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Health & Fitness

Valley-Shore YMCA Celebrates Healthy Kids Day 2012

It's a day just for kids. Hundreds of local youth learned healthy eating and exercise habits while having a blast last Saturday at the Valley-Shore YMCA.

WESTBROOK --There are festivals for lobster, fairs for farmers and holidays for parents. This party was just for kids.

The Valley-Shore YMCA in Westbrook hosted its annual Health Kids Day on Saturday, April 28, with dozens of health-oriented merchants, free food, clowns and lots of fun. This annual event is held with the single purpose of teaching kids healthy eating and exercise habits.

 “We see teaching healthy habits to young people as fundamental to the YMCA movement,” said Paul Mohabir, CEO. “Our focus has been on building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. No matter which way you look at it, developing healthy and active kids is the foundation for success in all three areas.”

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Recently, the focus has been on combating the nation’s obesity epidemic. According to the Center for Disease Control, one in three children in American is obese. With a deep reach into local schools and a generations-old presence in the community, the Valley-Shore YMCA has made it a goal to give local youth all the knowledge they need to make smart lifestyle choices.

Hundreds of shoreline families converged on the Y for the day. YMCA staff was aided by a host of local volunteers and strong support from neighborhood businesses. The gala was primarily sponsored by Essex Savings Bank, which also sent a group of volunteers to man booths and feed the crowd. Also sending volunteers was the Timberland Outlet Store.

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“It’s great to watch the kids having so much fun,” said Vicki Hennessy, a volunteer from the store. “It’s just awesome helping kids.”

Other organizations involved in the event included The Valley-Shore Collaborative, Safe Kids, Juice Plus and New York Life Insurance. Snacks and other giveaways were donated by Kashi, Lenny and Joes Fish Tale, Clif Bar, Shoreline Game Time, Stay and Play, UK International Soccer Camps, the Good News Clowns and the Westbrook Fire Department and Ambulance Association.

“This year really was a blast,” said Richard Ward, YMCA Director of Youth Development. “Everyone had a great time. The best part is everyone came away with a little bit more information about what it takes to be healthy and active.”

The Valley-Shore YMCA is a nonprofit health and wellness center located just off of exit 66 on I-95. Each year, the Y distributes more than $175,000 in scholarships and financial assistance to local families. This assistance allows all local children the opportunity to participate in YMCA sponsored classes and programs.

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