Baptist Health Madisonville awards Project Fit America grant to Clay Elementary
Baptist Health Madisonville awards Project Fit America grant to Clay Elementary
Baptist Health Madisonville awards Project Fit America grant to Clay Elementary
(Madisonville, Ky.) March 27, 2018 —Clay Elementary has been awarded a $16,756 grant funded by Baptist Health Madisonville to launch Project Fit America, a fitness program aimed at reducing childhood obesity this fall.
Baptist Health has invested almost $200,000 to provide the fitness program to area elementary schools since their partnership with Project Fit America began in 2014. Clay Elementary will receive indoor and outdoor fitness equipment, teacher training and curriculum materials.
This brings to 12 the total number of schools to receive Project Fit grants from Baptist Health Madisonville. Previous winners have included West Broadway, Grapevine and Pride Elementary in Hopkins County, Longest and Central City Elementary in Muhlenberg County, Sinking Fork, Freedom, Pembroke and Crofton Elementary in Christian County, Whitesville Elementary in Daviess County and Sebree Elementary in Webster County.
Baptist Health Madisonville Marketing/PR Coordinator Kristy Quinn recently surprised the students of Clay Elementary and their physical education teacher Mark Spainhoward with a banner to notify them of their winning grant application and said that the students, staff and parents are excited to collaborate with Baptist Health and Project Fit America.
“This will provide a whole new approach to health and wellness for these students,” Quinn said. “The curriculum is exciting and interactive, and Mark can't wait to begin using it with his students in Clay.”
He has an advantage being the PE teacher at Sebree Elementary as well, a winner of this grant in 2016. “I am excited to have both of my schools be Project Fit America schools,” said Spainhoward. “I can’t thank Project Fit America and Baptist Health Madisonville enough for this opportunity for my students. I have seen the immediate impact on my students at Sebree and I know that my Clay students will be excited to utilize the program and have the opportunity to become even healthier,” he added.
“The students will make use of the Project Fit equipment both within the physical education setting and during recess. We also hope to promote wellness within the community and family with the excitement that this program brings”, added Quinn.
Robert Ramey, Baptist Health Madisonville president said the program exemplifies the hospital’s focus on health, especially in today’s culture when obesity and its related conditions, such as diabetes, are among the area’s greatest health risks.
“Baptist Health is focused on building a strong foundation of good health in our community,” Ramey said. “We reiterate that dedication to community education and disease prevention with the expansion of Project Fit America to help children build good lifelong habits for healthy lifestyles.”
“We know childhood obesity can lead to health problems such as high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes,” Ramey said. “We also know children learn better when they are healthy. Baptist Health and Project Fit America are perfect partners for helping our schools improve our students’ health and thereby improve their academic achievement.”
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About Project Fit America (PFA)
PFA is a national nonprofit organization that creates sustainable and innovative broad based fitness programs in schools. PFA programming includes state-of-the-art outdoor fitness equipment specifically designed to address the deficit areas where children fail fitness tests; indoor fitness equipment; a dynamic curriculum with games, activities and challenges; on-site teacher training and in-class instruction on subjects such as smoking intervention, nutrition and understanding your body. PFA is in its 26th year of working with schools in nearly 1,000 schools in over 300 cities in 46 states. Schools report increased motivation, participation and physical improvements in their students, along with parents and faculty becoming more involved in choosing fitness activities over sedentary lifestyle habits.