WINNER: Health For Kids, By Kids

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Do kids have the power to change America’s “fattest” city?

Yes!

A group of middle school students created a healthy eating and activity program to teach elementary students in Corpus Christi, Texas—once dubbed the nation’s fattest city.

Now they’ve won the Salud America! #SaludHeroes video voting contest!

Watch their winning video or read their story about how Sarita Damaraju, Doug Hagemeister, and other students planned, mobilized support for, design, and implemented their for-kids, by-kids educational program “Mission FitPossible” across Corpus Christi Independent School District.

The program includes nutrition education videos, “Fitness Jeopardy,” jump rope contests, fitness challenges, and a 5K event over 10 weeks.

“Seeing kids actually get excited that we are there and doing a game and eating fruits and vegetables, they get so into it,” Hagemeister said. “It is validating to see kids get passionate about fruits and vegetables, when that is something that kids aren’t normally excited about.”

Salud America!, a Latino childhood obesity prevention network funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation based at the UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, runs a periodic voting contest.

By The Numbers By The Numbers

20.7

percent

of Latino kids have obesity (compared to 11.7% of white kids)

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