Support San Francisco Bay Area Child Wellness Center to Fight Childhood Obesity . . .
Childhood obesity is a scary, yet all too common, condition. Several years back, we visited family in Georgia and, while there, visited the World of Coca-Cola museum. One area of the museum had an open fountain bar so guests could taste different Coca-Cola brand sodas from around the world. That was also where we saw several school groups on a field trip gathered. Who sends (already) overweight children to a soda company and gives them free reign at an all-you-can-drink soda area?! It was both shocking and sad.
I was glad to learn that there is a program taking share in my area. Reset Wellness is a nonprofit organization that’s focused on improving the lives of underprivileged minority children. On the east side of the San Francisco Bay Area, they plan to build a child wellness center in San Leandro. To do so, they need your help and the financial support of the local communities. Here are more details as to the center’s ‘why’ and ‘how’:
Meet 555lb, 14 year old, Alexander Draper.
His mother, Jerri Gray, was charged with criminal neglect for letting him gain too much weight. Alexander was soon placed in foster care and stripped away from his mother, as she faced her looming trial (2 felonies, 15 years, $50k bond). During her trial, she claimed that she didn’t have the education to help him live a healthy lifestyle nor the finances to put him in the recommended weight loss program.
IS THIS CRIMINAL NEGLECT OR SOCIAL INJUSTICE?
Reset Wellness, a San Francisco Bay Area Non-Profit, has established a program that focuses on providing obesity intervention tools and academic enrichment to underprivileged children in U.S.(www.resetwellness.org) Later this year, Reset Wellness will be opening a child wellness center to expand their community reach and they need your help. “Alexander Draper’s situation is all too common. There’s a fine line between neglect and miseducation,” states Reset Wellness founder Jamal Williams. “As a nonprofit, we’ve come up with a program that educates families on healthy lifestyles and holds them accountable.”
Currently, there are no one-stop-shops, in the East Bay Area, that tackle child wellness and academics in a practical, economically accessible way. The child wellness center will be the first of its kind and will feature hydraulic strength training circuits, vertical community gardens, technology smart academic classrooms, a childproof kitchen, and health counseling for families.
Donations to fund the $100,000 center start at $5, are tax deductible, and all donors will receive access to exclusive events, customized rewards from Nike, Specialized Bicycles, and more. Go to www.icanstopobesity.org to help make this center real, check out center renderings, and review donor rewards. Jamal concludes, “We’ve all heard the statistics, been alarmed by their severity, and know a child struggling with weight. However, our emotion is rarely combined with action. Donate and spread the word if you are able.Your help will improve the life of countless families.”
I think this center will make a huge difference for many, many local children. They will finally have the right tools to better their minds and bodies in a safe and clean environment. If interested in donating, even just a little bit, visit www.icanstopobesity.org to help make this dream a reality.
