Press Releases
For Immediate Release
Change for Kids Fitness and Nutrition Program to Appear on LunchNYC
November 18 episode of documentary miniseries will feature FAN4Kids at P.S. 243
NEW YORK—For more than a decade, education charity Change for Kids (CFK) has provided arts and literacy programs in some of New York City’s most under-resourced elementary schools. Like many nonprofits in the education sector, though, CFK is now sharing the challenge facing the nation’s school districts—the desperate need to address obesity and related health disorders among young children.
The problem is particularly pronounced in the high-poverty areas where CFK operates—South Bronx, West Harlem, Jamaica, Queens, and Bedford-Stuyvesant in Brooklyn. In a series of meetings earlier this year, all four of Change for Kids’ partner schools identified fitness and nutrition among their top three concerns. In particular, Principal Karen Hambright lobbied for a new program at P.S. 243—where K-3 students were receiving just 50 minutes of gym a week, every other semester.
What emerged was an exciting partnership between Change for Kids and the 6-year-old organization FAN4Kids, a nonprofit offering fitness classes and nutrition education throughout New York City and Newark. The launch of the program this fall has provided K-3 students in the Bedford-Stuyvesant school triple their previous allotment of fitness and nutrition.
The rapid success of the FAN4Kids program also attracted the attention of Avis Richards, founder of the nonprofit media company Birds Nest Productions. Birds Nest will be featuring Change for Kids and P.S. 243 in an upcoming episode of LunchNYC, a new documentary miniseries covering health and nutrition in New York City.
“This is a development we’ve worked for all year,” says CFK Board Member Louise Phillips Forbes, who was instrumental in organizing and promoting the organization’s fundraising events in 2010. “Providing these kids with fitness and nutrition is about more than just combating obesity. It’s about giving them opportunities to develop self-confidence and life-long skills.”
While the foray into wellness education is relatively new for Change for Kids, the organization sees it as a natural continuation of their partnerships with each of their schools. “This is very much in line with our objectives,” says Executive Director Colin Smith. “We want to be able to respond to our schools’ needs with whatever programs and supplies are necessary for success. Right now that means offering the kind of essential fitness and nutrition programs that would be unavailable given the school’s budgetary constraints.”
Phillips Forbes also notes that the new fitness goals can support and even enhance academic progress: “Healthy kids are students who are more likely to succeed in school and better able to make good decisions for themselves in the future.”
Episode seven of LunchNYC, “Digestible Education,” is scheduled to air November 18th at 8:30pm on NYC Life, Time Warner Channel 25.
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For more information, please contact CFK Communications Director Kristin Black: [email protected]
November 4, 2010
Education charity Change for Kids ditches formal dinner for a year of community fun
Second annual Bowl for Kids event will be held November 4 at the Union Square Bowlmor
NEW YORK—Three years ago, Change for Kids (CFK) conducted a single, annual event—a sit-down donors dinner that for more than a decade had provided the sole source of revenue for programs and operations at the modest-sized education charity. Then the recession hit, and CFK—which is dedicated to promoting educational opportunity in underserved elementary schools—was forced to rethink what made for a great event. “By necessity, we had to branch out,” says Colin Smith, Executive Director. “But that diversity of approach has made us a stronger organization, with rapidly growing revenue, a wider donor base and more energetic volunteers.” It’s also meant that the slate of fundraisers on CFK’s annual agenda has become more experiential and a lot more fun.
The second annual Bowl for Kids, which takes place on November 4th at the Union Square Bowlmor, is the capstone on a year’s worth of community-building events designed to reach a new audience of potential donors and volunteers. The shift in approach has resulted in a massive increase in revenue, in addition to a growing CFK network of young families and up-and-coming professionals. Bowl for Kids funds comprehensive programming at two of CFK’s four partner schools—services that include creative writing workshops, music lessons, visual art, field trips, pre-K reading and literacy tutoring for 1,400 students.
“Value has become a crucial selling point at all these events,” notes Chris Forbes, CFK’s Chairman of the Board. “People want to do good within the greater New York area, but they also want to have a really great time and build a community for themselves and their children.”
CFK’s two major events earlier this year—Run for Kids and Ride for Kids—earned significantly more than expected, allowing the organization to expand its programming at a time when most charities have had to scale back. “We’re really trying to make connections between our donors and volunteers and the communities we serve, raising money for a fitness and nutrition program by hosting a 5k run, for instance,” says Board Member Louise Phillips Forbes. Bowl for Kids will include violin and keyboard performances from students who will continue receiving CFK’s free, professional music lessons as a result of the event. Proceeds will also fund a day of bowling for the charity’s partner students.
Bowl for Kids will take place on Thursday, November 4 at the Bowlmor in Union Square (110 University Place, between 12th and 13th Streets, New York, NY 10003). The event will begin at 7:30pm with performances by CFK students, a buffet catered by David Burke, top-shelf open bar and silent auction. Two hours of unlimited bowling will follow at 9:00pm. Tickets are $250 or $500 and can be purchased online at http://my.changeforkids.org. Contact Colin Smith by phone at (212) 213-8061 or by email at [email protected] for more information about corporate sponsorship packages.
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For more information, please contact CFK Communications Director Kristin Black: [email protected]
August 14, 2010
Celebrity trainer Stacey Griffith hosts indoor cycling class to benefit New York education charity Change for Kids
Second annual Ride for Kids event will be held August 14 at Bridgehampton SoulCycle
Download full release »NEW YORK—Celebrity spinners and cycling fanatics of all levels know Stacey Griffith as the go-to guru for heart-pumping, inspirational workouts at the New York institution SoulCycle. And while Griffith’s high-octane classes and personal attention have landed her a slew of recent appearances in national fitness magazines, her real ambition is something closer to spiritual transformation. “My goal is to pull the athlete out of every person that walks through my door; every person that comes in here has some kind of burning desire to change something,” she says.
That’s doubly true for the participants at the upcoming, second annual Ride for Kids in Bridgehampton. The event, which takes place on August 14 at the SoulCycle Barn at Butter Lane, benefits the New York City education charity Change for Kids (CFK), a nonprofit dedicated to promoting educational opportunity in some of the city’s most underserved elementary schools. The event this summer marks Griffith’s one-year anniversary as a board member of the organization, and is an encore to her wildly popular, sold-out event last August. Chris Forbes, CFK’s Chairman of the Board, was among the participants at Ride for Kids 2009. “The room had great energy; with Stacey's encouragement I thought we were on the open road,” he says. “Most importantly, we sold out the event and paid for an entire year of literacy programming at one of our schools.” Griffith will also be leading the workout’s live auction, which will include two iPods fully loaded with her favorite workout music.
The timing for this year’s Ride for Kids couldn’t be better. After more than a decade of providing music, art and literacy enrichment, Change for Kids plans to expand into fitness and nutrition education. For CFK’s four partner schools and 2,500 students, the initiative will bring new resources for desperately needed programs. “Some of our students go a full semester without any physical education,” explains Executive Director and CEO Colin Smith. “They may have a single gym teacher for 500 students. Sports equipment is hard to come by; nutrition programs are non-existent.”
“This event is about making positive changes,” says Louise Phillips Forbes, who is chairing the event committee. “Changes in our community and in ourselves.”
Ride for Kids will take place on Saturday, August 14 at SoulCycle’s Bridgehampton location, The Barns at Butter Lane (264 Butter Lane, Bridgehampton, NY 11976). The indoor cycling class and live auction will begin at 6:00pm. Bike reservations range from $200-$300, depending on location. A casual cocktail party will follow the class at 7:00pm; bikers and non-bikers alike are welcome to enjoy sunset bellinis at The Barn. A donation is requested from those who choose not to take part in the indoor cycling class. Register online at www.changeforkids.org, or contact Colin Smith at (212) 213-8061 or by email at [email protected].
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For more information, please contact CFK Communications Director Kristin Black: [email protected]