Saucony Run For Good Foundation Honors National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month

From East to West, Saucony Continues to Run Childhood Obesity Off the Map

LEXINGTON, MA — September 16, 2010 — The Saucony Run For Good^sm Foundation, established to help combat childhood obesity by providing financial support to community-based youth running programs, has announced its support for the first ever National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. In recognition of this event the Foundation renewed its commitment to help improve the health of our nation’s children with the announcement of a new round of grant winners. This announcement comes on the heels of the Presidential Proclamation declaring September “National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month.” 

The eight Saucony Run For Good Foundation grant recipients include organizations from Massachusetts to California, including Tennessee, a state with one of the highest childhood obesity rates in the country. Since the Foundation’s 2006 launch, nearly 70 organizations nationwide have been recipients of Saucony Run For Good grants totaling over $600,000 – all dedicated to promoting the sport of running as a part of a healthy, active lifestyle.

“Obesity and other health concerns have grown to pandemic levels in children, with lack of physical activity, poor dietary habits, and lack of funding for school-based physical education programs contributing to the issue,” said Richie Woodworth, president of the Saucony Run For Good Board of Directors and of Saucony, Inc., a subsidiary of Collective Brands, Inc. (PSS) and a leading global supplier of performance athletic footwear and apparel.  “We applaud Congress for bringing national awareness to this rapidly growing epidemic and encourage communities to build local programs that will arm our children with the knowledge and tools they need to get running and to live and maintain healthier lives.”

In a recent press release announcing the proclamation, President Obama stated: “There are concrete steps we can take right away as concerned parents, caregivers, educators, loved ones, and a Nation to ensure that our children are able to live full and active lives. During National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month, I urge all Americans to take action to meet our national goal of solving the problem of childhood obesity within a generation.”

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the prevalence of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 has more than doubled in the past 20 years and nearly 25 million children are overweight or on the brink of becoming overweight. 

 “Childhood obesity is growing at an alarming rate,” said Susan K. Hartman, associate publisher of Runner’s World magazine and a member of the Saucony Run For Good Board of Directors. “With funding for physical education programs on the decline, Saucony launched the Run For Good Foundation to help create greater access and opportunities for kids to live healthier lives through community-based running programs.”

 ”On behalf of the Run For Good Foundation’s board, I am excited to announce the organizations that have been selected to receive a Run For Good grant and feel proud that these efforts will directly help combat childhood obesity,” said Woodworth.

The recipients of these grants range from start-up programs looking to institute community running clubs, to well-attended existing programs that require additional funds to continue to foster growth in their organization. The primary goal for all is to promote running as a critical part of healthy lifestyles among children.