Grant awarded to help curb obesity in districts nationwide.

Action for Healthy Kids, a national leader in improving nutrition and physical activity in schools, received a $275,000 grant in January from the Kellogg Corporate Citizenship Fund to strengthen schools' efforts to combat childhood obesity. The funding will bring the knowledge and resources of Action for Healthy Kids Teams to school districts across the nation to help them implement federally mandated local wellness policies during the 2007-2008 school year.

More than 6,000 health professionals, educators, parents, community leaders and administrators serve on Action for Healthy Kids Teams in each state; funding will give teams the opportunity to receive grants ranging from $15,000 to $22,500 to work directly with schools.

In compliance with the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act, school districts began implementing local wellness policies at the start of the 2006-2007 school year, which include guidelines for all foods available on campus and goals for nutrition education and physical education. Many schools, however, lack the funding, resources and staff to successfully implement their district's policy, much less foster sustainable and meaningful change. Action for Healthy Kids Teams will use the grant to work towards filling this void.

"We cannot expect schools to carry the burden alone," says Alicia Moag-Stahlberg, executive director of Action for Healthy Kids. "Kellogg's support will allow Action for Healthy Kids Teams to provide the crucial assistance that schools need."

www.actionforhealthykids.org