Dairymom's Thankful Thursday

Five years ago, America's Dairy Farmers and the National Dairy Council teamed up with the National Football League and others to empower kids to make their schools a healthier place. So far, Fuel Up to Play 60 has reached over 38 million kids in 73,000 schools, encouraging them to choose good-for-you foods, including dairy, and get 60 minutes of play a day!

I had a front row seat in the auditorium of Pulaski Elementary in Chicago last week when the public announcement was made that funding for the Fuel Up to Play 60 would be funded for #5MoreYears!
We heard from every representative  in this public-private  program--the National Dairy Council, National Football League, GENYOUth Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S. Department of Education.


Activity with Chef Carla, from the Chew, leading the NFL players kicked off the celebration,

 

followed by comments from the partners,

activities with the NFL players,

 

and, of course,

enjoying a healthy dairy snack!

 

 I'm thankful for the impact Fuel Up to Play 60 is making to  improve the health of this  

                next   generation and  that as a dairy farmer, I'm contributing to this program  
                                                 everyday from down on the dairy farm.

Fueling Up with Health Habits

Eat Healthy. Get Active. Make a difference. Those are the messages dairy farmers want to impress on our youth through the Fuel Up to Play 60 school program. It is our hope that this dairy farmer funded program will help combat childhood obesity and help our children to make lifelong healthy choices. Fuel Up to Play 60 utilizes years of nutrition and physical activity experience to focus on the whole picture of healthy living. In the 2009-2010 school year, the program reached thirty six million youth in 60,000 schools. Look on the map provided at http://www.fueluptoplay60.com/ to see which schools in your area are participating in Fuel Up to Play 60.

The unique feature of this program is that the kids actually take ownership and responsibility for the decisions they make to create lifelong healthy habits. The program encourages the consumption of low-fat and fat-free dairy, fruits, vegetables and whole grains and 60 minutes of physical activity daily. When a school signs up to participate, a team of students will be chosen to begin selecting goals for their school and plan programs and activities to meet those goals. Utilizing the NFL star power provides initiative for students to work towards their goals while the National Dairy Council provides the nutrition information based on sound scientific research.

You can find more detailed information about the Fuel Up to Play 60 program at http://www.midwestdairy.com/.

As a dairy farmer and mother, I am very proud that we are working for the health of our youth. Can you make the pledge: Eat Healthy-Get Active-Make a difference? Our youth are watching us!

Gen YOUth Foundation

Fuel Up to Play 60 is an in-school nutrition and physical activity program that empowers youth to improve nutrition and physical activity in their school and for their own health. Dairy farmer promotion dollars have been used to launch programs in 70,000 schools to reach 36.6 million students in 2010. This program has been a partnership with the National Football League and the USDA to combat the epidemic of childhood obesity. To take this a step further, the Gen YOUth Foundation has been formed to create a movement that will inspire youth to change their behavior. Partners in this foundation are the National Football League, USDA, U.S. Departmen of Health and Human Services, U.S. Department of Education, and National Dairy Council. Our children are our future and as a dairy farmer, a mother , and a nurse, I'm proud to be a part of making sure that we work together to insure the health of our nation. I hope you will visit the website of the new Gen YOUth Foundation at http://www.genyouthfoundation.org/. It gives great explanation about the mission, the partners, and the historic agreement bringing together this private-public partnership committed to child health and wellness.