Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation, ‘nPLAY: New Partnership Launched to Promote Physical Activity Among Young Americans

September 27, 2010

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation (HWCF) announced today that ‘nPLAY – a coalition of 23 elite athletes from 11 different sports – has joined the Foundation to advance their common goal of supporting physical education and physical activity programs among young people.
 
“This is an excellent way to mark September as National Obesity Month.  Physical activity is one of the most important elements of combating obesity in America, and together we can advance that goal,” said HWCF executive director Lisa Gable. “Our commitment is to reduce obesity, especially child obesity, by increasing calories expended through physical activity and reducing calories consumed – fewer calories in, more calories out.”

The primary mission of ‘nPLAY is to focus on financially supporting physical education and physical activity programs in low-income areas, which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.
 
“Every child in this country should have the opportunity to play and be physically active,” said ‘nPLAY co-chairman Grant Hill, star forward with the Phoenix Suns. “We are excited to have the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation and this group of all-star CEOs and companies as teammates. Working together, both organizations will be more effective.”
 
‘nPLAY co-chairman Jennie Finch, Olympic gold medal softball pitcher, said there are valuable synergies between her organization and the Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation.
 
“We both recognize the importance of physical activity,” Ms Finch said. “Too many young people are not getting the opportunity they need for exercise. It’s time to change that and give them the same opportunities we had as children.”
 
About ‘nPLAY
‘nPLAY is a peer-to-peer movement in which one athlete asks another to help, building membership and momentum. The organization’s initial focus is to help schools meet the criteria of the Healthier US Schools Challenge. ‘nPLAY and the USDA-Food Nutrition Services are in the process of developing a partnership that will focus on increasing the time dedicated to physical activity/education in targeted schools.
 
About Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation
The Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation is a first-of-its kind coalition that brings together over 115 retailers, food and beverage manufacturers, sporting goods and insurance companies, restaurants, a professional sports association, trade associations, NGOs and the Army.  The Foundation focuses on activities in schools, the workplace and the marketplace to promote healthy weight among Americans by balancing the energy they consume with the energy they expend through physical activity.
 
HWCF Members:
  1. 6KidsNFit
  2. American Council for Fitness and Nutrition Foundation
  3. American Dietetic Association Foundation
  4. American Wholesale Markets Association
  5. Ashley Shaffer, Miss New Jersey
  6. Association of Junior Leagues International
  7. Baby Goes Pro
  8. Be Active Florida
  9. Bio Vittoria Limited
  10. Brookshire Grocery Company
  11. Bumble Bee Foods, LLC
  12. California Fresh Fundraisers LLC
  13. Campbell Soup Company
  14. CATCH – Coordinated Approach to Child Health
  15. Charles the Chef
  16. ConAgra Foods
  17. Core Wellness Life Coaching LLC
  18. Darden Restaurants
  19. Del Monte Foods
  20. Discovery Education
  21. Dish with Eileen
  22. Doctors Direct Healthcare
  23. Dream Dinners
  24. Einstein Noah Restaurant Group
  25. Exercise is Medicine
  26. Exergame Fitness
  27. EXtension
  28. Festival Foods (Minnesota)
  29. Fields of Dreams
  30. FitCity, a division of Learning Well, Inc.
  31. Fitness Feria
  32. FoodCALC
  33. Food City
  34. Food Marketing Institute
  35. General Mills, Inc.
  36. GetSweaty
  37. Girl Scouts of the USA
  38. Global Dairy Platform
  39. Gonzalez Northgate Market
  40. Good Sports
  41. Grains for Health Foundation
  42. Grocery Manufacturers Association
  43. Harris Teeter, Inc.
  44. Hartley Brand (H & H Products Co.)
  45. Health-E-tips and JAM School Program
  46. Healthcorps (Health + Healing Network)
  47. Healthy Dining Finder
  48. Healthy Lifestyle Choices
  49. Hy-Vee, Inc.
  50. IFIC Foundation
  51. IGA, Inc.
  52. ILSI Research Foundation
  53. Institute of Food Technologists
  54. Jax Markets
  55. Kellogg Company
  56. Kraft Foods Inc.
  57. Len Saunders
  58. Mars, Incorporated
  59. Martin’s Supermarkets
  60. McCain Foods
  61. McCormick & Company, Inc.
  62. MEND
  63. National Association for Sport & Physical Education
  64. National Business Group on Health (channel partner on Your Wellness Advantage portal)
  65. National Wildlife Federation
  66. Nestlé USA
  67. NFL Play 60
  68. ‘nPlay
  69. Nutralife
  70. Our Park Place
  71. Outdoor Foundation
  72. Passport to Health
  73. Paul Pierce’s The Truth on Health
  74. PE4life
  75. PepsiCo Foundation
  76. PepsiCo, Inc.
  77. Pink Lady America LLC
  78. Playworld Systems
  79. Price Chopper
  80. Prince William Trails and Streams Coalition
  81. PureCircle Limited
  82. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
  83. Ralston Foods/Post Foods, LLC (Ralcorp Holdings, Inc.)
  84. Redner’s Markets, Inc.
  85. Road Runners Club of America
  86. Safeway Inc.
  87. Sara Lee Corporation
  88. Schnuck Markets, Inc.
  89. Shannon Miller, 7 Time Olympic Medalist
  90. Shop Rite of Hunterdon Co., Inc.
  91. Skogen’s Festival Foods
  92. Snack Foods Association
  93. SPARK
  94. Tate & Lyle
  95. The Balancing Act
  96. The Coca-Cola Company
  97. The Hershey Company
  98. The J.M. Smucker Company
  99. The National Activity Plan
  100. The National Theatre for Children
  101. The PGA of America (The Professional Golfers’ Association of  America)
  102. The Sports Authority
  103. Tommy the Tomato
  104. TOPS Club, Inc.
  105. TriWest Healthcare Alliance
  106. Unilever
  107. United Supermarkets, Ltd.
  108. U.S. Army
  109. U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  110. U.S. National Physical Activity Plan
  111. USA Rugby
  112. Wakefern Food Corporation
  113. W. K. Kellogg Foundation
  114. WalkStyles, Inc.
  115. Women Impacting Public Policy