Get Fit for Life

May 2,2012

If you’re like me, you hate to go to the doctor. Having played football for almost 15 years in high school, college and the pros, I’m sorry to say that I’m in the doctor’s office these days much more than I want to be.

One of my good friends is a highly accomplished orthopedic surgeon at MedStar’s Washington Hospital Center, Dr. Wiemi Douoguih (Dr. D). Dr. D is also the team physician for the Washington Nationals. When you become good friends with your orthopedic surgeon it’s probably an indication that you need to take better care of yourself! So to the delight of Dr. D and my family, I’ve committed myself to a healthier diet, more exercise and regular check-ups.

To maintain continual health, it is important to start young, embracing the habits of healthy eating and exercise. If you embrace and commit to leading a healthy lifestyle while you’re young, you can create a lifelong positive impact. United Way National Capital Area (United Way NCA) continues to work towards improving the lives of the youth in our community through a balance of fun and fitness!

United Way NCA works with nonprofit member organizations across the entire spectrum of health and wellness issues. We proudly fund hundreds of nonprofits in this space. One of the programs we fund is our own signature child-wellness initiative: Fun, Fly & Fit. This program is a results-focused program motivating children to play, exercise and have fun. Developed by Euniesha Davis on our United Way NCA team right here in the national capital area, Fun Fly & Fit has scored remarkable successes in the last three years. The program has a powerful goal: To get kids so fired-up about physical fitness and nutrition that their attitudes and behaviors soar.

Public health officials warn that one in three American children is now overweight or obese. United Way offers this fun-filled fitness program with a solid track record in re-shaping attitudes and behaviors. Fun Fly & Fit is a thoughtful, evidence-based response to the national epidemic of childhood obesity.

Fun Fly & Fit is accessible to all national capital area communities because it's free and self-sustaining. It's been successfully implemented in more than 50 schools and other program venues. It’s easily implemented as an in-school program or at an after-school site. We’re very proud of the work accomplished around Fun, Fly & Fit as the program has reached the milestone of 1 million minutes of play for children in the national capital area.

United Way NCA constantly encourages more children to get active, eat healthy and obtain regular check-ups. In that way, I hope kids across the region won’t need to spend time in Dr. D’s waiting room at Washington Hospital Center like I’ve done in the past.

Live United…Bill Hanbury

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Did You Know?

In 2011, the Lamb Center, a United Way NCA member nonprofit, provided: 44,725 meals,12,952 showers, 9,531 loads of laundry, 270 AA meetings, 575 job counseling sessions, and more.

The Capital Area Food Bank reports more than 641,000 residents of the Washington region are experiencing or at risk of hunger, including more than 100,000 in Fairfax County alone.

Residents in Ward 8 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 7 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

Residents in Ward 5 have to travel far to gain access to a public library. This distance can make it hard for residents to continue to succeed in their education.

In Ward 8, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

45.0% of residents living in Ward 8 receive food stamps.

In Ward 7, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

35.0% of residents living in Ward 7 receive food stamps.

5.0% of residents living in Ward 2 receive food stamps.

9.8% of residents in Ward 4 are unemployed.

3.2% of residents in Ward 3 are unemployed.

6.0% of residents in Ward 2 are unemployed.

In Ward 1, over 40% of single-family home and condominium sales resulted from foreclosure completions or owners selling under distress.

12.0% of people living in Ward 1 receive food stamps.

6.0% of people live below the poverty level in Prince William County.

9.4% of students in Prince William County drop out of high school.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

8.9% of students in Montgomery County do not graduate high school.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

6.7% of people live below the poverty level in Montgomery County.

13.9% of students in Prince George's County do not graduate high school.

7.8% of people live below the poverty level in Prince George’s County.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

30,000 children in Northern Virginia live in poverty.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In seven out of the eight wards in the city, residents are closer to fast food restaurants than large grocery stores, which could have a negative impact on residents’ health.

17.2% of residents in the District of Columbia live below the poverty level.

19.0% of residents in the District of Columbia receive food stamps.

11.9% of residents in the District of Columbia are unemployed.

22.0% of students in the District of Columbia do not graduate high school.

32% of children live below the poverty level in the District of Columbia.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

12.5% of residents living in Maryland do not graduate high school.

9.2% of people live below the poverty level in Maryland.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions

Ward 8 public schools have the lowest average share of students testing at required standards, only 33% in reading and 32% in math.

Over 28% of residents living in Ward 8 are unemployed.

Nearly 20% of people living in Ward 7 are unemployed.

67% of children living in Ward 6 are below the poverty level.

15.8% of people living in Ward 5 are unemployed.

There are more than 40,000 uninsured residents living in Loudoun County.

6.1% of students living in Loudoun County drop out of high school.

Nearly 8,000 people in Loudoun County live on an income of $20,000 to support a family of four.

10.6% of people in Fairfax County do not have health insurance.

5.6% of people live below the poverty level in Fairfax County.

7.9% of students living in Fairfax County drop out of high school.

10.5% of children in Arlington County live below the poverty level.

9.4% of students in Arlington County drop out of high school.

More than 3,000 people in Northern Virginia are homeless, 10% of these live in Alexandria, Virginia.

In the past year, 2-1-1 has answered approximately 632,000 calls from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia from residents seeking services.

Last year 2-1-1 Maryland answered 240,000 calls around basic needs such as food, shelter, eviction prevention and financial assistance for prescriptions.

In Northern Virginia, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Prince George's County, approximately 1 in 4 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In Montgomery County, 1 in 6 children under 18 is at risk of hunger.

In the District of Columbia, nearly 1 in 2 children under 18 is at the risk of hunger.

Kids who attend a high quality preschool are more likely to graduate from high school and have higher lifetime earnings.

Every $1 invested in high quality early childhood education saves taxpayers $7.

Upon entering first grade, the average middle-class child has spent 1,000 to 1,700 hours of reading time with picture books; a low-income child averages just 25 hours.

Food stamps last an average of 2 1/2 weeks.

By age three, middle-class children have a vocabulary of about 1,100 words compared to 525 words for low-income children.

According to the Partnership for America's Economic Success, if 50 first graders enter school with reading problems, 44 of them will still have difficulties reading in the fourth grade.

The 2009/2010 official federal poverty level for a family of four is an annual household income of $22,050. 185% of poverty is $40,792, a level at which people still struggle with hunger.

The Rand Corporation states that 90% of a person's brain growth happens before the age of 3.

More than 130,000 residents in Prince William County do not have health insurance.

Our Impact

Success Stories

Camp Fire Patuxent Area Council: Sam and Nikki’s Story

We had the privilege of having two children at Camp Fire, both adopted with special needs and identified as having serious learning and behavioral problems, participate in our program.