Saucony Run For Goodsm Foundation Announces Latest Round of Grant Winners
To Join in Promoting Running Among Children for a Healthy Lifestyle From East to West, Saucony Continues to Run Childhood Obesity Off the Map ( Press release) LEXINGTON, MA — March 25, 2009 — The Saucony Run for Good Foundation, established to help combat childhood obesity by providing financial support to community-based youth running programs, has announced its latest round of grant winners. The seven grant recipients include organizations from Massachusetts to California, as well as Kentucky, a state with one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country. Since the Foundation’s 2006 launch, 50 organizations nationwide have been recipients of Saucony Run for Good grants totaling nearly $450,000 – all dedicated to promote the sport of running as a part of a healthy, active lifestyle.
“On behalf of the Run for Good Foundation’s board, I am excited to announce the organizations that have been selected to receive a Run for Good grant,” said Richie Woodworth, president of the Saucony Run for Good Board of Directors and of Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (PSS) and a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel. “Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate. With funding for physical education programs on the decline, Saucony launched the Run for Good Foundation to help communities build local programs that will arm our children with the knowledge and tools they need to get running and to live and maintain healthier lives.”
According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years and nearly 25 million children are overweight or on the brink of becoming overweight. And a recently released report from the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Poll on Children’s Health at University of Michigan now ranks childhood obesity as the number one health concern for kids among adults, moving up from third place in a similar report released in 2007.
“With childhood obesity on the rise, we all agree that kids are in dire need of more active lifestyles,” said Susan K. Hartman, associate publisher of Runner’s World magazine and a member of the Saucony Run for Good Board of Directors. “The Saucony Run for Good Foundation inspires and supports entire communities of children to lead healthier lifestyles for happier, fuller lives,” she said.
“As a company by runners and for runners, we strive to share our passion for activity such as running or walking as a core part of a healthy lifestyle with all of today’s youth,” added Woodworth.
The recipients of these grants range from start-up programs looking to institute community running clubs, to well-attended existing programs that require additional funds to continue to foster growth in their organization. The primary goal for all is to promote running as a critical part of healthy lifestyles among children.
The following organizations have been selected to receive a Saucony Run For Good grant:
Cabot Country Cruisers, Cabot, Arizona
The Cabot Country Cruisers are responsible for creating the 26.2 Inspiration Run, a marathon stopping at every school in the community of Cabot, AZ in an effort to spread the word about health and exercise to children. To date, the run has been completely organized and executed by parent and teacher volunteers. The grant will continue the community’s efforts to increase participation expand the scope of the marathon and expose even more children to the fun and health benefits running provides.
City Parks Foundation, New York, New York
City Parks Foundation (CPF) is an independent, non-profit organization that
produces free, high-quality parks programs, particularly in under-served neighborhoods. The grant will support the City Parks Track & Field program in summer 2009, providing 1,600 kids in New York City with a high-quality track and field program right in their own local public park. Children participate in six weeks of track and field lessons, held twice each week, culminating in an end-of-season track meet. Lessons and use of equipment are provided free-of-charge.
East Bay Agency for Children, Oakland, California
East Bay Agency for Children (EBAC) is dedicated to assuring the health and educational well-being of children and families through specialized therapeutic, educational and peer support. The community agency will use the grant to launch a Girls’ Running Group in the 2008-2009 school year as part of an after-school enrichment program. Each class session will consist of a nutrition lesson and healthy snack. Following the lesson and snack, students will participate in running and team building activities to ultimately encourage running, promote active lifestyles, nutritional awareness and overall positive self-image.
Maryhurst Agency, Louisville, Kentucky
Maryhurst works with children from all over the state of Kentucky, providing
a wide array of services, including residential care, group homes, foster care, adoption, and after-school programs. As part of the services it provides, Maryhurst is committed to educating children about the physical and mental health benefits of physical fitness. The grant money will be used to support these efforts, primarily helping the agency purchase new running shoes and equipment for its children.
Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation, Mishawaka, Indiana
The Penn-Harris-Madison School Corporation is a school district with a vested interest in educating students on physical fitness. The grant will ease hundreds of students at eleven different elementary schools into running as a form of fun physical fitness. Running will be taught in the physical education classroom at these schools. There will then be a school district-wide mock to prime students for participation in the Silver Mile 5K Walk/Run for Education, a fun, family-friendly event for the entire community.
Salt Lake City Track Club, Salt Lake City, Utah
The Salt Lake City Track Club (SLCTC) was founded over 30 years ago as a vehicle for individuals to get together and participate in the sport of distance running. The club pays special attention to children, aiming to provide a fun and healthy recreational outlet for kids who normally would not have the resources to participate in a formalized program. The grant will support weekly running events and help SLCTC purchase running shoes for all participants. Since SLCTC focuses on underprivileged children, participating families often do not have the disposable income to afford running equipment.
Sports4Kids, Boston, Massachusetts
Sports4Kids seeks to improve the health and well-being of children by increasing opportunities for physical activity and safe, meaningful play. The grant money will enable Sports4Kids to engage over 2,250 students from 32 low-income elementary schools across Boston, Cambridge and Somerville in structured after-school and recess-based running clubs in the 2009-2010 school year.
For grant applications and more information on how the Saucony Run for Good Foundation can help kids in local communities nationwide, visit www.sauconyrunforgood.com.
About Saucony, Inc.: Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands and a division of The Stride Rite Corporation, is a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel with its widely recognized brands Saucony and Saucony Originals. For more information, go to www.saucony.com.
About Collective Brands, Inc.: Collective Brands, Inc. (NYSE: PSS) is a leader in bringing compelling lifestyle, fashion and performance brands for footwear and related accessories to consumers worldwide. The company operates three strategic units as well as multiple price points and selling channels. Collective Brands, Inc. includes Payless ShoeSource, focused on democratizing fashion and design in footwear and accessories through its more than 4,500-store retail chain; Stride Rite, focused on lifestyle and athletic branded footwear and high-quality children’s footwear sold primarily through wholesaling, with its brands including Stride Rite®, Keds®, Sperry Top-Sider®, Robeez®, and Saucony®, among others; and Collective Licensing International, the brand development, management and global licensing unit. Information about each of the Collective Brand’s units can be found at http://www.collectivebrands.com.
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