Project donates $12,000 to area schools

Schools, child-care centers and pre-schools are eager to find ways to include more physical activity into the day given the increasing concern of childhood obesity.

Twelve schools and child care centers partnered with Eat Well Play Hard Community Project, sponsored by Cornell Cooperative Extension of Wayne County with a grant from the New York State Department of Health.

Each organization was awarded up to $1000 for physical activity projects that would be sustainable once the funds were spent.

More than 1500 children in Wayne County were more physically active as a result of the projects that were implemented:

• East Palmyra Christian School for balance beam and scooters for Kindergarten through second grade.
• Macedon Elementary for Walking the Distance with Our Soldiers to Iraq project with student use of pedometers to track steps.
• Marion Elementary for their Mileage Club now recognized by the school district as a permanent program.
• Palmyra Elementary for camcorder and supplies they used to film student led exercises that will be burned onto DVDs for home use by students, parents and staff. Students also received I Walked to School stickers every day they walked to school which were redeemed for prizes.
• Perkins Elementary for the Go Go Game System and physical-fitness room that classes use. In addition, two minutes of exercise were added to the daily morning routine.
• Red Creek Agri-Business Child Development Center for gross motor physical activity equipment and supplies and afternoon activity program. Forty-five minutes of play were added to each day.

Teachers and staff were appreciative of the new equipment.

• Red Creek Cuyler Elementary School for their PE Plus pilot before school project for games and pool time. The school will be continuing the program.
• St. Michael School for Dance Dance Revolution, enjoyed by both students and staff.
• The Tot Spot for equipment and supplies to support their physical education curriculum used in the 30 minutes of added daily structured play.
• Wayne County Head Start for eight trampolines.
• These projects will begin in the fall:
• Creative Environment Day Care for a fitness trail which will be open to the community!
• Lyons Elementary for their Physical Activity project, which will add 10 minute activity breaks into the school day.

Eat Well Play Hard Community Project will be offering mini-grants of $300 as to Wayne County elementary schools for innovative TV turn-off projects this coming school year.

top of page

Copyright © 2008
Courier-Gazette, 613 S. Main St. Newark, N.Y. 14513 - 315-331-1000
All Rights Reserved