RUNNIN FOR RHETT

Programs: Youth fitness program - approximately 1 in 9 california children and 1 in 3 teens are overweight or obese. Between 40-80% of overweight children will become overweight adults. As a direct result of the obesity epidemic, doctors are seeing a significant rise in chronic illness in children. Not only is childhood obesity a huge issue that needs to be addressed, but physical inactivity is a serious problem. Health-risk behaviors such as substance use, violence, and physical inactivity are consistently linked to academic failure and often affect students attendance, grades, test scores, and ability to pay attention. R4r's youth fitness program is in alignment with the vision of the california obesity plan: "californians will understand the importance of physical activity and healthy eating, and they will make healthier choices based on their understanding. " we hope to expand the yfp to more schools, gaining greater outreach to those populations at highest risk for obesity and inactivity in the 4-county region.

runnin for rhett (r4r) of elk grove, california is a not-for-profit organization that was founded on december 7, 2007 in honor of rhett seevers, a little boy with severe cerebral palsy who couldnt run or walk. Their mission is to inspire people to move into life. Runnin for rhett's youth fitness program is designed to combat childhood obesity in at-risk youth by educating young people and their families on fitness and nutrition. The runnin for rhett foundation makes training available at no charge to schools in the 4-county sacramento area. Their hope is to use the program to touch the lives of all youth from a wide variety of different backgrounds. It is their experience that youth who feel like part of a team accepted and encouraged hold a higher self-worth, and will be more prepared for lifes challenges. Since 2011, runnin for rhett has granted over $480,000 to over 20,000 students from 445 schools in the sacramento-area. R4r is primarily funded by the proceeds from fundraising events, donor contributions, and sponsorships.