Action for Healthy Kids® and CSX Provide Grants to 300 Schools for 2017-2018 School Year

News provided by

Aug 22, 2017, 14:06 ET

CHICAGO, Aug. 22, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Action for Healthy Kids® (AFHK) announces the 300 recipients of School Grants for Healthy Kids for the 2017-2018 school year, provided through funding from CSX Transportation. Awarded in 12 states and Washington D.C. the Game On grants aim to expand student access to in-school physical activity and healthy foods, improve knowledge and behaviors around exercise and nutrition, and engage parents in activities that reinforce healthy habits at home. The grants are expected to impact an estimated 152,000 students in 186 school districts.

The grants, ranging from $500 to help returning grantees sustain their programs and $1,000 for new grantees, can be used for a variety of wellness purposes including:

Physical activity components, such as funding for physical education, active indoor and outdoor recess, classroom energizers, walking and running clubs, and before- and after-school programs; and
Nutrition components, such as education, school gardens, taste tests, and healthy classroom parties and celebrations that introduce students to the value of an active, healthy lifestyle.

"As a transportation services provider, CSX understands the importance of creating connections, and we want to help kids connect with activities that help them develop healthy habits for their entire lives," said Rob Doolittle, Assistant Vice President Corporate Communications, CSX. "Through our ongoing partnership with AFHK, we are seeing sustainable, impactful changes being made in schools, and we're excited to continue this great momentum in the coming school year."

Additionally, 800 school health teams nationwide will be trained on how to build and maintain sustainable wellness teams, augment school health and wellness best practices, and use AFHK resources and programs to implement wellness policies. AFHK also provides technical assistance to help the 300 grantee schools successfully implement their grants, develop their school health team and assess their school health environment.

Together, CSX and AFHK are also planning five service days this fall at which CSX employees will volunteer with AFHK and other CSX partner organizations to refurbish and beautify play spaces, brighten cafeterias with murals to inspire healthy habits, plant school gardens, and much more.

"The funding from CSX connects schools with much-needed resources for their wellness initiatives and acknowledges the impact of physical activity and good nutrition on children's health and learning," said Rob Bisceglie, CEO, Action for Healthy Kids. "Partners like CSX are not only helping us to make positive changes at the local level through school grants, but also to drive a greater national focus on the importance of health and nutrition in schools."

Since 2013, CSX-supported school grants have helped 1,353 schools implement health and wellness initiatives, impacting nearly 700,000 students. For a complete list of schools funded by CSX in the 2017-2018 school year, visit ActionforHealthyKids.org/CSX.

To learn more about CSX's support of programs related to wellness, safety, community and the environment, visit www.beyondourrails.org.

About Action for Healthy Kids®
Action for Healthy Kids® is a nationwide grassroots network mobilizing school professionals, families and communities to take actions that improve school foods, nutrition education and physical education for all students. With funding opportunities, expert technical assistance, and our flagship program, Game On, Action for Healthy Kids provides full support to schools and families to develop healthy school environments where children thrive. To learn more about the ways our 120,000+ volunteer network is helping to make every kid healthy and ready to learn, visit us at ActionforHealthyKids.org, on Facebook (act4healthykids) and on Twitter (@Act4HlthyKids).

About CSX
CSX, based in Jacksonville, Florida, is a premier transportation company. It provides rail, intermodal and rail-to-truck transload services and solutions to customers across a broad array of markets, including energy, industrial, construction, agricultural, and consumer products. For nearly 190 years, CSX has played a critical role in the nation's economic expansion and industrial development. Its network connects every major metropolitan area in the eastern United States, where nearly two-thirds of the nation's population resides. It also links more than 240 short-line railroads and more than 70 ocean, river and lake ports with major population centers and farming towns alike. More information about CSX Corporation and its subsidiaries is available at www.csx.com. Like us on Facebook (http://facebook.com/OfficialCSX) and follow us on Twitter (http://twitter.com/CSX).

SOURCE Action for Healthy Kids