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Norwalk Youngsters show they're 'Fit' for soccer, sprints and
sculling
Stamford Advocate
Friday, May 30, 2008
By Patrick McNamee
Special Correspondent
NORWALK- Taking part in relay races, soccer scrimmages
and mechanical rowing, more than 140 children were
showing off the success of the Fit Kids program.
The youngsters celebrated the completion of the program and showed how active they've become with
the Fit Kids Olympics at Ryan Park yesterday afternoon.
Children came from three Norwalk after-school programs - at George Washington Carver Community
Center, South Norwalk Community Center and Roodner Court Neighborhood Center - and tried to
determine which had the most active members.
Yesterday's events were not a competition, but a fun way to end the program, which had been run by the
Norwalk Health Department, Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now Inc. and the exercise program at
Norwalk Community College.
"The notion of tracking the kids' activity and making it a contest is something I read about, and I thought
would be a fun way to get the kids active," said Gabrielle Grode, who works for the Norwalk Department of
Health.
The program is part of an effort by the city's Health Department to reduce childhood obesity rates.
According to the Health Department, nearly 42 percent of the city's sixth-graders are overweight or at risk
of being overweight.
"They've been enjoying it, and I think they've really bought into the program; practicing their skits - they're
activities that the kids can hopefully keep doing their whole lives," Grode said.
In its second year, the program's focus over the past six weeks was on walking, as well as learning
soccer, hockey and karate.
In addition to keeping the children, ages 5 to 12, active, the activities were eye-opening as well.
"Hockey was something a majority of the kids had never played before, and they all loved it," said Steve
Serasis, a NEON youth service planner. "They all wanted to participate and were very sad to see me leave
when I told them the program was over. It's great to introduce them to something new."
To find out which center was most active, each group's participants wore pedometers once a week to see
which averaged the most steps over the six weeks.
The Roodner Court Center took home the gold medal, with South Norwalk winning the silver and the
Carver Center earning the bronze. Each group also received a gift certificate to a sporting goods store,
helping each center buy more sports equipment.
"You want to start the kids off young, teaching them to become active to help them with their future," Grode
said. "We know it's an issue not only here but across the country, so the more active kids are now, the
better."
The program was funded by the Norwalk Children's Foundation, Commerce Bank and Patriot Bank, with
close to $6,000 in grants this year, Serasis said.
To celebrate the youngsters' accomplishment, volunteers from Norwalk High School's Bears Reaching
Out Within Norwalk were on hand to set up activities for the kids, ranging from potato sack races to
face-painting.
"To think about events, we just thought back to grade school and what we liked, and then we made sure
that everything was tied into nutrition," said junior Katie Murray, president of Bears Reaching Out.
The rowing machines provided by the Norwalk River Rowing Association also drew big crowds, as
children could test their strength.
While the main focus was nutrition, the kids emphasized how much fun they had over the last few weeks.
"It was really entertaining for the kids that came, and we could have fun," said Zach Wilson, 10, a member
of the Carver Center group.
Roodner Court group member Jemuel St. Jean, 8, had similar feelings.
"It was really good exercise. My favorite was soccer, and I liked playing all the sports,"
sculling
Stamford Advocate
Friday, May 30, 2008
By Patrick McNamee
Special Correspondent
NORWALK- Taking part in relay races, soccer scrimmages
and mechanical rowing, more than 140 children were
showing off the success of the Fit Kids program.
The youngsters celebrated the completion of the program and showed how active they've become with
the Fit Kids Olympics at Ryan Park yesterday afternoon.
Children came from three Norwalk after-school programs - at George Washington Carver Community
Center, South Norwalk Community Center and Roodner Court Neighborhood Center - and tried to
determine which had the most active members.
Yesterday's events were not a competition, but a fun way to end the program, which had been run by the
Norwalk Health Department, Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now Inc. and the exercise program at
Norwalk Community College.
"The notion of tracking the kids' activity and making it a contest is something I read about, and I thought
would be a fun way to get the kids active," said Gabrielle Grode, who works for the Norwalk Department of
Health.
The program is part of an effort by the city's Health Department to reduce childhood obesity rates.
According to the Health Department, nearly 42 percent of the city's sixth-graders are overweight or at risk
of being overweight.
"They've been enjoying it, and I think they've really bought into the program; practicing their skits - they're
activities that the kids can hopefully keep doing their whole lives," Grode said.
In its second year, the program's focus over the past six weeks was on walking, as well as learning
soccer, hockey and karate.
In addition to keeping the children, ages 5 to 12, active, the activities were eye-opening as well.
"Hockey was something a majority of the kids had never played before, and they all loved it," said Steve
Serasis, a NEON youth service planner. "They all wanted to participate and were very sad to see me leave
when I told them the program was over. It's great to introduce them to something new."
To find out which center was most active, each group's participants wore pedometers once a week to see
which averaged the most steps over the six weeks.
The Roodner Court Center took home the gold medal, with South Norwalk winning the silver and the
Carver Center earning the bronze. Each group also received a gift certificate to a sporting goods store,
helping each center buy more sports equipment.
"You want to start the kids off young, teaching them to become active to help them with their future," Grode
said. "We know it's an issue not only here but across the country, so the more active kids are now, the
better."
The program was funded by the Norwalk Children's Foundation, Commerce Bank and Patriot Bank, with
close to $6,000 in grants this year, Serasis said.
To celebrate the youngsters' accomplishment, volunteers from Norwalk High School's Bears Reaching
Out Within Norwalk were on hand to set up activities for the kids, ranging from potato sack races to
face-painting.
"To think about events, we just thought back to grade school and what we liked, and then we made sure
that everything was tied into nutrition," said junior Katie Murray, president of Bears Reaching Out.
The rowing machines provided by the Norwalk River Rowing Association also drew big crowds, as
children could test their strength.
While the main focus was nutrition, the kids emphasized how much fun they had over the last few weeks.
"It was really entertaining for the kids that came, and we could have fun," said Zach Wilson, 10, a member
of the Carver Center group.
Roodner Court group member Jemuel St. Jean, 8, had similar feelings.
"It was really good exercise. My favorite was soccer, and I liked playing all the sports,"
| Norwalk Economic Opportunity Now, Inc. Making The Case For Change... Engaging The Community To End Poverty |
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