Get Your Family Fit For Life!
Catawba County Public Health, Catawba County Health Partners, The YMCA of  Catawba Valley, the NC Cooperative Extension, and Catawba Valley Medical Center are collaborating to offer a new health initiative called Families Fit For Life. The project will run for 10 weeks from February through May and will offer cash incentives and YMCA family memberships for the family with the highest weight loss average.
Childhood overweight and obesity rates in Catawba County are 42% compared to the state average of 33.3%. Overweight and Obese adults living in Catawba County are also higher than the state average with 63.1 % compared to 62.6%. This data shows the need for Families to work together as a team to become healthier for life, which is the goal of Families Fit For Life.
Families are eligible to register for the program if they:
- Live in Catawba County and
- Have a minimum of one adult (parent or guardian) and one child between 5-18 years of age.
Once eligible the families must agree to the following requirements:
- Register and pay a $10 enrollment fee by Saturday Feb. 9th.
- Attend a 2 hour kick off breakfast session on Sat., February 16th.
- Weigh in at the beginning, middle, and end of the program at the Hickory YMCA.
- Attend a minimum of seven educational classes.
- Attend a celebration ceremony on Saturday, May 3rd, 2008 at Hickory YMCA Teen Center.
- Sign a release form for each participant and turn in by February 9th.
Families can enroll at the Walk Catawba Valley Kick off at the Health First Center at Valley Hills Mall on Saturday, February 2nd from 10 am – 12:00 noon. Enrollment forms will NOT be accepted before 10 am.
The first sixty family teams that meet the requirements will be enrolled and then a waiting list will be created. These sixty families will receive education on physical activity and nutrition, weekly e-mail tips, and a resource calendar of classes and opportunities to gain the skills and tools to be healthy.
At the conclusion of the 10 week program, a closing ceremony and community health fair will be held to reward the family with the highest weight loss average. The first place family team will be awarded $500 and a 6 month full family membership to the YMCA; second place will be awarded $300 and a 3 month full family membership to the YMCA; and third place will be awarded $200.
“This is a fantastic way for the community to partner and help improve the health of Catawba County families,” said Maria Reese, Healthy Carolinians Coordinator, “Families Fit For Life is designed to combine fun, education, and physical activity that is tailored for everyone in the family. The ultimate success is for the families to commit to a healthy lifestyle and apply what they learned to their life every day.”
Funding for this program was made available through a statewide Healthy Carolinians grant. Eat Smart Move More Catawba County is a committee within the nonprofit organization, Catawba County Health Partners, that has developed the Families Fit For Life project.
Registration and release forms may be downloaded by clicking here. If you are not able to enroll in person on February 2nd, entry forms may be dropped off at the Health First Center after 12 noon that day. For more information call Tracey Paul at 695-5861.
For more information on Families Fit For Life please refer to the menu bar. |
