Health, Fitness and Wellness Industries Push to Encourage Kids Physical and Financial Wellness by Purchasing Halloween Candy from Kids

News provided by

National Financial Educators Council

Oct 24, 2017, 08:35 ET

WASHINGTON, Oct. 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Substitute Cash for Candy campaign is an initiative founded by the National Financial Educators Council to encourage healthy eating habits and financial responsibility. Participating health and fitness providers purchase Halloween candy back from children. Participating organizations build relationships with their communities while they help children stay healthy and pick up important financial literacy skill sets.

The NFEC welcomes those in the health and wellness industry participation to encourage physical and financial wellness of our youth. All materials are provided complimentary by the NFEC and can be branded for your organization: marketing, forms, handouts, educational resources are available.

Participating individuals and organizations follow these steps to participate complimentary: 1) select marketing pieces and educational resources, 2) add their logo, 3) promote via provided ads, emails, and social media posts, 4) host the candy buyback, 5) participate in post-program promotions.

Access brandable and complimentary Cash for Candy resources at https://www.financialeducatorscouncil.org/cash-for-candy/

The direct relationship between a person's health and overall financial wellness is well-established. On average, healthy people earn more, enjoy lower medical expenses, live longer, and receive more benefits as a result. Most kids today will never be able to afford retirement, the average college graduate will leave with over $37,000 in debt, and most people under 30 have little to no money saved. The goal of this campaign is to encourage health and financial wellness though financial literacy games.

According to Dr. Bita Badakhshan, "Short-term, sugar causes abnormal hyperactivity and has been linked to childhood diabetes, obesity, and ADHD – all problems plaguing our society. And the longer-term prognosis is equally as dim. Sugar is what cancer cells feed on; it is the main supplier of energy for tumor growth. This Halloween I encourage my patients and friends to find a healthy alternative to high doses of sugar by substituting cash for candy."

Financial illiteracy, obesity rates, and other illnesses caused by poor diet among today's youth have nearly reached all-time highs. The Center for Disease control website points out that about one in five school-aged children (ages 6–19) is obese. And dietary issues cause more deaths annually than smoking, drinking, and drugs combined, according to a report published by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

During the 1960s it still was common to receive something other than candy in your Halloween bag – money, nuts, fruit, cookies and toys were the norm. In the 1970s, candy manufacturers made a huge marketing push and candy began to take over the Halloween tradition, according to research by The Atlantic. The NFEC is working with those in the wellness industry to fight candy manufacturers and support our youth's healthy physical and financial development.

The National Financial Educators Council focus is on helping people work toward overall wellness. The NFEC is a financial education organization that supports advocacy campaigns that raise awareness for financial literacy and children's wellness issues. Resources and materials are provided to our global network of partners that help further define financial literacy and promote financial wellness.

Contact:
Trevor Stoll
415.729.7290
[email protected]

SOURCE National Financial Educators Council