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1. Identified Needs
In the Newport Mesa Unified School District (NMUSD) are a large number of low income families whose children do not have the opportunity to learn about the life-long benefits of proper physical exercise. It is exactly this group of society that is prone, as a result of ingestion of unhealthy food to develop early childhood/adolescence obesity with the potential to develop Type II diabetes. The Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa (RCNB) is poised to help motivate healthy behavior.
While some of us think nothing of paying the entrance fee to participate in track meets and races, this entrance fee can be a prohibitive for some of the low income families. RCNB supports the events and these kids, hence the name "Run for your Life".
2. How is Project Meeting the Needs?
We are taking a multi-pronged approach in "Run for Your Life"
A. Assure Training Classes to Further Healthy Lifestyle and Family
This project is aimed at providing classes and proper training for kids who would otherwise not be able to afford these types of classes. RCNB club members, staffed by local volunteers, are organizing classes to train underprivileged students for the racing events and exposing them to high school and college athletes who are role models. We invite their families to cheer them on or to participate with them in a family walk for free or highly discounted rate. This exposes the whole family to the benefits of fitness and another community.
B. Assure the Continued Existence of Events That Allow These Kids to Work Toward Goals.
Our club already supports and participates in the Frank Anderson Memorial Elementary Track & Field meet and the Spirit Run race . The Frank E Anderson track meet, co-sponsored by the City of Newport Beach and RCNB for the past 20+ years, is one of the few meets open to elementarily school kids and county wide that allows these kids to be exposed to both track and field sporting activities . Without our financial support and our active "on-ground" participation in running these field events this meet would wither away.
Our club also supports The Spirit Run. Under the management of Ms. Diane Daruty, a RCNB club member, Newport-Mesa Spirit Run, Inc. (NMSR) and the Spirit Run event have been raising money for our local schools for the past 30 years. NMSR has reached out to all schools within NMUSD. In 2013, Spirit Run has donated well over $50,000 to local schools that have supported their students to participate in the two events.
C. Assure No Financial Barriers Exist For Any Kid to Participate In These Events.
Some of the students cannot participate in the Anderson Track & Field and Spirit Run events due to financial limitations, effectively excluded them from furthering health, physical and emotional development RCNB provides scholarships to allow underprivileged students in NMUSD to participate in these two events, effectively furthering their health, physical and emotional developments.
Run for Your Life fulfills the needs as set forth by Rotary International as follows:
• Sustainability and Education - Teaching children at an early age to participate and compete in sport events will result in the child's desire to remain active in sports throughout the child's life.
• Health - Sedentary lifestyle coupled with the ingestion of unhealthy food can lead to early childhood/adolescence obesity; potentially to development of Type II Diabetes. Studies have shown that proclivity to obesity and diabetes is higher among underprivileged youth.
• Community - Students that are participating in events outside of school develop a better sense of communities and develop a better self-confidence particularly when being around high school and college role models.
3. Use of Funds
With the requested grant of $5,000, the funds totaling $10,000 will be used to
a. Provide needs-based scholarships used to:
(i) Cover the registration fees for approx. 100 students to participate in the two events, and
(ii) Transport the kids to the event;
b. Help defray the overall costs of the Frank E. Anderson track meet which RCNB co-sponsors with the city of Newport Beach
Needs tests for the Rotary scholarships have been established by the principals of the participating schools in low-income areas. Currently, over 300 underprivileged students have been identified.
4. Rotary Participation
In the past (and we fully expect for the future) over half of our active members have active roles in organizing the classes and making these 2 events happen. These events require a variety of jobs to be worked. This allows an opportunity for our members of varying physical abilities to be able to participate. In addition to organizing these events, our members have run field events, worked the registration booths, handed out awards to the winners, staffed information booths, directed traffic and many other tasks that are vitally important to a successful event.
5. Timeline for the Project
• Recruiting volunteers for leading classes starts now.
• Classes and training during the school year leading up to the events
• The Spirit Run Event - Early March 2015.
• Frank E Anderson Track & Field meet - April 2015
Addendum to Project Description (added after the project was signed)
Clarification and correction to use of funds:
Transportation budget is $2000
Scholarship budget for kids participating in Spirit Run is $4800
Scholarship budget to Frank E Anderson track meet is $3200
This will support approximately 300 kids at each event.
Bus drivers are school district employees (and school district buses)
Volunteers teaching the classes are trained and approved by the school district
Newport Balboa Rotary Club provides the opportunity for Youth Protection Training about 4 times a year. We require members that have contact with kids to take the training.
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