The YMCA of Western North Carolina and UNC
Asheville will host
“YMCA Healthy Kids Day” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday,
April 18, on the UNC Asheville campus. Healthy Kids Day, the
nation’s largest health day for children and families, will feature
fun, engaging and creative activities to promote wellness and
healthy living. Registration will begin at 9 a.m. on the lawn in
front of UNC Asheville’s Justice Center and will continue throughout
the day. Events will be held at the main stage at UNC Asheville’s
Karl Strauss Track and at other locations across campus. The event
is free and open to the public.
“As families struggle to balance life’s daily demands and persevere
during an economic downturn, it is important that we reach beyond
our YMCA facility to the entire community,” said Bryan Messing,
Asheville YMCA Wellness Director. “In Buncombe County, we’ve been
doing this with the annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day event for more than
three years. Through this event, the YMCA of Western North Carolina
and our partners have given our neighbors the opportunity to take
their minds off daily stresses, and instead have fun and focus on
positive sustainable healthy lifestyle changes together, as a
family.”
This year, activities will include health screenings, educational
demonstrations, internet safety tips and disaster preparedness
information. Family games and activities will also be featured,
including a bike safety rodeo; yoga, zumba and hula hoop classes;
face painting; martial arts and kayak demonstrations; healthy
snacks; and more.
“UNC Asheville is totally revved up for Healthy Kids Day,” said
Kathie Garbe, Chair of UNC Asheville’s Health and Wellness
Department and event co-director. “Healthy Kids Day allows us to be
a part of a vibrant and active Buncombe County community that
promotes healthy choices and active lives among children and
families.”
YMCA Healthy Kids Day will be celebrated at more than 1,700 YMCA
locations across the country. Last year, more than 900 people
participated in local events, while 700,000 participated in YMCA
Healthy Kids Day events nationwide.
Local sponsors include Greenlife Grocery and Earth Fare Markets, as
well as dozens of Western North Carolina organizations and
businesses who will host activities throughout the daylong event.
National sponsors are Disney Channel’s Playhouse Disney, Eli Lilly
and Company, Huggies Little Swimmers Brand, Northwestern Mutual
Foundation and Tropicana. YMCA Healthy Kids Day is also supported by
the American Cancer Society, American Diabetes Association, American
Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and
the National Association of Chronic Disease Directors.
For more information about local YMCA Healthy Kids Day events, call
Messing at 828/210-YMCA or visit
www.ymcawnc.org.
