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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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In January, Gov. George Pataki and the NY State Legislature announced a new campaign, "Active-8 Kids," to promote better nutrition and more active lifestyles among children. Here at the Girl Scouts - Seven Lakes Council, Inc., we are encouraging girls, friends and families to Walk to the Moon. The Walk to the Moon Challenge will kick-off on Saturday, March 12, the 93rd anniversary of Girl Scouting in the United States.
In focus groups conducted by the Centers for Disease Control, young people were unaware that their current choices for food and exercise impact their health into adulthood. Working together with parents and various areas of society, we can help girls be healthy today, healthy tomorrow. The recent research review from the Girl Scout Research Institute, Weighing In: Helping Girls Be Healthy Today, Healthy Tomorrow, focuses on the underlying causes leading to the obesity epidemic in today's children. The information presented is intended to empower our youth.
Weighing In includes
· Programs and support systems for youths to address body image and to face pressures from media and peers.
· Roles of adults, family members and care-providers to promote healthy weight and nutrition decisions.
· Ideas for communities and food-providers to work for an overall healthier environment for children.
The executive summary of Weighing In can be found at http://www.girlscouts.org/research/publications/reviews/weighing_in.asp
Take the Walk to the Moon Challenge with us, with the consent of your physician of course. Go to www.girlscoutssevenlakes.org to find out more about the Challenge, a log sheet to keep track of the miles you go, and links to area hiking trails. Then let us know how you do. Special Walk to the Moon patches will be available for purchase by all participants - Girl Scouts and community members. Our goal is to collectively walk 238,857 miles, the distance to the moon, and get kids healthy today so they will be healthy tomorrow.
Suzanne Blatchford
Chief Executive Officer
Girl Scouts - Seven Lakes Council, Inc.
The Girl Scouts - Seven Lakes Council, Inc. serves 11,000 girls in 13 counties of the Finger Lakes and Southern Tier Regions of New York, and Northern Tier of Pennsylvania.
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