Great News, We're a Finalist!

You may remember that last year the American Heart Association won PR News' Nonprofit Award for our You're the Cure on the Hill 2008. Well, we just heard some great news--we are a finalist for the 2009 award for our FIT Kids Act Press Event that took place March 19, 2009. We are honored by this recognition and will keep you posted on the outcome.

Though the event was only one day you, the advocates have taken the enthusiasm generated and turned that in to progress. Through your time and dedication we now have 113 co-sponsors to the legislation. We could not do it without you. Thank you and keep up the great work!

It's National PE and Sport Week!

It's National Physical Education and Sport Week... and we have a challenge to issue to you! Do your part to promote a healthier generation of Americans by taking action in support of the FIT Kids Act today! And don't forget to urge your friends and family to do the same. The more noise we can make about the need for regular, quality physical education for our kids, the harder it will be for Congress to ignore.

NFL Players Join AHA in Support of FIT Kids

It's game time for the FIT Kids Act! On March 19th, players from the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens and Washington Redskins joined AHA representatives, legislators and other advocates to support and announce the reintroduction of the FIT Kids Act at a news conference on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol . Check out some pictures from the event:

Bill sponsors Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) ask area school kids if they like being active. The response: "YES!".

American Heart Association You're the Cure advocate Dr. Robert DiBianco (right), joins Senator Harkin, Representative Kind, and Representative Wamp, in support of FIT Kids.

After the conference, players led a group of nearly 100 area schoolchildren in a series of physical activities as part of NFL PLAY 60, which encourages kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity every day.

Join us in being a cheerleader for healthy, active kids by urging your legislators to cospsonor FIT Kids today!

Entire Hawaii Delegation Says "YES!" to FIT Kids

With the recent addition of Senator Akaka (D-HI) to the list of FIT Kids co-sponsors for the 110th Congress, Hawaii becomes the first state to have 100% support for the bill from their delegation! You're the Cure advocates in Hawaii can be proud that those who represent them on Capitol Hill have made the health our our kids a priority.

Visit http://www.fitkidsact.org/ to urge the legislators from your state to show their support too!

We Won!!

You’re the Cure on the Hill 2008 Named Nonprofit Advocacy Campaign of the Year!

At an awards ceremony Thursday at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, You’re the Cure on the Hill 2008 won the prestigious PRNews Nonprofit Award for the best Advocacy Campaign of the year! The award recognized the American Heart Association among a distinguished circle of organizations and you and the other outstanding advocates who came to Capitol Hill in April deserve all the credit.

PRNews recognized AHA for several noteworthy accomplishments including outstanding media coverage as well as mobilizing hundreds of advocates from across the country to generate an outpouring of support for the FIT Kids Act and increased funding for heart disease and stroke research and prevention programs. It was the presence, stories, and passion of our advocates that made You’re the Cure on the Hill something special- and we are so thrilled to have their hard work honored in this way!

Congratulations and Thank You!

These Sneakers are Made for Walking [and Talking]

This summer, advocates across the country have been putting their best foot forward for the FIT Kids Act wherever their summer travels are taking them! Advocates answered our call during the month of July to help us demonstrate the widespread support for FIT Kids to Congress, by submitting pictures of their active sneakers to post on our Sneaker Story Campaign map. Whether it was in your own backyard, a national park, or halfway around the world, your sneakers represent the thousands of Americans who have already stood up for physical education for our kids.

Advocate in Action-

Youth Advocate Exercises His Voice for Physical Education

On July 24th, the House of Representatives’ Education and Labor Committee held an important hearing to learn about the benefits of physical education for our nation’s children and the American Heart Association was proudly represented by Robert Keiser, an 18-year old advocate from Florida, and Dr. Russell Pate, Associate VP for Health Sciences and Professor at the Arnold School of Public Health at the University of South Carolina (watch Dr. Pate’s testimony on YouTube).
“I am here today because I believe that, by sharing my own personal story, I may help you find ways to help other children overcome their struggles with obesity,” Robert said during his testimony before committee members.
Having overcome his own battle with obesity as a child, Robert has sought to help other kids succeed, leading members of the Legislative Advisory Teen Council he helped establish to Tallahassee to lobby the state’s legislators in support of a physical education bill (which passed unanimously in the Florida House and Senate and was signed into law in May 2007). And now, he has turned his attention and passion toward urging Congress to support the FIT Kids Act.