A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) Executive Director Normandie Nigh engaged top leaders in Washington DC with an innovative, highly cost-effective approach to childhood obesity: combating the crisis from the platform of comprehensive afterschool programs. In collaboration with two other champions for kids, Andi Fletcher of the Center for Collaborative Solutions and Kellee McQuinn of KidTribe, presentations were made to introduce the Healthy Behaviors - Changing Lives, Saving Lives Initiative. This coordinated effort will establish healthy behaviors "learning centers" in high-need communities across California and nationwide.

The Initiative drew significant interest from the representatives of key Congressional legislators, White House officials and educational leaders, including:

Dana Carr
Director of Health, Mental Health, Environmental Health, and Physical Education Programs
U.S. Dept. of Education's Office of Safe and Drug Free Schools

Helen Pacjcic, Education Policy Associate
Member of Congress George Miller (CA), Chairman of the House Committee on Education and Labor

Amanda J. Schaumburg, Education Policy Counsel
James P. Bergeron, Deputy Director for Education & Human Services Policy
Allison Dembeck, Professional Staff Member
House Committee on Education & Labor

Andrea Cernich, Director, Strategic Partnerships
President's Council on Physical Fitness, Sports & Nutrition

Steve Robinson, PhD
Special Assistant, Domestic Policy Council, The White House

Lauren D. Gilchrist, MPH, Health Policy Advisor
Senator Al Franken (MN)

Maria Worthen, Education Policy Advisor
Bethany Molinari Little, Chief Education Counsel
Senator Tom Harkin (IA), Chairman, Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

Joe Kasper, Communications Director & Policy Advisor
Member of Congress Duncan Hunter (CA)

Martin J. Blank, President, Institute for Educational Leadership
Director, Coalition for Community Schools

Shital Shah, Manager of Policy & Partnerships
Coalition for Community Schools

Thomas Richards, Senior Manager, Public Policy
International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association

Ellie Mitchell, After School Strategy Project Manager
Felicity Turner, Out of School Time Strategist
Baltimore's Safe & Sound Campaign

Jodi Grant, Executive Director
Rivka Burstein-Stern, Field Outreach Coordinator
Erik Peterson, Policy Director
Afterschool Alliance

A World Fit For Kids! programs provide strong evidence that the afterschool sector is key to reversing the childhood obesity crisis, according to a new study developed through the 'Healthy Behaviors – Changing Lives, Saving Lives' Initiative. This Initiative is led by the Center for Collaborative Solutions in Sacramento, CA, and funded in part by the California Dept. of Public Health and The California Endowment. The WFIT case study clearly demonstrates how quality afterschool programs not only impact kids, but also influence the school administrators, parents, institutional partners, and community stakeholders at-large—ultimately shaping public policy and debate.

To see the case study, click here.

A World Fit For Kids! Spokesperson Kevin Sorbo, the action star of television's Hercules and Andromeda, hosted his 2nd annual celebrity golf tournament in support of WFIT on June 10-11, 2010, in Las Vegas, NV. All tax-deductible proceeds support WFIT's physical activity-based programs and training.

Over 20 celebrities participated in the 2-day event, which included Thursday night’s Pairings Party with entertainment and auctions, the tournament at DragonRidge Country Club, and culminated in Friday night’s Awards Dinner.

We would like to thank the Golf Tournament's Major Sponsors, which include: DragonRidge Country Club, CA Internet Security, SP Industries, Canon, Outback Steakhouse, and Maui Jim.

The Fit for Success℠ program, created by A World Fit For Kids!, has been preparing inner-city high school students and young adults with the job skills, work experience and knowledge of healthy behaviors to become active advocates for health and well-being in their own communities since 1994.

This work readiness, healthy behaviors and personal empowerment program essentially provides a foundation for developing a pipeline of much-needed minority personnel to staff America's afterschool programs, and ultimately become the workforce for health centers, clinics and other health-related jobs. In fact, while members of under-represented racial and ethnic groups make up about 25% of the U.S. population, their representation among health professionals is only about 10%, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Fit for Success℠ has proven results among predominantly Latino students. 94% of high school students who completed the training and internship program since 2003 have graduated—primarily from a high school with a 49.5% graduation rate—and are equipped with the foundational skills and knowledge they need to pursue a health-related career.

In Partnership with the California Department of Public Health and Center for Collaborative Solutions

A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) healthy behaviors programming has earned two inner-city Los Angeles schools—Norwood Elementary School and Frank del Olmo Elementary School— Healthy Behaviors Learning Centers to Fight Childhood Obesity and Hunger certification by the California Department of Public Health and Center for Collaborative Solutions in Sacramento. As such, these schools are held as state and national models of places of learning that adhere to physical activity and nutrition standards.

With First Lady Michelle Obama and other top leaders calling for more opportunities for kids to become physically active and eat healthier, these two urban schools are critical to Los Angeles' role in this highly publicized nationwide campaign. In fact, WFIT's afterschool program at Norwood Elementary was highlighted as a success story in Governor Schwarzenegger's summary of the 2010 Summit on Health, Nutrition and Obesity.

To learn more about the Healthy Behaviors Initiative, click here.

This past fall, A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) launched the ‘Snack Shack’—a family-friendly nutrition initiative that effectively addresses three key factors impacting healthy eating and food security in underserved communities: accessibility, availability, and affordability. WFIT staff crafted a kid-appealing booth with a cutting-edge design to showcase a diverse array of fresh fruits and vegetables at the entrance walkway to any of WFIT’s partnering elementary or middle schools. Managed by a parent coordinator, the Snack Shack is a hub of hands-on nutrition education where students sample fresh produce for free and receive nutritious recipes they and their families can use to make a meal out of these natural treats they may be experiencing for the first time. As parents come to pick up their children from WFIT afterschool programs, they have the opportunity to also taste the produce and purchase it at a minimal cost—far below the prices at grocery stores in low-income neighborhoods.

The Snack Shack is an effective tool to fight the obesity epidemic at our schools by combating street vendors and “corner stores” selling cheap sugary, fatty foods, and empowering young people and their parents to take up new eating habits that can change and save their lives. WFIT’s new initiative contributes to the healthy transformation of a school’s culture and environment, and ultimately—by the example and positive influence of families—throughout the surrounding community.

A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) delivers physical activity-based youth development programs and training that result in a triple bottom line: obesity reduction, increased high school graduation rates, and work readiness/jobs. Over the past 16 years, WFIT has been served more than 150,000 children and young people in some of the most economically challenged inner-city communities of Los Angeles. According to a recent large-scale evaluation, young people who participate in WFIT programs not only improve their health in critical ways, but are also motivated and highly likely to succeed in school and other areas of their lives. Improvements as a result of WFIT’s afterschool programming include: 8 out of 10 parents reported children’s improved academic skills, increased physical activity levels, and greater personal responsibility and motivation as a result of WFIT participation. WFIT provides continual training and follow-up throughout the school year to ensure that each TFS participant receives advanced work readiness preparation and ongoing support. Also, 94% percent of students who participated in the 6-month training and internship program have graduated since 2003 from high school. And this is primarily from a high school with a 49.5% graduation rate! To read more about WFIT's proven results click here.

A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) celebrity spokesperson Kevin Sorbo has announced the next Annual Celebrity Golf Tournament will take place June 10-11, 2010 in Henderson, Nevada.

To learn more click here.