Amarillo Family YMCA Get Kids Fit Campaign

The Amarillo Family YMCA will launch a new campaign today to help get Amarillo's kids fit. They will be encouraging Amarillo, Texas families to get fit while raising awareness about child obesity. Child obesity is of growing importance in the community of Amarillo, Texas, and the Amarillo Family YMCA wants to get the local youth more active and educate them on how to eat healthier.

The event will kickoff on January 18, 2010 at 3:00pm at the Amarillo Family YMCA North Branch location (1330 N.W. 18^th Ave.) Amarillo's Mayor Debra McCartt will also be there to deliver an address to all families and participants. Healthy snacks and fitness activities will also be on the agenda for the evening.

Statistics show that there are 17.5% of children ages 6 to 11 who are overweight nationally. This is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Around 20% of Texas children are considered medically obese, according to the Texas Food Bank Network. Therefore, the YMCA feels it is very important to get this campaign out to the public as soon as possible.

The campaign will be financed by the United Healthcare Global Youth Services Grant, which is targeted at promoting healthier lifestyles. Participants will receive educational materials, including workbooks and DVDs with information on how to stop childhood obesity.

The program will end on April 24, 2010, which is Global Youth Service Day. The YMCA will also unveil the materials it has created on this day.

This campaign is open to the public. For more information, call (806) 373-1811.