By now you may know that one in three children and adolescents is considered to be overweight or obese. This is becoming an epidemic which has tripled since 1970. Because these children are also facing being diagnosed with such adult diseases as Type 2 Diabetes and Heart Disease, they may actually have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.
The Run For The Young Committee has begun to address how to help adolescents in our communities. In 2008, we hosted our first 5K run, 3K walk, and 1 mile kids fun run held at Crocker Park in Westlake, Ohio. We are proud to say that the event attracted over 2,000 people with over 524 people participating in the run/walk and we raised over $68,000 to support five organizations in the surrounding communities. These organizations include Community Challenge, Fairview Park Recreation Department, Lakewood YMCA, Rocky River Recreation Department, and Westlake Recreation Department.
Each of the organizations that received funds has used the money to provide health and fitness programs to adolescents in their community. This includes:
- Organized recreational and athletic activities
- Interactive family programs focused on improving and maintaining the health and wellbeing of the entire family
- The Teen Fitness Leader program which include structured workouts with nutritional counseling
- The Kidd Fit Program to improve exercise and nutritional information
- Interactive nutritional software exhibit
Because of the phenomenal success of our first year, we are excited to begin planning for the 2009 Run For The Young. The event will again be held at Crocker Park on June 27, 2009. We have set goals to raise $100,000 and include more communities to develop services and programs for the youth.
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Dave Lesjak |
Fred DeGrandis |
If you would like additional information, please contact Holly Bennett at holly.bennett@cchswest.org
