posted on 03.18.13 by WFIT_Admin
WFIT Mentors in Motion Graduation, 2012
articles posted on 06.27.12 by WFIT_Admin A World Fit for Kids! (WFIT) high school healthy behaviors and personal empowerment programming and training equips teens with the knowledge… A World Fit for Kids! (WFIT) high school healthy behaviors and personal empowerment programming and training equips teens with the knowledge and skills needed to develop emotional, mental and physical fitness. The Mentors in MotionSM (MIM) program consists of physical activity, nutrition, leadership training, community service, and job shadowing. After completing the service-learning component, MiM teens can apply for a 6-month internship as an Assistant Coach-Mentor for WFIT or other youth-serving agencies. As an intern, the teens become trained leaders in healthy behaviors and physical activity-based afterschool programming while they gain self-confidence and valuable work experiencein their own community. This year, WFIT’s four high school sites each enjoyed a graduation ceremony for their senior students as they prepare for their futures. For many, this involves postsecondary education, with students headed to UC’s, Cal States, and community colleges throughout California. The WFIT ceremony at Belmont High School took place on June 12th, with 7 MiM students, 5 AP tutors, 5 CAHSEE tutors, and 1 DOTS assistant coach having completed the training and internship program. After graduating high school, the lessons and memories gained as WFIT participants will continue with them. “My experience from being a MiM was really rewarding because I learned a lot about how to become an organizer, a leader, and also how to take care of younger children,” says Felix Ng, 18, who is headed to Cal State LA in the fall.
The Santee Education Complex ceremony for WFIT participants awarded 18 seniors on completing the MiM program. This involved training in Physical Activity Leadership (PAL) and Nourishing MattersSM, a highly interactive workshop on nutrition, health and wellness. Along the way, they gained skills in personal empowerment and leadership in their community that encourage positive habits for their futures. At Eagle Rock High School, 24 graduating seniors completed the WFIT program that offers students healthy behaviors and leadership training throughout their high school years. Participants that attended the WFIT ceremony received certificates and patches to wear during the high school’s graduation, held at Remsen Bird Hillside Theater at Occidental College. These awards were given to WFIT seniors in recognition of their dedication to bettering themselves and their community with an active lifestyle with sustainable healthy habits. Miguel Contreras Learning Complex (MCLC) held their WFIT ceremony for graduating senior participants on June 15th, 2012. MCLC students involved with WFIT concluded their experience and celebrated their time with WFIT building lifelong self-confidence and healthy behaviors. Graduating WFIT students at all four high school sites spent the year with an active commitment to mentoring their peers and younger students in their community. WFIT participants of the class of 2012 will be deeply missed. Belmont High School graduate Eric Noriega, who is leaving for UC Santa Cruz in the fall, said, “One of my most memorable moments in A World Fit for Kids! is working with people who care about each other. It’s like one big happy family.”
The Weight of the Nation: Confronting America’s Obesity Epidemic
posted on 05.29.12 by WFIT_Admin The obesity epidemic demands everyone’s attention. Obesity contributes to five of the 10 leading… The obesity epidemic demands everyone’s attention. Obesity contributes to five of the 10 leading causes of death in America, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer and stroke. In the United States today, more than three in 10 children and adolescents, and more than two of every three adults, are overweight or obese. The Weight of the Nation offers an unflinching look at the severity of the crisis and its crippling effects on health and health care. As a national campaign, The Weight of the Nation aims to mobilize action to slow, arrest, and eventually reverse the prevalence of obesity and bring the nation to a healthier weight. Take action today! Watch the full films for free by clicking here. Bringing together the nation’s leading research institutions, The Weight of the Nation is a presentation of HBO and the Institute of Medicine (IOM), in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and in partnership with the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente.
Senator Boxer: Supporting Local Afterschool Programs
posted on 05.23.12 by WFIT_Admin The following information was released by California Senator Barbara Boxer: Dear… The following information was released by California Senator Barbara Boxer: Dear Friend: I recently had the pleasure of joining "Hercules" (actor Kevin Sorbo) and other education activists at the Afterschool Alliance's Breakfast of Champions, an annual event to build support in Congress for continued federal investment in afterschool programs across the country. To see photos of this event, please click here. To read about the Afterschool Alliance, click here. The Afterschool Alliance strongly supports the Afterschool for America's Children Act (AACA), my bipartisan bill targeting federal investment in programs that improve children's academic performance, keep them safe while their parents are at work, and give them access to physical education, arts, music and other activities that are increasingly cut from the school day. Count on me to keep working to pass this important bill and ensure strong federal support for afterschool programs that serve working families and keep children learning after the school bell rings. Sincerely, U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
Pictured (l - r): Senator Barbara Boxer, student Aracelly Garcia, and Kevin Sorbo.
WFIT Supports SparkOpportunity Challenge Contest for Youth
posted on 04.13.12 by WFIT_Admin A World Fit For Kids! is proud to support the SparkOpportunity Challenge, which launched April… A World Fit For Kids! is proud to support the SparkOpportunity Challenge, which launched April 12. Musician and member of the White House Council for Community Solutions Jon Bon Jovi is helping to promote this exciting competition that encourages young people to share their solutions for rebuilding pathways to education and jobs. All solutions are fair game, from entrepreneurial ideas to social change. Submit your solutions, vote for your favorites and help spread the word. Winners receive an iPad, a seed grant and mentoring to see their ideas made real in their communities. The Challenge was developed by SparkAction, an initiative of the Forum for Youth Investment, and the Youth Leadership Institute, in support of the White House Council for Community Solutions' work on behalf of disconnected youth. Click the banner below for more information.
This is OUR World…A World Fit For Kids! Public Service Announcements
posted on 04.03.12 by WFIT_Admin A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) is asking you to join its movement to create positive change by… A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT) is asking you to join its movement to create positive change by investing in the health and success of all young people.
Today WFIT launched a 30-second and 60-second version of a public service announcement (PSA) aimed to encourage support and donations from the public to help create ‘A World Fit For Kids!’ The PSA features WFIT spokesperson Kevin Sorbo, team members, coaches and young people as they envision a world where all kids have positive mentors and can themselves become leaders and role models for peers and younger generations. Click here to view the 60 second PSA Click here to view the 30 second PSA Since 1993, WFIT has helped create this world by providing healthy behaviors programming and training that empowers kids and adults to develop healthier habits and successfully improve their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. The PSAs were generously produced and donated by Warner Bros. Studios. The 30-second version is currently being aired on Universal Sports, the premier multi-platform media destination for Olympic-related sports programming in the United States.
WFIT’s CEO Receives ‘Champion of Change’ Gold Award for Her Dedication to Healthy Kids
posted on 03.09.12 by WFIT_Admin We are proud to announce that our CEO, Normandie Nigh, was recently awarded the ‘Champion for… We are proud to announce that our CEO, Normandie Nigh, was recently awarded the ‘Champion for Change’ GOLD Award during the Network for a Healthy California’s Statewide Conference held March 5-6 in Sacramento, California. This award is the Network’s top honor and recognizes community leaders who exemplify empowerment, act as change agents and are dedicated to making a positive difference in their communities. Normandie was recognized for being a long time champion for healthy kids and a leader in advocacy and education efforts for quality physical activity, nutrition and healthy behaviors programs and training—especially for students and families from economically disadvantaged communities of Los Angeles. Her efforts to reduce childhood obesity, increase graduation rates and enhance students’ ability to succeed have set the foundation to create long-term change in underprivileged communities. As the CEO of A World Fit For Kids! (WFIT), Normandie has guided the organization from a small in-school fitness and self-esteem program to a leading provider of transformational healthy behaviors and personal empowerment programming and training for young people and adults. Using her professional experience and highlighting the data collected from WFIT’s program evaluations, Normandie provides expert knowledge and guidance to local, state and national youth-serving organizations, legislators and policy makers to shift school and community cultures toward healthy behaviors and optimal student health. She strives to create a world where childhood obesity is no longer an epidemic – a world in which young people from low-income neighborhoods are completing high school, ready for the workforce and higher education. Thank you for all you do, and congratulations Normandie!
WFIT Partners Making a Big Difference!
posted on 02.02.12 by WFIT_Admin Together with these valuable partners, we are working hard to continue providing award-winning programming… Together with these valuable partners, we are working hard to continue providing award-winning programming and training to youth and families from some of the most economically disadvantaged communities of Los Angeles. Here are some highlights from a few partners who are supporting our cause:
The California Community Foundation has granted WFIT a $130,000 grant through The Preparing Achievers for Tomorrow (PAT) Fund to expand our sports, physical activity, nutrition and leadership programming and training at Santee Education Complex, located in South Los Angeles. PAT is a five-year, multimillion dollar initiative of the California Community Foundation to improve academic achievement, decision-making skills and self-esteem of youth in South Los Angeles through participation in music, sports and recreation. PAT provides grants to nonprofits for direct services for young people and helps strengthen the ability of nonprofits to deliver services over the long-term. PAT has been established by a legacy gift from an anonymous donor whose life was devoted to helping others as a volunteer to nonprofits in Southern California, and who valued the opportunities that music and athletics can provide to young people. Additionally, WFIT received a grant for $39,927 from The California Endowment to support WFIT's Physical Activity For All initiative. WFIT CEO Normandie Nigh and her team will continue to promote the importance of quality physical education, physical activity and healthy behaviors education for ALL children and youth. Once again our generous partner, the John W. Carson Foundation, created by longtime Tonight Show host Johnny Carson, has made a $25,000 donation to WFIT. The foundation's contribution will help WFIT build healthy communities that support student health and well-being both in and out of school. Using this gift, WFIT will be able to better impact the fitness, health, educational performance and life-readiness of youth, and enhance the lives of the teens and adults who work with them.
These funders—and individual donors like you—have allowed WFIT to make a lasting, positive change in the lives of young people, just like Edgar, but there are so many more kids who still need our support. Our goal now is to leverage our abilities, expand our reach, and bring our successful model to many more young people and adults across the nation and the world—so they can achieve the same breakthrough results!
You’re Invited to WFIT’s Inaugural ‘Have a Heart For Kids!’ Fundraiser
posted on 01.11.12 by WFIT_Admin Please join us in downtown LA on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm for good… Please join us in downtown LA on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm for good wine, music, food and friends…and learn more about the great work of A World Fit For Kids! The Los Angeles Athletic Club $75 per person Valentine's Day Special...Share the Love! Register two people for the event and only pay $60 per person!* To register, call 213-387-7712 or email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). *Valentine's Day Special applicable when two people register for the event by 2/3/2012. Our Celebrity/Spokesperson, Kevin Sorbo, will be hosting the event, and we will be serving great wine and hors d'oeuvres. Tours of the beautiful Los Angeles Athletic Club will be offered to our guests as well. All proceeds benefit A World Fit For Kids! and help provide healthy behaviors programming and training to underserved kids and families in Los Angeles. If you’re not able to make it to LA for the event, please consider making a donation or buying a “virtual ticket” to show your support. We accept donations by mail, phone, email or visit the donation page on our Website. Any support helps...click here to make a donation. Parking garage available: $4.50 per car See you there! Join the Movement!Create a better world…A World Fit For Kids! Join the movement to create positive change in your community by making a tax-deductible donation to invest in the health, success and well-being of all young people. 
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