posted August 19, 2008
The United Way of Greater Chattanooga will host their community kickoff festival on Tuesday from 5-7 p.m. at the First Tennessee Pavilion. The event is free to everyone and will feature games and healthy activities.
This year’s Olympic-themed festival for the 2008 campaign kickoff, “Go for the Gold: Fun Games to Get Fit,” introduces the new Kid Fitness program that United Way is providing to Hamilton County Schools. It also highlights United Way’s work with the Partnership for Healthy Living in the fight against childhood obesity.
Kid Fitness wants to help parents and educators fight childhood obesity in their communities. The program distributes fitness education kits to teachers, who use the kits to increase their students’ activity levels during school and to teach them about healthy lifestyle choices. The kids mimic the movement of animals and learn to have fun while exercising. United Way, with support from Bank of America and Chattem, is placing classroom kits in all Hamilton County public and private classrooms, grades K through 5, in the 2008/2009 school year.
Sandler Training President Dan Nausley is the 2008 United Way Campaign Chairman and master of ceremonies for the second annual festival. He has always been athletic himself, and the timing of both the Olympics and the distribution of the Kid Fitness program gave him the idea for this year’s theme.
The festival will feature a juggling unicyclist, face painting for children, trike races, an obstacle course, a moon walk, basketball, baseball, Wii demonstrations, samples of healthy snacks, arts and crafts, and children’s games and activities from more than two dozen local agencies.
There will be an Olympic parade around the pavilion, followed by an interactive presentation by the Kid Fitness Crew and a Kids on the Block Puppet show featuring the Kid Fitness show’s own Buster.
Last year’s campaign for our United Way raised a little more than $11.9 million. Mr. Nausley knows he has a high hurdle to jump, but his calls to area CEOs encourage him to believe that the 2008 goal is within the organization’s grasp again this year. The goals center on three rings, with a different goal – $11.5, $11.7 or $11.9 million – in each ring. The rings are symbolic of both the Olympics and United Way’s impact areas: Education, Economic Stability and Support for our Most Vulnerable.
United Way of Greater Chattanooga funds local programs that create opportunities for people to care for themselves and each other, making the community the best at helping people achieve their potential. Thanks to an endowment fund that covers all overhead and administrative expenses, all contributions (100 percent) go directly to services that help individuals and families in greater Chattanooga, north Georgia and northeast Alabama. Call 752-0300 for more information or go to the web site at www.liveunitedchattanooga.com.
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