Junior League of Chattanooga will participate in the seventh annual education initiative on childhood obesity and nutrition, titled Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen, with more than 200 Leagues from the Association of Junior Leagues International. With the goal to raise awareness and help reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues, Junior League of Chattanooga will host Kids in the Kitchen on May 3 from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at Orchard Knob Elementary School.
This initiative, which launched in 2006, is a response to the statistic that nearly one-third of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or at risk of becoming overweight. Childhood obesity has also been shown to be the leading cause of pediatric hypertension, is associated with Type II diabetes, increases the risk of coronary heart disease, increases stress on the weight-bearing joints, lowers self-esteem and affects relationships with peers, said officials.
Jessi Rymer, 2014 Kids in the Kitchen chair, said, “We are looking forward to partnering with so many wonderful local restaurants and organizations. I am especially excited about our new venue. Having our event at Orchard Knob Elementary will help us reach out to more children in our community.”
This year’s event will feature healthy snacks, cooking demonstrations, and recipes from area restaurants, including Tupelo Honey and Food Works. Several organizations will be hosting booths with activities such as dance instruction, yoga, and field day games. The Creative Discovery Museum, Crabtree Farms, YMCA’s Mobile Market, Chattanooga Sports League, Chattanooga Fire Department will be participating.
According to Orchard Knob's Family Partnership Specialist, Jashari White, "Orchard Knob Elementary is on the pinnacle of healthier students, parents and community. Teaming up with the Junior League of Chattanooga has been an integral part of making this goal a reality."
As children are more likely to eat foods that they helped prepare, AJLI offers an online recipe collection featuring kid-friendly, nutritious recipes from celebrities, chefs and athletes. The website also features downloadable nutrition and exercise tips, quizzes to test kids on their nutritional knowledge and the USDA’s MyPyramid Blast-Off game, a way for kids to learn guidelines for daily food consumption and physical activity, tailored to their nutrition and fitness needs. The Kids in the Kitchen website can be found at www.kidsinthekitchen.org.
Hundreds of thousands of children and their families will have the opportunity to enrich their lives and palates with recipes, tips and activities from Junior League members through the Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen initiative. The Junior Leagues believe that education is the first step to making a lasting change in children’s future.
For more information, call 267-5053, go to www.jlchatt.org or e-mail juniorleague@bellsouth.net.