NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., May 7, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Junior League of Orange County, Calif., Inc. (JLOCC), in conjunction with the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), is continuing an educational initiative to prevent childhood obesity and aid nutritional education through its "Kids in the Kitchen" program.
The UCI women's basketball and soccer teams will participate in activities that include exercise, demonstrations and food sampling at a fun-filled special event to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 12:20 p.m., Friday, May 22. Approximately 100 fifth graders will participate at the Hazard Elementary School, 4218 Hazard Ave., Santa Ana, where Dr. Patricia Riba, a pediatrician with Community Care Health Centers, will be the keynote speaker. Kevin McCaster, a decorated police officer and former LA Clippers basketball player, will also be speaking. Sponsors of the event include Subway, Snikiddy and Kashi, who will be providing food samples. "Eating Well" magazine and the California Avocado Commission are also contributors.
Close to 30 Junior League volunteers are organizing the event under the leadership of Lauren Stock and Stacy Nichols, event co-chairs. "Kids who participate in 'Kids in the Kitchen' walk away with practical tools that will help them live healthier lives," said Stock. "By learning about nutrition and appropriate portion sizes, they are able to adopt healthy habits that can last a lifetime."
The AJLI "Kids in the Kitchen" website, www.kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org, offers downloadable healthy recipes, as well as quizzes and polls to test kids on their nutritional knowledge. Demonstrations can be viewed on "Kids in the Kitchen TV" provided by "Eating Well" magazine. Educational games feature characters from the Cartoon Network hit series "Camp Lazlo."
This Junior League initiative is in response to the alarming statistic that nearly one in five children in America is obese. The number of obese children 12-19 years old in the United States more than tripled in the last four decades. Childhood obesity has been shown to be the leading cause of high blood pressure, Type II diabetes, and high cholesterol. It increases the risk of coronary heart disease, increases stress on the weight-bearing joints, lowers self-esteem and affects relationships with peers. With the goal of raising awareness and attempting to reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues, the League-wide program educates children and their families.
About the Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc.
The Junior League of Orange County, California, Inc., is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving the community through the effective action and the leadership of trained volunteers. JLOCC has contributed to Orange County by helping found organizations such as Orangewood Children's Home and the Volunteer Center of Orange County. As a solely educational and charitable organization, the JLOCC's trained volunteers actively support the community through collaboration with organizations that promote and support the health, safety and education of women and children. A 501(c)(3) organization, the JLOCC reaches out to women of all races, religions, and national origins. Originally founded in 1956 as the Newport Harbor Service League, the JLOCC is a member organization of the Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. To learn more about the JLOCC, call (949) 261-0823 or visit www.jlocc.org.