Seeta Yesantarao and Anna Martin, co-chairs for Town Center PTA’s Health & Safety Committee, were instrumental in leading students at Town Center Elementary School to combine exercise with reading. The “Fit To Read” program is designed to promote walking and reading as lifetime habits. ##M:[more]##
Every Thursday, children in grades one to three are given the opportunity to walk one-half mile during their lunch recess on a quarter-mile course around the school grounds. Rewards, including key chains with foot charms, bookmarks, and books, are given to children as they complete their miles. Parent volunteers in the Town Center PTA accompany the children on their walks.
The response from the children has been overwhelming. More than 330 children walk each day of the program, which is nearly one-half of the children in the school.
Since the start of the school year, more than 4,”400 laps or 1,”100 miles have been walked by the students. This week, 74 students were the first to reach the four-mile mark and earned the first of two book awards.
The book awards were made possible by a grant from Target, part of the ongoing support Target provides to local communities throughout the country.
Every week Target gives more than $2 million to strengthen families and communities across the nation, with a focus on education, the arts, social services, and other vital community partnerships.
