Be Fit, Be Fine

Welcome to the Junior League of Louisville’s Be Fit, Be Fine initiative! JLL has launched a multi-faceted, long-term program to attack the childhood health and wellness crisis in our community.  Did you know?
  • The National Health and Nutrition Examination Study (NHANES - 1999-2002) found that the prevalence of overweight American adolescents age 12-19 was 16.7% for males and 15.4% for females. There was an increase of 250% from 1970 to 2002.
  • The 2003 Youth Risk Factor Surveillance Study indicates that 33.4% of youth don’t engage in physical activity.
  • Children in the U.S. today are less fit than they were a generation ago and showing early signs of increased cardiovascular disease risk such as weight gain, higher blood cholesterol, and cigarette smoking. Obese children are two times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes that until only recently occurred primarily in adults.
  • Inactive children, when compared with active children, weigh more, have higher blood pressure and lower levels of heart-protective high-density lipoproteins (HDLs). 

    • Source:  Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Resource Guide

    JLL is entering its third year of our Be Fit, Be Fine initiative. Past projects have included the inaugural city-wide Health Summit in 2007, which brought together community leaders to discuss issues ranging from access to healthy food to community incentives that enhance daily activity, and two years of the JLL RunWild! day-long program featuring a family run/walk and Health and Wellness Expo. JLL has launched several new projects under its Be Fit, Be Fine initiative:


    Urban Garden Project
    JLL members will research the possibility of sponsoring the creation of an “urban garden” in an underserved neighborhood in Louisville. A committee of JLL volunteers will work with community leaders to identify potential partner agencies, funding sources, neighborhood(s) interested in participating, and surplus property available for a garden – and, hopefully, plant a test garden in spring 2010! Our objectives include providing fresh produce for underserved populations, teaching urban dwellers how to plant and maintain a vegetable garden, and creating opportunities for children and families to play an active role in creating healthy lifestyles and habits.

    Jefferson County Public Schools - Health Promotion Schools of Excellence
    Beginning in summer of 2009, JLL will collaborate with JCPS on their Health Promotion Schools of Excellence (HPSE) program to develop a tool kit for conducting Family Fun Nights. JLL volunteers will participate in the HPSE Summer Institute and work with school leaders to design appropriate curriculum for incorporating the entire family into the students’ healthy learning. JLL volunteers will produce the inaugural family engagement events and train school leaders to replicate the events going forward. JLL plans to work with at least five (5) public schools this coming school year and ten (10) the following year. This is a three-year program.

    American Heart Association - Child Health and Wellness Community Outreach
    Beginning in fall 2009, JLL will partner with AHA to lead the “Day of Play” event that educates and engages children in physical activity and nutrition. JLL will focus on bringing this event to underserved locations in Louisville to reach vulnerable populations. This is a three-year partnership.

    YMCA of Greater Louisville - Y5210
    JLL and YMCA team up to deliver the Y5210 program in the public schools during the 2009-2010 school year. JLL volunteers will ‘teach’ the six (6) week program with weekly challenges led by school teachers. The program targets children ages 9 to 11 to do the following:
    - Eat five (5) servings of fruits and vegetables every day
    - Limit “screen time” to no more than two (2) hours each day (put down those video games,
       turn off the TV, get out and move!)
    - Engage in physical activity for one (1) hour each day
    - Consume ZERO sugary beverages.