Monkey Joe's Supports The American Heart Association For Second Year To Promote Active Living

ATLANTA, July 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Monkey Joe's, a children's entertainment franchise filled with indoor jumps, slides and obstacle courses, announces its continued national support of the American Heart Association, the largest voluntary organization devoted to fighting cardiovascular diseases and stroke. During the month of August, participating Monkey Joe's locations will be collecting donations to support the American Heart Association through Active Kids = Healthy Hearts, a campaign first created last year by Monkey Joe's to promote a more active lifestyle for children.  Donations received during the month of August will benefit the cardiovascular health of children through programs such as Jump Rope for Heart, Hoops for Heart and additional children's health initiatives. 

"Today, about one in three American kids and teens is overweight or obese," explains Rani G. Whitfield, MD FAAFP CAQ Sports Medicine, spokesperson for the American Heart Association and Physician/Owner: Family Practice and Sports Medicine. "Parents and families should be proactive in making healthy, heart-conscious decisions for the entire family each day.  The campaign with Monkey Joe's last year was a success in that we educated parents on activities and programs available to keep their children active, and gave new ideas for ways for kids to get the recommended amount of daily exercise they need." 

100,000 Jumps Effort
Although Monkey Joe's is known predominately as a fun family destination, it is also an active location for children, with an average five year old child burning 114 calories for each 30 minutes, by simply jumping and sliding on the inflatables. In order to promote a more active lifestyle for children during the month of August, Monkey Joe's locations will be calculating the total number of hours jumped throughout the month with the goal of obtaining 100,000 hours of jumping nationwide.

"We are excited to continue our relationship with the American Heart Association," explains Sonny Crumpton, brand leader of Monkey Joe's.  "Our venture was such a success last year and our guests exceeded our original goal for jumping hours, so this year we are raising the bar to 100,000 hours jumped by August 31."

For more information on Active Kids = Healthy Hearts, visit www.monkeyjoes.com.  For more information on the American Heart Association, visit www.heart.org.

About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is devoted to saving people from heart disease and stroke – America's No. 1 and No. 4 killers. We team with millions of volunteers to fund innovative research, fight for stronger public health policies, and provide lifesaving tools and information to prevent and treat these diseases. The Dallas-based association is the nation's oldest and largest voluntary organization dedicated to fighting heart disease and stroke. To learn more or to get involved, call 1-800-AHA-USA1, visit heart.org or call any of our offices around the country. 

About Monkey Joe's
Monkey Joe's is a fun and exciting inflatable-filled indoor facility that provides families with engaging and interactive activity and entertainment -- all day, every day (no special occasion necessary!).  Today Monkey Joe's operates more than 57 facilities pure-kid-fun in motion. 

Contact:  Kelly Ronna, 404-214-0722x107, [email protected]                   

SOURCE Monkey Joe's