“As families struggle to balance life’s daily demands and persevere during an economic downturn, it is important that we reach beyond our YMCA facilities to the entire community,” says Jara Miller, VP of Family & Children’s Services. “In the Jackson area, we’ve been doing this with the annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day event for more than four years. Through this event, the Metropolitan YMCA’s of Mississippi and our partners have given our neighbors the opportunity to take their minds off daily stresses, and instead have fun and focus on positive sustainable healthy lifestyle changes together, as a family.”
This year, activities will include a Parent/Child Three-Leg Race, Children’s Fun Run, Pony Pictures, and a space jump provided by Pump It Up! This will also be the Mississippi kick-off to the YMCA’s “Y5210” program, encouraging kids to eat five servings of fruits and vegetables each day, have less than two hours of screen time per day, get one hour of physical activity every day, and consume zero sugary beverages!
The Metropolitan YMCA’s of Mississippi have been strengthening the fabric of the Jackson community for over 100-years. Over that time, it has prepared children for school success through its preschool and year-round school age childcare programs; worked with juvenile delinquents and their families to keep youth in school, off the streets and out of trouble through its Adolescent Offender Programs; improved family functioning and increased parental knowledge through its Families First Resource Centers; and advocated for children through its supervised visitation and case management programs along with its involvement with Prevent Child Abuse Mississippi, a state-wide effort to address child abuse and neglect.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day will be celebrated across the country at more than 1,700 YMCAs. Last year, more than 700,000 attendees participated in YMCA Healthy Kids Day events nationwide. This year’s activities vary and may include exercise demonstrations, family fitness activities, health screenings, educational fun projects, nutritious food demonstrations and more. Educational take-home materials for parents will also be provided, including fun ideas for families to stay active together.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day is supported by the following national donors: Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney, Eli Lilly and Company, Huggies Little Swimmers Brand, Northwestern Mutual Foundation and Tropicana.
YMCA Healthy Kids Day is also supported by the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors. In addition, the Metropolitan YMCAs of Mississippi are proud to host representatives from the American Heart Association, Mississippi State Department of Health, Hinds County Extension Office, Diabetes Association and Performance Sports Academy.
The Jackson Police Department will also be putting on a “Stranger Danger” seminar at 11AM.
For more information about YMCA Healthy Kids Day, call Melissa Brewer, Association Wellness Director, at the Flowood YMCA, 601-664-1955, or visit www.metroymcams.org.
