The Auburn High School DECA Chapter will launch its “TEAM Auburn — Commit to Fit” campaign Dec. 13 with a day of activities to bring awareness to childhood obesity.
The event at Grace Community Church, located at 1320 Auburn Way S., is free and open to the public.
Activities will include marketing and education fair, entertainment, cooking demonstrations, special guest appearances and distribution of materials for community members to fill their “fit kits.”
The main objective of the student-led media campaign is to change the culture of health and fitness in the Auburn School District and surrounding community.
According to a King County Health Department study, Auburn is the most obese city in King County.
The school district was awarded the Public Health – Seattle & King County Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant for nearly a half-million dollars. The grant funding will provide resources to improve healthy food choices and increase physical fitness activities for students beginning this school year.
As part of the one-time federal stimulus funds in the CPPW initiative, the grants will support and pay for activities that produce long-lasting changes and improve the community conditions that harm residents.
The three primary activities the school district will adopt to encourage healthy eating and active living are:
• Physical education curriculum adoption and implementation
• Child nutrition certificate program
• Public relations media campaign
The school’s DECA members have been planning and organizing the media campaign for the past three months. The campaign slogan was developed to encompass the broad target audience of the campaign.
The Dec. 13 launch event will target school district staff, community members and parents. Support and education of this group is essential to the success of the campaign implementation to the primary target audience: Auburn School District students.
“Imagine what an impact we will have in the future of the Auburn community when we change the culture of health and fitness,” said Lori Jacobs, Auburn High School DECA advisor. “With the media campaign emphasizing the upcoming changes in food nutrition and physical education, Auburn School District will empower students to make healthy decisions in regards to what they eat while increasing their physical activity.
“This will take the help of all district staff, parents, community members and our King County CPPW partners,” Jocobs said. “I am proud that students implemented this media campaign and am looking forward to the upcoming events.
For more information about the launch event or media campaign, please contact Jacobs at ljacobs@auburn.wedent.edu or 253-931-4880.
