2014 San Antonio Sports Corner Store Go!Kids Challenge™ motivating thousands of kids to drink water & play

SA Sports logo colorRun, walk, jump and play 60 minutes every day!  And drink water! More than 150,000 elementary school students in 241 San Antonio-area schools will participate in a fun program designed to motivate elementary students to be physically active and make water their primary drink of choice. The San Antonio Sports 2014 Corner Store Go!Kids Challengegets underway Jan. 15.  The goal of the six-week program, which takes place Jan. 15 through Feb.26 is to educate children about the importance of routine exercise and proper nutrition and help in the fight against childhood obesity.  This is the 11th anniversary of the program.

SASports_GoKidspicEvery child who participates receives a pledge card (I will play 60 minutes and drink water every day) with a UPC code that allows them to get a free bottle of Fresh Choices Natural Spring Water whenever they visit a participating Corner Store during the duration of the program.  Participants also keep track of their activity on program logs. They are encouraged to be physically active at least 60 minutes a day, six days a week. If 60% of any participating school’s student body completes the program logs, plus if 60% of the student body uses their bar-coded key tag to redeem a minimum of 1 bottle of Fresh Choices Natural Spring Water, then San Antonio Sports will award that campus’ PE department a $100 gift.

We want to encourage kids to have healthy, active lives,” says Russ Bookbinder, President & CEO of San Antonio Sports. “We also know that budgets are tight.  With the Corner Store Go!Kids Challenge, we provide an incentive for kids to make exercise a daily habit and drink more water, as well as providing a donation to help their schools .”

San Antonio Sports’ Corner Store Go!Kids ChallengeÔ  kicks off on Wednesday, Jan. 15 in elementary school physical education classes.

A kickoff press conference was held at Colonial Hills Elementary School on Monday, Jan. 13.  The Robert E. Lee High School drum line, cheer squad and student athletes, along with other special guests including North East ISD Superintendent Brian Gottardy, UTSA Volleyball Coach Laura Groff, and UTSA volleyball player Dempsey Thornton were part of the kickoff, along with 750 students.  Students performed a special “Shake It!” fitness dance.

“San Antonio Sports’ mission is to transform our community through sports,” says Bookbinder. “Having the Corner Store Go!Kids Challenge available to schools allows us to reach children, their parents, teachers, school administrators and community leaders and have them join us in the fight against childhood obesity.  We all know starting good habits early in life is the key to healthy adults.”

The San Antonio Sports 2014 Corner Store Go!Kids Challenge is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Enterprise Holdings Foundation, Frost, Fox29 San Antonio, Servant’s Heart Foundation, Mix96.1, Gold’s Gym and The Mirza Trust of San Antonio.  It is endorsed by the Mayor’s Fitness Council.

For more information about the Corner Store Go!Kids ChallengeÔ or San Antonio Sports, contact Carolyn Wheat at 210-820-2119 or cwheat@sanantoniosports.org.

About San Antonio Sports
San Antonio Sports is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to transform our community through the power of sport.  San Antonio Sports bids on and hosts premier sporting events such as NCAA® championships, which have generated a local economic impact of more than $426 million.  San Antonio Sports kids programs, including our i play! afterschool program, the Community Olympic Development Program, Corner Store Go!Kids Challenge™ and Kids Rock marathon training program, annually touch the lives of more than 150,000 children in San Antonio through sports training and fitness programs.  Additionally, San Antonio Sports serves as a catalyst for the development of quality recreational and athletic facilities in our community.  To learn more, visit SanAntonioSports.org