Drive 2 Fitness Kick-off Video

Fall 2009 Kicked Off!

It has been an incredible fall. We took our five station kick-offs, our team of enthusiastic interns and volunteers, and hit the schools running. It's been amazing and I just wanted to share a few of my favorite pictures and send out a huge thank you to our dedicated interns and volunteers without whom this would have never been possible.

On Friday, December 11th, at one of our last kick-offs for the year a fifth grade boy who had reached the last station during the kick-off pulled me aside. "Miss, will there be time to go around again?" he asked.

I'm inspired by and proud of the enthusiasm of all the students and teachers coming out of our kick-off events. May they keep it up all year long!

2009-2010 Kicks off to a Great Start

The 2009-2010 school year is off to an incredible start! So far we have done kick-offs at

Ellis elementary in Roxubury, Jackson-Mann in Allston, and Sam Adams in East Boston and we have eight other schools signed up and raring to go. We have some great new program components this year including scannable scorecards, new and improved classroom and school posters, a fantastic English/Spanish monthly newsletter, colorful point-level certificates, a school-based rewards initiative, updated school leader toolkits, and the most fun part: five station kick-off events to start the year off with a bang. We set up five stations and with the help of interns and volunteers create an event that allows students 8-10 minutes at each station where they learn about a health behavior (1 hour + moderate/vigorous Physical Activity, less than 1 hour of TV or Video Games, eat 5-9 Fruits and Vegetables, drink water but No Sugar-Added Drinks, and 9-11 hours of good Sleep) and do a related activity. Students create posters of their favorite alternatives to TV, try different fruits and vote on their favorites, learn to read labels and guess how many sugar packets are in popular drinks, and take a rest while learning about the importance of sleep. We've had incredible feedback from both teachers and kids. I asked a boy today at the end of our kick-off at Sam Adams which station he liked best and he exclaimed, "I loved all of them!" Steve Venizelos, the P.E. teacher at Sam Adams, told me as we were leaving, "This is a great program! I'm going to tell other P.E. teachers about this!"

When I got back from East Boston I had an e-mail from Amanda Bakos, a wonderful nurse who works at both the O'Donnell and Otis schools in East Boston. She was writing to share her excitement about our November newsletter and tell me that she now walks between the two schools where she works instead of driving! I had just been on the phone the other day with the P.E. teacher from O'Donnell who was telling me all about his plans for pursuing the Drive 2 Fitness program along with his students and how excited he is to begin!

Wonderful things are afoot!

Marth Eliot Community Health Fair

On Saturday, Fitness Forward participated in a wonderful community health fair put on by the Martha Eliot Health Center in Jamaica Plain. It was a great turn out and we got lots of kids (and adults!) interested in learning about the sugar content of common drinks (22 sugar packets in a 20 oz Mountain Dew for example!) and hooping it up as usual. Caroline, our Community Outreach intern, made a fabulous display for the occasion and we were able to connect with lots of families about the importance of focusing on health from a young age. Javier, shown in the first photograph checking out the amount of added sugar in a bottle of Sunny D stuck around long enough not only to learn about the sugar content of popular drinks but also challenged me (the Boston Program Coordinator) to a hoop competition!

We had a great day in Jamaica Plain. Thank you to all of those who stopped by our booth!

Awards Ceremony at the Shelburne Community Center

Friday was the last day of camp at the Shelburne Community Center in Roxbury. 61 kids participated this summer in the Drive 2 Fitness program and received certificates of participation to the great applause of their fellow campers, counselors, and camp directors. The four shown here were the participants with the highest point totals who were allowed to select prizes from a table of options: Two chose swimming goggles, one chose two free passes for a Boston By Foot walking tour, and the other chose two free passes for a tour of Fenway Park.

Thank you for all your hard work!

I'd also like to thank all our donors this summer, especially the Franklin Park Zoo and Boston By Foot! We couldn't have done it without you!

Celebrating the Summer - 2 Wonderful East Boston Events

This week our two summer programs in East Boston came to an end with wonderful celebrations! The Paris/Community Heights Center celebrated its 100th anniversary and the NOAH program closed the season with their annual talent show and closing celebration. It was amazing to be part of these two excellent programs this summer and we look forward to seeing as many kids as possible this school year as we pursue our 10-15 schools for the 2009-2010 school year.

In the photos check out an incoming 4th grader at McKay, yours truly with Lucy and Theresa Do (Theresa attends O'Donnell and was one of the top point earners this summer on our website), and Gabriella (also from O'Donnell - the one in the pink top and flowing dress) dancing in the talent show. She tracked her points all summer long using her paper scorecard!

Congratulations to all and we can't wait to see you back at school!

The Last Week of Our East Boston Summer Programs

This week was the last week of camp at our 2 summer programs in East Boston! I would like to specifically congratulate our four top scorers at the Orient Heights/Paris St. program: Tia Caldwell, Julia Hancock, Bianca Cabral, and Wes Caldwell! Great job guys! And congratulations to everyone who participated this summer. I was continually amazed at how thoughtful this group was when discussing the barriers in their lives that kept them from achieving the five daily health behaviors (1 hour of physical activity, 1 hour or less of TV/video games, 5-9 fruits & veggies, no sugar-added beverages, and 8-11 hours of sleep!)

We'll be celebrating alongside both summer programs this week: on Wednesday at the Paris St. bloc party and on Thursday at the NOAH end of the summer celebration!

Thank You Deloitte!

A huge thank you to all our volunteers from Deloitte! For two hours we had 16 consultants addressing and stamping postcards and newsletters, entering data from our summer program pre-surveys, creating a visual Boston map showing which elementary schools in Boston get which health programs, and cataloging all our donated prizes! It was an absolutely incredible afternoon. Thank you to all of you who came on Friday!

Summer Programs 2009

Shown on the right are Keke and Reina, both at the NOAH summer program in East Boston. Keke attends O'Donnell elementary during the school year and she and her friends are all receiving postcards from us this summer in addition to monthly newsletters.

One girl approached me this past Tuesday at NOAH. "I got your postcard," she told me. I asked if she thought it was 'cool' and she nodded. The postcards feature artwork by O'Donnell students that illustrate the 5 healthy behaviors kids are tracking this summer. When I told her I had just sent her another postcard her eyes lit up.

We've done a lot of great activities so far this summer - a fruit tasting, a memory game that focused on alternatives to watching TV and playing video games, a fruit and vegetable version of the popular 7-up, and an obstacle course. We have also been developing and testing a more personalized version of our Drive 2 Fitness program that allows kids to take a behavior that they're having trouble adopting and work on a plan to overcome the obstacles that are in their way. We hope to pilot this on a larger scale at O'Donnell in the fall!

The Boston Health Expo

On June 28th Lizzie and I introduced 20 colorful hoops to the Boston Health Expo.  For 1 hour kids of all ages (there were some great moms and dads out there) took a break from the rows of tables and taste tests and got their groove on.  The stage was packed and the crowd went wild for hoops.  

Want to make your own?  There are many websites out there that will show you how.  Just google "make your own hula hoop"!

The Sacred Heart Festival

On June 27th I spent the evening at the Sacred Heart Festival in East Boston.  Young and old enjoyed coming to our booth to learn about our organization and the work we're doing in East Boston.  They guessed how much sugar there is in a 20 oz. ginger ale and tried out the large, colorful hoop; the young man shown on the left proved he could hoop and skateboard at the same time!  

The best part of the night for me, though, was when a woman came up to talk to me before the festival had really started.  She looked over our scorecards and I talked about our mission and she said, "I really wish you had been in my daughter's school when she was younger."  She explained that her daughter is now in middle school and is severely overweight.  I discussed ways her family could tackle the problems of not enough time to shop for and prepare meals and of working with a small budget while providing healthy food and opportunities for exercise.  It's a hard battle that requires concentrated effort and I only wish we had been in her school.  I wish that her school had provided physical education, health education, and programs like ours so that she would have no battle to fight.

It is her wish - that we had been in her daughter's school - that motivates and inspires us to do what we do.  

Three Wonderful Days at O'Donnell Elementary!

Kim and I just spent three wonderful days getting the Summer 2009 Drive 2 Fitness off to a good start at O'Donnell elementary in East Boston.  

We spent the first day giving a class to each grade level (2 through 4) on the importance of the 5 daily health behaviors (getting 9-11 hours of sleep, eating 5-9 fruits and vegetables, not drinking sugar added beverages, watching less than 1 hour of TV, and being physically active for at least 1 hour.)  The students' mouths dropped as we showed that there are 18 1/2 teaspoons of sugar in a 20 oz. bottle of ginger ale, they giggled as Kim got them up and moving around with a human version of "Bop It," and they came up with some pretty great alternatives to watching TV - including going to the park, playing with a pet, eating a fruit salad, and going rollerblading.

The second day was even better.  On Tuesday we spent the day in the computer lab getting kids signed up on the website and showing them how they could track their behaviors online throughout the summer.  They loved how they could click on "My Role Models" and check to see if their classroom teacher, their computer teacher, or even their principal was eating his or her fruits and vegetables!  What was great about the second day was that while we were helping the students create accounts we were able to chat with them to explain further what counts as "1 vegetable," why drinking lots of sugar isn't very good for you, etc. and in doing so we heard comments like these:

A third grade girl told us: "I told my mom about the program and she really liked it and so we took an hour and a half walk yesterday."

A second grade boy told us: "I told my mom about the program so she gave me an extra veggie at dinner."  A second boy chimed in that his mom added vegetables to some of his favorite foods without him knowing but he didn't mind at all. 

On Wednesday I went to the parent council meeting to talk to O'Donnell parents about the program's goals and how it works in English and Spanish.  One mother spoke up that she remembered our program from the previous year and that her son had really enjoyed it.

It was a great three days at O'Donnell!  I was so impressed by the staff's dedication, the students' eagerness to learn and participate, and the parents' clear involvement in their children's education.

The summer is off to a great start!

Welcome to the Boston Drive 2 Fitness Blog!

Fitness Forward is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization whose mission is to lead youth to live well.  Integrating scientifically grounded evidence, web-based technologies, and targeted social marketing, we aim to reverse the dangerous rise in childhood obesity, diabetes, and mental illness.  We envision a day when all children, regardless of background or circumstance, will grow up with the knowledge, motivation, and tools to live healthier, happier lives.

Here at Fitness Forward we've been trying to think of ways to share our stories and we have come up with this online journal of sorts.  We plan to use this space to share what we are doing both nationally and here in Boston where we have our headquarters.  

I'd like to take a moment to introduce our Drive 2 Fitness program.

The Drive 2 Fitness program educates and rewards fitness and health among youth.  Although primarily for children, teachers and parents affiliated with elementary and middle schools, the program can be used in any setting to motivate fun and healthy living by community members.

The Drive 2 Fitness promotes that participants aspire to these actions on a daily basis:

• Engaging in 1 hour or more of physical activity per day
• Limiting daily TV/video game viewing to 1 hour or less
• Getting a full night’s rest-- at least 9 hours of sleep in a night for youth, and at least 7 for adults
• Not drinking beverages with additional sugar added; (rather, go for water, 1% or less reduced fat milk and occasional low natural sugar 100% fruit drinks instead)
• Eating 5-9 fruits and vegetables each day
  

Research indicates that adoption of these behaviors leads to decreased risk for obesity and disease in the present and future, increased academic achievement, and improved self -esteem.

How it works:

Children can either be registered by participating schools or by parents. If a child is already enrolled, parents can link up with their child’s account upon registration.  Currently, only participating regions offer rewards through school-based programs. However, now matter where you’re located, you can still use the system, and reward yourself or your children in healthy ways for earning D2F points.  Children earn 1 D2F point for each behavior completed each day.  Points are earned on a daily basis and verified by a parent's or teacher's signature.  We recommend tracking points each day when you log in to your account. Alternatively, children may log their points themselves, and parents can verify them at different intervals. Scorecards can also be printed to allow tracking on paper, before transferring the information to you d2f.org account.  Parents, teachers, school administrators and other mentors are encouraged to track their daily D2F Points, to act as good role models for the children.

For more information check out our websites:

www.fitnessforward.org

www.drive2fitness.org

My name is Ann Church and I'm the Boston Program Coordinator here at Fitness Forward.  This summer I'll be heading up our programming here in Boston with the help of my wonderful intern, Kim Kirshon.  We'll be starting with a pilot at O'Donnell elementary to see if we can keep kids interested through the summer when school is not in session and then working with area summer programs until we kick-off at 10-15 elementary schools next fall.