CHICAGO, March 17, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Action for
Healthy Kids (AFHK) and CSX today announced the call for
applications for Every Kid Healthy Grants for the 2015-2016 school
year. Nearly 300 grants will be awarded to schools to support
increasing physical activity and promoting nutrition
initiatives.
Every Kid Healthy Grants will range from $500 to $2,500 to provide funding for physical
activity, including facilities and equipment for recess,
playgrounds and play spaces, classroom energizers, physical
education, and walking and running clubs. Grants may also be used
to fund nutrition initiatives to help schools work towards healthy
schools certification programs. The Every Kid Healthy Grants are
part of $1.4 million in grants for
school breakfast and physical activity to be awarded by AFHK in the
2015-2016 school year.
"Study after study shows that kids who get regular physical
activity experience improvements not just in their fitness levels
but in brain function and behavior – yet funding for physical
education continues to decline in schools," said Rob Bisceglie, CEO of Action for Healthy Kids.
"The support we get from CSX recognizes the positive impact of
physical activity on children's health and preparedness to learn,
and helps to fill a gap in the national resources provided to
schools for wellness initiatives."
For the 2014-2015 school year, CSX funded 287 AFHK grants to
increase students' physical activity time, improve attitudes and
behaviors, and engage parents in supporting activity at school and
at home. Schools currently in the Active Kids Campaign are
reporting an average of 55 minutes of physical activity per day
among more than 143,000 students. CSX also supports AFHK's
advancement of physical activity and nutrition initiatives in an
additional 5,000 schools around the country, and hosts "Get in the
Action" service events throughout the year where CSX employees
volunteer at select schools to improve physical activity
environments.
"Our partnership with Action for Healthy Kids has enabled us to
share CSX's focus on health and wellness with kids and families in
the communities where we work and live, while also involving CSX
employees along the way," explained Tori
Kaplan, Assistant Vice President of Corporate Social
Responsibility. "We are proud to support physical activity programs
that help students be better prepared to learn and succeed in and
out of the classroom, and create a healthy generation of employees,
customers and neighbors for tomorrow."
Interested schools are encouraged to apply online at
www.actionforhealthykids.org/grants through May 1, 2015. To be eligible, schools must be
located in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New
York, North Carolina,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, West
Virginia or Washington,
D.C.
An optional introductory webinar on the Every Kid Healthy Grants
will be hosted by AFHK on Tuesday, March 24,
2015 from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.
Central Time. Registration is available online at
http://www.actionforhealthykids.org/events/event/287.
About Action for Healthy Kids®
Action for Healthy
Kids® is a nationwide grassroots network that supports school-based
healthy eating and physical activity improvements that increase
academic success. With funding opportunities, expert technical
assistance and our flagship program, Game On, we mobilize schools,
administrators and parents to develop healthy school environments
for children. To learn more about the ways our 85,000+ volunteer
network is helping to make Every Kid Healthy™, visit us at
www.ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook
(https://www.facebook.com/act4healthykids) and on Twitter
(https://twitter.com/Act4HlthyKids).
About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier
transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and
rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across
a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial,
construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly
190 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic
expansion and industrial development. Its network connects
every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the
nation's population resides. It also links more than 240
short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports
with major population centers and farming towns alike. More
information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available
at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook
(http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter
(http://twitter.com/CSX).
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SOURCE CSX Corporation; Action for Healthy Kids