Battle Creek School Wins Grant via The Detroit Lions
A Battle Creek school rose above all and has received a grant, through a partnership with the American Heart Association and the NFL, that promotes healthy habits for a better chance of healthy adulthood. Each NFL team awarded a $1,000 grant to the winning school in their state, involving a match of physical activities.
The American Heart Association announced the winning 32 schools in a press release on January 24. Minges Brook Elementary teamed up to become the state of Michigan winner and received the $1,000 grant, awarded via the Detroit Lions, after participating in the NFL Play 60 initiative. The program encourages kids to get a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day.
During the competition, classrooms and afterschool programs across the nation were able to track physical activity minutes, as a group, through the NFL PLAY 60 app. Students also had the ability to track their minutes at home. Those minutes of activity were entered into a leaderboard, allowing participants to see rankings compared to other groups participating on behalf of their hometown NFL team.
The NFL and the American Heart Association have been teaming up since 2006 to inspire kids to leave the couch and have fun being physically active. Skipping rope, playing “Tag” or a spur-of-a-moment ballgame in a neighborhood lot seem to be less frequent as youngsters dwell on social media.
There will be a national winner, with the greatest number of logged minutes of activity, announced on February 9, 2023. Minges Brook Elementary will be cheered on by local fans as the date approaches.