Kent-Conrad_10212010_002.txt

 Senator Kent Conrad met today with Fargo area youth and stressed the importance of nutrition and exercise. He highlighted the efforts of TNT Kids Fitness in promoting healthy lifestyles and presented the local nonprofit with a ceremonial check representing a federal grant he helped secure for them to improve fitness and nutrition components of afterschool programs.

"Unfortunately, many kids across the nation — and even right here in North Dakota — aren’t eating the right foods and getting the exercise they need.  Nationally, school budgets are getting tighter, physical education programs are being cut and students are no longer getting opportunities for physical activity," Senator Conrad said.  "But TNT and its partners are filling the void and making a real difference in the lives of our young people."

Research shows that 32 percent of U.S. children between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight. In North Dakota, the National Survey of Children's Health has found that approximately 27 percent of children ages 10 ?17 years are considered overweight or obese.

TNT Kid's Fitness is an after-school physical education program serving more than 2,400 families in the Fargo-Moorhead area, including 300 families that have children with special needs.  The organization recently teamed up with the Boys & Girls Club of the Red River Valley and Youth Commission Childcare Program to develop a pilot project to educate children on the benefits of physical activity and healthy eating.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced a grant for TNT and its partners to support the pilot project.  The Department awarded $380,487 in federal funding for the first year, and the grant is expected to be renewed annually for two more years, totaling an estimated $704,414 for the project.  Senator Conrad today presented a ceremonial check to Kim Pladson, Executive Director of TNT Kids Fitness, representing the federal grant. 

“Senator Conrad recognizes the need for children to be more physically active as well as improve the nutrition guidelines in our schools," said Pladson.  "These federal dollars will help us with the prevention needed to educate and engage all children in various physical activities and healthy nutritional choices that will promote a lifelong healthy lifestyle.”  

The grant for TNT Kids Fitness was awarded through the U.S. Department of Education’s Carol M. White Physical Education Program. This program is designed to support schools and community-based organizations that promote physical fitness for students in grades K-12 and help them meet state physical education standards.