Elementary Kids Get Active with Program Supported by Store Donations

Aug. 24, 2007 - PRLog -- SALT LAKE CITY, UT – August 15, 2007 – Adding fifteen minutes of exercise per day can dramatically reduce risks for cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in children.

• Customers of Associated Food Stores are donating at checkout to support their local elementary school students in their quest for an active and healthier lifestyle

• Elementary kids get fun, daily, at-desk exercise with the GoZonkers Radio Adventures program. Customer donations allow the Internet delivered program to be free to schools

• Associated Food Stores teamed up with Food For All to raise the funds needed to help elementary school kids in local communities to get physical activity in their classrooms

Childhood obesity is currently the number one health risk for kids. In the last 20 years, overweight rates in kids have doubled and obesity rates have tripled, resulting in preventable chronic diseases that include Type 2 (adult onset) diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Concerned about the childhood obesity epidemic, Associated Food Stores and its participating members, teamed up with national non-profit Food For All to raise the funds needed to help elementary schools get physical activity in their classrooms. Through a partnership they forged with GoZonkers Radio Adventures, customer point-of-purchase donations allow the in-school exercise program to be delivered free to schools in local communities.

During the back-to-school period, customers of Maceys, Dan’s, Dick’s, Lin’s, Winegar’s, Stewart’s, Peterson’s, Payson Market, Gunnison Thriftway, Mt. Nebo Thriftway, and Terrel’s Thriftway may select one or more $1, $3, and $5 coupons to present at checkout. Those contributions will be added to the customer’s grocery purchase. Funds raised by the program provide the GoZonkers daily exercise adventures free to local elementary schools.

“Part of our mission is to support the health of all our communities where we have stores. One of the greatest health concerns to the country’s future is the obesity epidemic hurting our children’s future,” said Janelle Waters, Corporate Programs Manager of Associated Food Stores. “We decided to lead an effort to get kids physically active in schools,” she said, citing research showing exercise to be the number one preventative measure.

Local elementary schools that benefit from the donations will receive GoZonkers Radio Adventures. It is a fun, in-school, at-desk radio exercise program that is delivered via Internet to classrooms. It's ready anytime the teacher wants to get kids energized. Exercises are presented as adventure stories that get kids up and moving at their desks, through jumping, hopping, and other cardio activity. Daily sessions of the radio stories end in a cliffhanger, keeping kids excited anticipating the next day’s adventure. Short video clips demonstrate the exercises, making the program easy on both kids and adults.

“Kids want to exercise with our programs,” says Boyd Jentzsch, President and CEO of GoZonkers. “GoZonkers doubles the amount of daily exercise for most of the kids. With exercise a major factor in preventing childhood obesity, that’s a giant step toward a lifetime of health.”

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To learn more about how you can support the effort to get more kids active daily in school, and to find out how to have GoZonkers Radio Adventures in your school, contact GoZonkers online at:
http://www.gozonkers.tv/associated_foods

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About Associated Food Stores:

Associated Food Stores, headquartered in Salt Lake City, champions the cause of independent supermarket owners. It is the only independent wholesale distributor to almost 500 independently owned supermarkets in the 7 Intermountain West states.

CONTACT: Mary Carter, +1.801.978.8371, mbcarter@afstores.com
Website: http:// www.afstores.com

About Food For All:

Food For All is a non-profit organization dedicated to building a hunger-free world. Food For All supports self-help, long-term solutions to end hunger that promote human dignity and cultivate pride and responsibility. Through its fundraising programs, Food For All provides hungry neighbors with the resources needed to support themselves, their families, and their communities. It is the objective of Food For All to unite the food industry and consumers in the belief that hunger is 100% curable.

CONTACT: Steven Persitza, +1.909.463.3945, steven@foodforall.org
Website: http://www.foodforall.org

About GoZonkers Radio Adventures:

GoZonkers Radio Adventures is an Internet delivered program attacking childhood obesity with in-school, at-desk vigorous exercise and fun nutrition programs. Developed by GoZonkers’ team of Exercise Physiologists, Professional Educators, Pediatricians, and Nutritionists, thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of children nationwide already have fun exercising daily to GoZonkers Radio Adventures. GoZonkers programs are funded through sponsorship with food retailers and brands that subscribe to its "Healthy Schools–Healthy Kids" criteria.

CONTACT: Laura Gontchar, +1.801.699.9106, laura@gozonkers.tv
Website: http://www.gozonkers.tv

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About GoZonkers Radio Adventures:

GoZonkers Radio Adventures is an Internet delivered program attacking childhood obesity with in-school, at-desk vigorous exercise and fun nutrition programs. Developed by GoZonkers’ team of Exercise Physiologists, Professional Educators, Pediatricians, and Nutritionists, thousands of teachers and tens of thousands of children nationwide already have fun exercising daily to GoZonkers Radio Adventures. GoZonkers programs are funded through sponsorship with food retailers and brands that subscribe to its "Healthy Schools–Healthy Kids" criteria.

CONTACT: Laura Gontchar, +1.801.699.9106, laura@gozonkers.tv
Website: http://www.gozonkers.tv

Website: www.gozonkers.tv