From 1990-2012 we have donated to over 800 schools in 300 cities and 40 states!
Highlights-in-Review
Project Fit America (PFA) celebrates our 20-year anniversary in 2010 and we bring with us phenomenal growth and success! Collectively, sponsorship contributions have topped $9,700,000 and PFA has now been implemented in over 700 school systems in over 300 cities in 40 states.
PFA works! The testing data from the schools show excellent improvements.
Our sponsors are reaping the rewards for their leadership of bringing PFA
to their communities. This is evidenced by the high rate of sponsors
that expand the program and reinstate sponsorship year after year.
For example, Heartland Foundation in St. Joseph, MO is entering into their 12th year of donating to this project and have over 50 schools sponsored. In Greensboro, North Carolina, the Guilford County Schools and the Moses Cone-Wesley Long Community Health Foundation completed a 11 year project to bring PFA to all 68 elementary schools in the county. On the West Coast, we welcomed the continued sponsorship of this initiative with Sutter Health as a sponsor for Sacramento and Placer Counties. To date over 30 schools have received this program because of their support. Their pilot program kick off featured California State Superintendent Jack O’Connell as a guest speaker!
The San Francisco Art Institute selected PFA for a pro bono project to develop print ads for Public Service Announcements. The campaign was a huge success and the ad was run as a public service announcement in the following magazines: Oprah’s “O”, People, National Geographic, Adventure, Biography, Fortune, Martha Stewart Living, Ladies Home Journal and Psychology Today!
We also partner with many hospitals and foundations to bring new revenue to schools and communities. For example, starting in 2006 and continuing though 2010 we are collaborating on a state wide pilot program in Mississippi working with Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi Foundation with over 120 schools sponsored statewide.
Also in the South, Baptist Health in Little Rock, Arkansas joined forces with Bank of America to implement programming and in Alabama, the Junior League of Birmingham teamed with Children’s Hospital to launch a five-year initiative to bring PFA to their schools.
Other grant partners include but are not limited to:
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Pennsylvania Department of Health Physical Activity Grant
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Centers for Disease Control-Clayton County Board of Health-Georgia
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Wellmont Foundation-Bristol-Tennessee
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VHA Foundation & Cardinal Health Foundation
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Mary Black Foundation-Spartanburg, SC
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Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Nebraska
In 2004 the PFA Core Curriculum was added to the program along with a dynamic indoor fitness component. Both have been a huge success! The direct result of five years of field testing and working hands on with PFA schools around the country. We adapted our existing program to work with the ever-changing school environment, shrinking budgets for Physical Education and cut backs in class time and frequency. Our programming has evolved far beyond physical education. The indoor component and mobile fitness supplies have schools calling for more! Across the country they are finding our fun, turnkey programming to be exactly what they need to create and provide more quality opportunities for children to be active, fit and healthy. This was featured in the February 2008 Teacher Tool Kit from N.A.S.P.E. (the National Association for Sport and Physical Education.)
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Mascots: Roary from the Detroit Lions and Hooper from the Detroit Pistons |
Our media launch at each school site is the community highlight for cities that have this program. In Spartanburg, South Carolina Dr. Kenneth Cooper was our keynote speaker for the state model and pilot school O. P. Earle. He brought the media and then he taught the media all about childhood obesity and the dire need for kids to become more active, fit and healthy. In addition to this milestone of project support the Acting U.S. Surgeon General, Rear Admiral Steven Galson visited one of our schools in Mississippi to honor the school’s commitment to physical fitness. On the east coast two New York Jets Players, Leon Washington and Chansi Stuckey gave a big boost to our schools in East Hanover when they came to work out and speak to the students at our media day and kickoff!
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Mascot: KC Wolf from the Kansas City Chiefs |
Our launches and media events celebrating new PFA schools around the country enjoyed high spirited fun with special appearances from sport mascots such as: Sir Purr - Carolina Panthers, Freddie the Falcon-Atlanta Falcons, Benny the Bul - Chicago Bulls, Slamson-Sacramento Kings, Slider-Cleveland Browns, Gapper-Cincinnatti Reds, Blitz-Seattle Seahawk’s, Dinger the Cat-Sacramento River Cats, Maddie-New York Liberty, Lil Red-University of Nebraska and Wild Wing-Mighty Ducks of Anaheim. In Kansas, Illinois, Billy the Panther from Eastern Illinois University teamed up with Bruce Lockley, former Final 4 contestant on “Survivor” The Amazon who arrived via hanging from a helicopter rope to join Billy to unveil the Kansas school’s kickoff!
In summary, our work allows us to educate and motivate communities toward healthier lifestyles. We are a hands-on and grassroots organization that is a true partner to the schools. Together we are changing the culture of fitness in education.
As we have said from the beginning, “If you build it, they will come.”