News - News releases
March 23, 2009
Pittsburgh teens raise money to enhance community outdoor recreation through Ultimate Frisbee® tournament
HERSHEY, Pa. – On Saturday, April 25, teens from throughout the Pittsburgh region will gather at Allegheny Commons, Richie McCabe Field for the Ultimate challenge - an Ultimate Frisbee® tournament that will raise money to improve outdoor recreation opportunities for youth and families.
Made possible with support from Highmark Healthy High 5, an initiative of the Highmark Foundation, the Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion (Center) is hosting the tournament which is open to all teens age 13 - 19. No experience is necessary. Sneakers or cleats are the only items needed to play; the Pittsburgh High School Ultimate League will be on-site to teach the basics and run the tournament.
Individual players and teams of 8 to 15 players are invited to participate - teens not registering with a team will be placed on a team with other single registrants. The cost is $10 per person or $100 per team.
"April 24 - 26 is Global Youth Service Day," remarked Rebecca Stametz, campaign coordinator with the Center. “What better way to get teens involved in giving back, than to rally their participation in a fun-filled and active community service project. " The goal of the tournament is to raise $2,500 and rally 250 Pittsburgh-area teens to participate. Venture Outdoors, a local non-profit organization seeking to increase the Pittsburgh region's participation in outdoor recreational activity, will receive the money raised by the tournament.
nrg Powered by Pittsburgh is an initiative of the Center's nrg Powered by Choice teen campaign. The campaign, sponsored by Highmark Healthy High 5, encourages teens to get involved with efforts to prevent childhood obesity by playing an integral role in changing environments where youth spend time to provide healthier eating and physical activity opportunities. Ultimate Frisbee® is the campaign's signature fundraising format; this spring more than 300 Pennsylvania schools will host tournaments to raise money for healthy improvements in their school buildings.
"Through the Highmark Healthy High 5 initiative, we have made a commitment to improving nutrition and physical activity for today's youth" said Yvonne Cook, president of the Highmark Foundation. "By partnering with the Center to host the nrg Powered by Pittsburgh tournament, we are encouraging youth to try up-and-coming activities like Ultimate Frisbee® while raising funds to help their peers, younger siblings and families to take advantage of these and other outdoor activities as well."
To register for the tournament as a team or an individual, visit www.poweredbychoice.org and click on nrg Powered by Pittsburgh.
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Highmark Healthy High 5 is a five-year, $100 million children's health promotion initiative
of the Highmark Foundation. The mission of the initiative is to improve the health of
children and adolescents ages 6-18 by providing them with the tools and practices
needed to make informed decisions about living healthier lives. Highmark Healthy High
5 addresses five critical children's health promotion issues - nutrition, physical activity,
self-esteem, grieving, and bullying prevention - by raising awareness, changing
behavior through grants and programs, and providing resources to parents, schools
and communities served by the Highmark Foundation. For more information, visit
www.highmarkhealthyhigh5.org or call 800-789-1726.
Penn State Hershey Center for Nutrition and Activity Promotion works collectively with state and national partners to conduct research and evaluate promising obesity prevention practices. Since 2003, this important work has been translated into programs and events implemented by the state network Pennsylvania Advocates for Nutrition and Activity (PANA). For more information about the Center and its programs, please visit www.nrgbalance.org.
“The stellar interaction between the Center and administrators at six PA public schools led to a very successful week-long health ride. I enjoyed working with the Center and would highly recommend them as partners in any future projects.”
