this checklist, which will make a difference in the lives of over 280,000 children.
National Get Outdoors Day 2011 - Kicks Off Summer Season for Kids
Once again this year, U.S. Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell is encouraging kids and their families to reconnect with nature and have fun by participating in the 4th annual National Get Outdoors Day (GO Day), on Saturday, June 11. This FREE event is designed to attract diverse communities to outdoor activities and motivate kids to get moving and explore their forests and other public lands.
“GO Day is an excellent opportunity for kids of all ages to try new activities and become inspired to learn more about nature and conservation issues,” said Chief Tidwell. “As the school year comes to a close, this is the perfect time to have fun and foster a sense of curiosity while realizing that national forests and public lands are a source of great adventure.”
Secretary Vilsack Highlights Summer Food Service Program Week at No Kid Hungry Launch in Virginia
National Summer Food Service Program Week – Day 2!
Today marks day two in the first ever National Summer Food Service Program Week, a weeklong awareness campaign to promote USDA’s Summer Food Service Program (SFSP) and other programs nationwide to feed low income kids.
Lots of things are happening around the country this week to help feed more hungry children this summer. For example today is National Hunger Awareness Day – as designated by the U.S. Senate in a bipartisan resolution. This is very fitting, given that at least 17 million children in the United States face a higher risk of hunger in the summer. Also today Agriculture Secretary Vilsack joined Jeff Bridges, Share Our Strength founder Bill Shore, Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and others to launch Virginia’s No Kid Hungry Campaign at Barcroft Elementary School in Arlington, Virginia.
“Twilight: New Moon” and “Twilight: Eclipse” Actor Chaske Spencer Speaks Out on Getting Healthy in Indian Country
Deep in the heart of Menominee country, Chaske Spencer addressed over 350 Native American children and community members in Keshena, Wisconsin on May 25, 2011 during the launch of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! in Indian Country initiative to combat childhood obesity. The community, vastly known for its tranquil outdoor beauty and lush forests is also suffering, like most tribal communities, from obesity and health related issues among its youth. According to the tribe’s Chairman, Mr. Randall Chevalier, the community, “has ranked dead last out of 72 counties in Wisconsin on all health risk factors”.
A Colorful Celebration of Confetti Soup
Historical Charleston, S.C., blends the traditional Southern American, English, French, and West African elements into a celebration of its colorful and rich culture. Burke Middle & High School in Charleston celebrated this mix of colorful culture with its semi-finalist recipe, Confetti Soup, making a history all its own through nutrition. The rich wintery soup made with black-eyed pea dots, mixed together with savory smoked ham and dashes of greens, was the center piece at a judging event in First Lady Michelle Obama’s Recipes for Healthy Kids competition, held at the school on May 25.
