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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 3, 2010

Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove joins First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign to Promote a Healthier Generation of Kids

BGCGG is Selected by BGCA to Participate in the Walmart Foundation Summer Food Program and the Major League Baseball WANNA PLAY? Program in Order to Combat Obesity

Garden Grove, CA (September 3, 2010) - This summer, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG) is promoting First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign, designed to eliminate childhood obesity in a generation. This ambitious goal is timely, considering that the number of obese children in the U.S. has quadrupled since 1960. Today, one-third of American schoolchildren are overweight or obese.

To help combat that trend locally, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove is the recipient of a little extra help in the form of a $24,000 Summer Food Programs grant through a partnership with Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA)and the Walmart Foundationto ensure that Club members have greater access to nutritious meals and snacks.

“This grant from the Walmart Foundation is greatly appreciated, as it comes at a time when so manyfamilies are struggling to provide their children with healthy meals this summer.  We are able to step up and help our families during these hard economic times,” said Pat Halberstadt, Chief Professional Officer of Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove.

Walmart’s Summer Food Programs started beginning of July and lasts through the end of September. The funds are helping BGCGG provide wholesome snacks to over 300 Club members at four piloted Club sites. Snacks include fruits, vegetables, granola bars, crackers, baked chips, and water.

In order to encourage this healthy change for life, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove has also been selected to participate in the Major League Baseball (MLB) WANNA PLAY? initiative in support of the White House Anti-Obesity Campaign. The WANNA PLAY? program encourages both boys and girls to increase overall fitness and health through physical activity and improved nutrition habits, while learning the fundamental skills of baseball and softball, focusing on agility, balance and coordination.

“Concepts of healthy living, dedication, good sportsmanship, and academic success are reinforced through our sports programs.  It helps members stay off the streets and makes them feel a part of the team,” said Andy Kim, Sports Manager at Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove. BGCGG sports programs include competitive soccer, flag football, basketball, volleyball, and MLB/RBI softball and baseball sports leagues, offered to 4,000 Club members at 35 elementary and 9 intermediate school sites throughout the Garden Grove Unified School District.

Studies prove that a healthy lifestyle keeps young minds more alert, and can also boost confidence and self-esteem.  Initiatives such as Walmart’s Summer Food Program and MLB’s WANNA PLAY? Program complements Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove and First Lady Michelle Obama’s campaign efforts to ensure that young people develop a strong foundation for healthy eating and fitness. As Mrs. Obama said during her press conference announcing the initiative, every American has a part to play in resolving this issue, including nonprofit organizations, businesses, medical professionals, as well as parents and schools.

Each citizen can play a part to promote long, healthy lives for generations to come. To join the Let’s Move campaign, please visit www.letsmove.gov. For details about the Walmart Summer Food Programsat Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 714-530-0430 ext. 982. For more information about Major League Baseball WANNA PLAY? Program at Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove, please contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it at 714-530-0430 ext. 926. To learn more about Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove or how to join, please visit www.bgcgg.org.

ABOUT PHILANTHROPY AT WALMART

Walmart and the Walmart Foundation are proud to support the charitable causes that are important to customers and associates in their own neighborhoods. The Walmart Foundation funds initiatives focused on education, workforce development, economic opportunity, environmental sustainability, and health and wellness. From Feb. 1, 2009 through Jan. 31, 2010, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation gave more than $512 million in cash and in-kind gifts globally, $467 million of which was donated in the U.S. To learn more, visit www.walmartfoundation.org. 

ABOUT LET’S MOVE! CAMPAIGN

The Let’s Move! campaign, started by First Lady Michelle Obama, has an ambitious national goal of solving the challenge of childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will reach adulthood at a healthy weight. Let’s Move! will combat the epidemic of childhood obesity through a comprehensive approach that will engage every sector impacting the health of children and will provide schools, families and communities simple tools to help kids be more active, eat better, and get healthy.

Mrs. Obama began a national conversation about the health of America’s children when she broke ground on the White House Kitchen Garden with students from a local elementary school in Washington, DC. Through the garden, she began a discussion with kids about nutrition and the role food plays in living a healthy life. That discussion grew into the Let’s Move! campaign.

At the launch of the campaign, President Barack Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum creating the first ever Task Force on Childhood Obesity to conduct a review of every single program and policy relating to child nutrition and physical activity and develop a national action plan to maximize federal resources and set concrete benchmarks toward the First Lady’s national goal. The Task Force’s recommendation focus on the four pillars of the First Lady’s Let’s Move! campaign:

1. empowering parents and caregivers
2. providing healthy food in schools
3. improving access to healthy, affordable foods
4. increasing physical activity.

This problem can’t be solved just by passing laws in Washington. It’s going to take all of us—governors, mayors, doctors, nurses, businesses, non-profits, educators, parents—to tackle the challenge once and for all, so Let’s Move to end the epidemic of childhood obesity together.

ABOUT MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL CHARITIES

Major League Baseball Charities is a not-for-profit corporation that provides support to local, national and international tax-exempt organizations to directly conduct or sponsor activities for the promotion of good health, physical education, public safety, medical research, literacy and educational or charitable purposes.  Major League Baseball is committed to leading the fight against cancer, and supports the research, awareness and prevention activities of Stand Up To Cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Prostate Cancer Foundation, and Play Sun Smart, among others.

In addition to supporting Boys & Girls Clubs of America (BGCA), MLB Charities provides support to a number of other national charitable initiatives, including Welcome Back Veterans, the Jackie Robinson Foundation, USA Baseball, the National Urban League and the Wheelchair Sports Federation. The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball pays all administrative expenses for MLB Charities.

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF AMERICA

For more than 100 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of America (www.bgca.org) has enabled young people, especially those who need Clubs most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Today, some 4,000 Boys & Girls Clubs serve more than 4.2 million young people through Club membership and community outreach. Clubs can be found throughout the country and on U.S. military installations worldwide, providing young people 6-18 years old with guidance-oriented character development programs conducted by trained, professional staff. Key programs emphasize leadership development; education and career exploration; community service; technology training; financial literacy; health and life skills; the arts; sports, fitness and recreation; and family outreach. In a Harris Survey of alumni, 57 percent said the Club saved their lives. National headquarters are located in Atlanta.

ABOUT BOYS & GIRLS CLUBS OF GARDEN GROVE

For more than 50 years, Boys & Girls Clubs of Garden Grove (BGCGG) has helped kids “BE GREAT” by changing and saving young lives, playing an integral role in its community. Striving to help children succeed in life, Boys & Girls Clubs provide hope and opportunity through afterschool, family support, and community outreach programs. Our 57 program sites serve over 8,500 families annually and 5,000 young people daily, from “Diapers to Diplomas,” ages 18 months-18 years old.

The Clubs are open daily with programs in character and leadership development, education and career enhancement, the arts, health and life skills, and sports, fitness and recreation. Our family outreach programs such as Family Campus Preschool, School Readiness, REACH For Literacy (Reading Education for Adults & CHildren), ARCHES (Access to Resources for Children's Health, Education and Support), FYOP (Family & Youth Outreach Program), and TRC (Truancy Reduction Center) expand our services to ensure that the needs of the whole child are met. Through our efforts we do our best to enable all young people, especially those who need us most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens. Please visit www.begreatgardengrove.org for more information. Great Futures Start Here.