Walk for Fitness and Prizes

From March 18th - April 18th, all HealthCorps schools will participate in contests to see which students can walk the longest distance. Winning students will receive prizes. In New York schools, the prize will be tickets to a New York Mets game.

The new anti-obesity "Healthy Steps to Albany" contest kicked off March 18th at The City College of New York. First Lady of New York Michelle Paige Paterson announced the new initiative to increase public awareness of childhood obesity and encourage students to incorporate exercise into their daily routines.

Partners in the "Healthy Steps to Albany" program include the National Urban Technology Center, the Metro-Manhattan Chapter of the Links, Inc., HealthCorps, New York City Public School District #5, Bankstreet College and The City University of New York.

"This is the first generation of kids who may actually die before their parents due to bad nutrition and lack of exercise," said First Lady of New York Michelle Paige Paterson. "I believe it's critical that all New Yorkers work together to help create new and easy ways for children in our community to increase physical activity and make smart nutritional choices - starting right here in Harlem."

Dr. Mehmet Oz, health expert on The Oprah Winfrey Show and founder of HealthCorps, stated: "The heart of HealthCorps' message to students is to make simple, measurable changes, like walking, that will endure for life. There's no better initiative to drive this home than 'Healthy Steps to Albany,' where our students will enhance their health in a playful competitive way."