Adventure to Fitness applauds and fully supports efforts by First Lady Michelle Obama and the national Let’s Move campaign to tackle the challenge of childhood obesity. One where American children may face a shorter expected lifespan than their parents should move each and every one of us to immediate action. Our goals as parents and community leaders need to move beyond simply supporting a cause. Adventure to Fitness joins Mrs. Obama and Let’s Move in taking the actions necessary to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within this generation.

We applaud and support the formation of The Partnership for a Healthier America, chaired by the First Lady, to bring together the public and private sectors, other organizations, business and thought leaders, the media, states and local communities to make meaningful and measurable commitments to fighting childhood obesity. This new foundation builds an important public-private alliance that will drive national attention and commitments to the goal of ending this epidemic facing our children today.

We at Adventure to Fitness (ATF) are proud to support the First Lady’s campaign. Adventure to Fitness programs are found in elementary schools across the state of Florida. Through partnerships with the Florida Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance and Sport (FAHPERDS) along with other leading state and local organizations, governmental agencies in health, education, nutrition and physical activity, ATF continues to build materials and programs designed to contribute to this national campaign.

WE DID IT!

Those were the words Bonita Springs Charter School chanted as they reached the summit of Mt. Everest and their fundraising goal. After an exciting week of virtually climbing Mt. Everest with Adventure Guide Mr. Marc the students of Bonita Springs Charter School got the job done by climbing the tallest mountain in the world. During their adventure students learned about the importance of what it takes to live a healthy lifestyle.

“Our students absolutely enjoyed every moment of the adventure! Teachers were just as jazzed up as the kids and ESE teachers visited classrooms each morning to spread the message of health. The school spirit was tremendous and we look forward to our next adventure!”, states Bonita Springs Charter Principal

Bonita Springs Charter School also successfully reached their fundraising goal by raising over $11,000 for their school goal with America’s Healthy Fundraiser Adventure to Fitness.

Providence Academy Power

What Providence Academy lacks in numbers they make up for in heart and determination. The students of Providence Academy only number 32, but with guts of steel and determination they managed to reach their fundraising goal and summit Mt. Everest.

“This program was absolutely perfect for our school as it requires a minimal amount of space. The student participation was unbelievable along with the giggles, cheers and classroom encouragement. It truly was heartwarming to see our students in action.”, states Providence Academy Director – Alicia Braccia

Each Providence Academy student earned their very own Limited Edition Expedition Everest medal commemorating their adventure.

Across the nation, communities, schools, families, government, varied organizations, health care entities and education have recognized and attempted to address the issues related to childhood obesity, physical inactivity, rising chronic disease and other maladies children should not have to face.  Thus, after much consideration and with great enthusiasm, the Florida Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Dance & Sport (FAHPERDS) has entered into a partnership with the for-profit company, Adventure to Fitness (ATF), which offers predominately K-5 schools a healthy alternative to fundraising while at the same time providing valuable, educational and motivational activities for all children.  Additionally, 60% of the gross funds remain in the school!

The Adventure to Fitness program was developed as a response to calls by schools for healthy fundraisers that avoid selling unhealthy foods and products.  Rather than sacrifice the health of children with candy bars and cookie dough in the name of fundraising, Adventure to Fitness can enhance the well-being of children and still raise the funds essential to 21^st century schools.  The ATF program uses the latest video technology to take all children on an exciting adventure that integrates into the adventure a wide range of academic topics, physical activity and excitement.  According to Jim Taylor, Executive Director of Adventure to Fitness, “the response to this healthy and exciting program has been overwhelming and a real tribute to our schools who want to raise money — but now do it in a healthy way.”

The objectives of the Adventure to Fitness program include:

• Engage students in getting more physical activity before, during and after school
• Motivate students to make better food choices
• Provide low cost / free tools for integrating health concepts and activities in schools
• Engage schools, families and communities

The ‘adventures’ to date include climbing Mount Everest and exploring the Amazon Rainforest.  The team of award-winning, creative animators and digital artists will be creating many other thrilling, educational and interactive adventures to physically and mentally engage and include every child. Future adventures will also address and tie-in many of the compelling issues facing children and young people today, such as bullying.

Operating on a first-come-first-serve basis, the fall 2009 schedule of Adventure to Fitness schools has already reached capacity, but there are openings for schools to join the spring 2010 and fall 2010 schedules.  Participating schools receive 60% of gross funds raised by the school and FAHPERDS will receive 5% of gross funds. It is hoped that a portion of the funds raised by schools will augment physical education and health education budgets for materials, equipment and staff development.

It is hoped that Florida’s K-5 schools will come to participate in the Adventure to Fitness programs in the beginning and end of each school year and begin or continue to conduct the Jump Rope for Heart and/or Hoops for Heart programs.  Both programs work to educate, encourage and inspire children to adopt healthy lifestyles.

As the Adventure to Fitness program expands and certainly by next year’s FAHPERDS Conference, special workshops and events will be held for teachers who engage in and help manage the program in their schools.  Other exciting incentives and opportunities will be made available for FAHPERDS members whose schools engage in Adventure to Fitness.  There’s a good chance that with a successful ATF event at your school, FAHPERDS will provide you with complimentary conference registration and possibly other conference expenses. By PARTICIPATING in the FAHPERDS – Adventure to Fitness partnership program, physical education and health education teachers can enhance the lives of children, augment the school’s budget and help off-set costs of attending the FAHPERDS Conference. We urge you to be a ‘trailblazer’ on this ‘adventure’ – it’s a ‘sweet deal’ without the calories!

Please see the information included in this journal related to the Adventure to Fitness program and the sign-up process.  Be among the inaugural schools that bring this exciting fundraiser to Florida’s children –TAKE THE LEAD! If you have questions, please contact me at fahperd@comcast.net or 954-752-1600. Let the ‘adventure’ begin!

Hebrew Day Healthy Heroes

Adventure guide Mr. Marc was so impressed with his students from Hebrew Day School. “I love it when students really get it! Our kids at Hebrew Day School in Maitland did an amazing job picking up on every healthy and nutritious tip I had to offer. They blew right past me on the way to the summit and created their very own healthy commercials, and played them on the morning announcements. I’ve never had that happen before!”

The Healthy Heroes of Hebrew Day followed Mr. Marc’s lead by venturing into the uncharted and often frightening territory of nutritional facts and food labels. Thrilled with what they discovered this 4th grade class of explorers shared their quest with fellow students by producing and playing super informative and colorful commercials on the morning announcements.

As you know Mr. Marc doesn’t go a day without reminding students the importance of eating a healthy breakfast, and Hebrew Day students took this advice to heart. Teachers and students joined forces to create yet another impressive commercial, this time stressing the importance of choosing a smart breakfast. Click here to view: HDS Breakfast commercial

Health, fitness and nutrition are nothing new to Hebrew Day students as school director Lynne Shefsky launched the 2009 school year with a Healthy Lifestyle Plan. Mr. Marc was thrilled beyond words to learn their plan was to provide only smart food and beverage options during lunch & recess while encouraging students to live an active healthy lifestyle. The Adventure to Fitness healthy fundraising program was a perfect fit for Hebrew Day School’s approach to a 100% healthy student body, and an excellent example for other schools looking to tackle the issues of health, wellness and childhood obesity. Way to go kids!

Thanksgiving Fun Facts

1. Felix the Cat was the first large balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
2. In 1863 President Abraham Lincoln made Thanksgiving an official holiday.
3. The tryptophan in turkey has a tiring effect and tends to make one drowsy.
4. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 by the Wampanog native Americans and Plymouth colonists.
5. A turkey can be frozen in your freezer for up to one year.

Healthy Thanksgiving Snacks for Children

Mini Gobbles

Whole grain crackers, two per mini gobble

Thick sliced lean deli turkey

Thick sliced low-fat swiss cheese

¼ cup Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. low-fat mayonnaise

Instructions:

Using a spare whole grain cracker, place it on a slice of turkey and gently cut around it to make shape of turkey same size as the cracker.  Repeat until you have the desired amount of turkey, you will need at least one per bite.  Follow the same procedure with the swiss cheese.  Mix together the Dijon mustard and mayonnaise until incorporated, and smooth onto the flat side of a cracker.  Stack on the cheese, turkey, then top with a cracker.  Assemble as many turkey and cheese mini gobbles as you think will be needed, and pile on a plate for serving.

Pop-A-Wheelies

2 Whole grain tortillas

4 Tbs. Peanut butter

1 Whole banana, sliced

Instructions:

Spread 2 Tbs. of peanut butter on each tortilla, making sure to reach all of the way to the edges.  Along one edge, line banana slices up.  On the same end, gently roll the tortilla over the banana slices, continuing to roll until the whole tortilla is now in one roll.  Use the peanut butter at the very edge of the tortilla to seal it to the rest.  Slice into ½ inch thick pinwheels.

Lurkey Turkey Lettuce

¾ cup lean turkey

Shredded low-fat swiss cheese

Bagged greens or fresh salad greens of your choice

Low-fat dressing of choice

Instructions:

Beginning with the bed of lettuce first, layer your salad with the turkey and cheeses.  Top with the dressing of choice.

Berry Explosion

Ice cream cones, 1 per berry explosion

2 cups low-fat or fat free yogurt, flavored

Fresh berries such as strawberries, raspberries, blueberries or blackberries

(or combination of berries)

1 cup granola

Instructions:

Place a cone in front of you and spoon about 2 tbs. of yogurt into the bottom.  Layer with a few berries, a smattering of granola, then repeat once more starting with the yogurt.  Continue until you have as many cones as needed.

Kids will love these snacks!

Ahhh, cooler weather and longer nights. It’s finally fall! For our friends from up north fall means a time for collecting and burning leaves. Our schools however have been busy fighting childhood obesity by collecting piles of money and burning hundreds and thousands of calories with our newest healthy fundraising adventure! It is wonderful to see so many children supporting their healthy school. We at Adventure to Fitness are thrilled to be leading the charge for such an important cause.

“The response to this healthy & exciting program has been overwhelming and a real tribute to our schools who want to raise money – but now do it in a healthy way”, states Executive Director – Jim Taylor.

With so many schools searching for a truly healthy way to fundraise the Adventure to Fitness video series has been an incredible hit, already booked to capacity for the fall of 2009. This doesn’t mean it’s too late for your school, however as there are still a few open adventure dates for the second half of this school year and fall of next year. Remember, Adventure to Fitness operates on a first-come first-book basis. If you’d like your school to be a part of this incredibly successful program, and send your students to climb Mount Everest or explore the Amazon Rainforest, we encourage you to book your healthy fundraising adventure today!

Please stand and cheer!

Thousands of students across the state are proudly wearing their Limited Edition Expedition medals earned for outstanding fundraising efforts while climbing to the summit of Mt Everest or exploring the Amazon jungle. Two schools in particular, Deltona Lakes Elementary and The Parke House Academy, rewarded their fundraising champions in style by hosting their very own awards ceremonies.

Deltona Lake’s principal Judith Rivera Hilaire proudly provided each of her hardworking students with a warm handshake and a big “Thank You” while Adventure to Fitness staff member Nina Duerst adorned them with their very own Bronze, Silver or Gold medal. The smiles these students displayed on their faces were priceless.

Screams could be heard for miles when Parke House Academy students received a surprise visit from Mr. Marc himself. Several students were treated to a special VIP visit and autograph session for their outstanding fundraising work in support of their school. Mala Barrett of Parke House Academy was estatic to share the news that her school was only a few students away from reaching 100% participation. “When almost every single student in an entire school does an incredible job fundraising and spreading the message of our healthy lifestyle cause, I do my very best to find a way to take a break from my busy production schedule to say Thank You!” Said Adventure guide and star Mr. Marc. “I really can’t wait to see what Parke House students will accomplish when they embark on their journey into the Amazon this coming Spring.”

Your Adventure to Fitness team would like to thank the students, teachers, PTA/PTO members, principals, PE teachers, school staff and parents for coming together to make their school’s healthy fundraiser such an incredible hit!

“But we need the money”

It seems most schools don’t realize how much damage one unhealthy fundraiser can inflict on a school and community.

Let’s talk about a typical successful fundraiser. Successful in this case means children have sold enough TUBS of cookie dough to reach the 55% profit level. In the average cookie dough company this means you’ve sold 5,000 tubs of their cookie dough. Although that tub may smell inviting what’s actually inside should leave you outraged as a parent. The Original cookie dough offered by the average company contains tremendous amounts of FAT, SALT, CHOLESTEROL and empty CALORIES.

One successful typical cookie dough fundraiser places One Million Two Hundred Thousand grams of FAT and Twenty-Two Million Two Hundred Thousand calories into your school and community! Keep in mind that there are only 3,500 calories in a pound. This means one successful cookie dough fundraiser has the ability to ADD over SIX THOUSAND POUNDS to your children, parents, and community. The fancy stuff can be even worse!

300,000 obesity related deaths a year. Some schools are beginning to band unhealthy fundraisers. Please take time to visit www.adventuretofitness.com and discover how your school can raise funds equal and greater than unhealthy fundraisers, while at the same time educating your children on how to live a healthy lifestyle. The life of a child should not be a battle, it should be an adventure!

http://www.easy-fundraising-ideas.com/products/chippery-frozen-cookie-dough-fundraiser/

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/calories/chippery-gourmet-cookie-dough-m-ms-cookies-445718

http://www.worldsfinestchocolate.com/wfc/pdf/NUTRITION_71749.pdf

http://dietbites.com/calories/calories-in-a-pound.html

* Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal, by Eric Schlosser

Watch the Video

Watch the Video

Watch the Video

Featured On: MarketWire.com, Netscape News, Yahoo Finance

LAKE MARY, Fla., March 9, 2009: Try Running Kids (TRK), a company whose mission is to promote
healthy lifestyles through adventure‐based interactive educational entertainment (edutainment)
programs in classrooms nationwide, announced today one of Orlando, Fla.’s public schools, Blankner
Elementary, raised $12,000.

Try Running Kids Executive Director Jim Taylor commented, “This is what one Orange County school is
doing to address the budget crisis in a positive way. Try Running Kids not only provides schools with
some severely needed funding, but also promotes healthy lifestyles for kids as well.”

Blankner PTSA President Nichole Gordon added, “Choosing a fundraiser can be a daunting task when
you are responsible for the finances of your PTSA or other organization. As we learned about the Try
Running Kids program we were thrilled to not have a product to sell or distribute one. I don’t know of
any other fundraising group that will offer the school 60% of the profits. We look forward to partnering
with TRK again next year,” she said.

Beth Bailey, Blankner Elementary school parent agreed,” I was thrilled that our school was educating
kids and their parents about the importance of physical fitness and how it can improve their mental
fitness. The best part about the program was it raised money for our school without selling products,
and it raised awareness about the importance of daily exercise and play time. It is a great program! “

In TRK’s Journey to Fitness video series, kids perform physical exercises in the classroom, while learning
about nutrition and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Self‐directed personal goals, group challenges,
online games, healthy recipes, fun fitness and nutrition facts, physical fitness and school fund raising are
all elements of TRK programs.

Partnered with the Dairy Council of Florida, Try Running Kids provides its expertise in youth programs,
education and technology and its proven experience in developing programs with measureable results
that are helping to solve critical needs such as childhood obesity, meeting the schools’ physical fitness
requirements, and helping schools raise money they so desperately need.

About Try Running Kids

Based in Lake Mary, Fla., Try Running Kids (TRK) is a company whose mission is to teach children to live a
healthy lifestyle through adventure‐based interactive educational entertainment (edutainment)
programs in the classroom. TRK was created by leading experts in youth programs, education and
technology ‐ all of whom are passionate about helping today’s kids and schools by promoting healthy
LAKE MARY, Fla., March 9, 2009: Try Running Kids (TRK), a company whose mission is to promote
healthy lifestyles through adventure‐based interactive educational entertainment (edutainment)
programs in classrooms nationwide, announced today one of Orlando, Fla.’s public schools, Blankner
Elementary, raised $12,000.

Try Running Kids Executive Director Jim Taylor commented, “This is what one Orange County school is
doing to address the budget crisis in a positive way. Try Running Kids not only provides schools with
some severely needed funding, but also promotes healthy lifestyles for kids as well.”
Blankner PTSA President Nichole Gordon added, “Choosing a fundraiser can be a daunting task when
you are responsible for the finances of your PTSA or other organization. As we learned about the Try
Running Kids program we were thrilled to not have a product to sell or distribute one. I don’t know of
any other fundraising group that will offer the school 60% of the profits. We look forward to partnering
with TRK again next year,” she said.

Beth Bailey, Blankner Elementary school parent agreed,” I was thrilled that our school was educating
kids and their parents about the importance of physical fitness and how it can improve their mental
fitness. The best part about the program was it raised money for our school without selling products,
and it raised awareness about the importance of daily exercise and play time. It is a great program! “

In TRK’s Journey to Fitness video series, kids perform physical exercises in the classroom, while learning
about nutrition and how to lead a healthy lifestyle. Self‐directed personal goals, group challenges,
online games, healthy recipes, fun fitness and nutrition facts, physical fitness and school fund raising are
all elements of TRK programs.

Partnered with the Dairy Council of Florida, Try Running Kids provides its expertise in youth programs,
education and technology and its proven experience in developing programs with measureable results
that are helping to solve critical needs such as childhood obesity, meeting the schools’ physical fitness
requirements, and helping schools raise money they so desperately need.

About Try Running Kids

Based in Lake Mary, Fla., Try Running Kids (TRK) is a company whose mission is to teach children to live a
healthy lifestyle through adventure‐based interactive educational entertainment (edutainment)
programs in the classroom. TRK was created by leading experts in youth programs, education and
technology ‐ all of whom are passionate about helping today’s kids and schools by promoting healthy
lifestyles and giving schools the financial boost they desperately need today. Now used in schools in 12
counties throughout Florida, Try Running Kids is rapidly growing and expanding nationwide. For more
information, visit www.tryrunningkids.com.

Media Contact:
Try Running Kids
Tammy Snook
HighTech PR, Inc.
407‐667‐9355
tammysnook@hightechpr.net