2008 Fall Family Football Fest (Fight Youth Obesity Event)

Museum and Heart Assoc. Fight Youth Obesity By Elaina Jackson, American Heart AssociationSep 16, 2008
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The American Heart Association and the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum (MSHOF&M) are teaming up to educate local families about making healthy choices at the 2008 Fall Family Football Fest.

The event will include fun activities for kids like football drills, cheerleading clinics, games and prizes. Parents will receive healthy tips about getting their family moving and planning healthy meals.

The football fest will be held Saturday, September 27th at the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Museum located at 1152 Lakeland Drive in Jackson, MS from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Ben Williams, a former college All-SEC and NFL All-Pro defensive lineman, will be present at the Fall Family Football Fest. Parents and kids will also get a chance to meet Mississippi Sports Hall of Famers Willie Richardson, W.C. Gorden, Harper Davis and Ben Williams. “We are joining with the American Heart Association to encourage children and families to stay active this fall by participating in sports or finding other ways to get moving,” said Michael Rubenstein, Museum Executive Director. “Physical activity and healthy eating habits are important factors in creating a healthier generation of Mississippians,” said Rubenstein.

September is national Go Healthy Month – a time where children and their parents are encouraged to begin healthy habits. Today, 11 million kids are overweight, and an additional 13 million are at risk for being overweight. As a result more and more kids are developing conditions and diseases that would normally be associated with adults—like high blood pressure, elevated cholesterol, and type-2 diabetes. Mississippi was has the highest rate of cardiovascular disease in the nation and was recently named the state with the highest rate of obesity. The American Heart Association and the William J. Clinton Foundation have joined together to form the Alliance for a Healthier Generation to empower kids and their families to make healthy choices to live longer, stronger lives.

For more information about the 2008 Fall Family Football Fest or how you can prevent heart disease and stroke for yourself and your family call the American Heart Association at 601-321-1200 or the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame & Museum at 1-800-280-FAME (3263). Media partners for this event include JACK-FM and WJTV.

About the American Heart AssociationFounded in 1924, the American Heart Association today is the nation’s oldest and largest voluntary health organization dedicated to building healthier lives, free of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, America’s No. 1 and No. 3 killers, and all other cardiovascular diseases claim nearly 870,000 lives a year. In fiscal year 2006–07 the association invested more than $554 million in research, professional and public education, advocacy and community service programs to help all Americans live longer, healthier lives. To learn more, call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or visit americanheart.org.

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