President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama joined the NFL and players from the Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens and Miami Dolphins in helping kids learn the value of good health as part of the annual White House Easter Egg Roll, held Monday.
This year's Egg Roll was themed "Ready, Set, Go!" promoting health and wellness. All activities, including youth football clinics led by the NFL and NFL players, encouraged children in attendance to lead healthy and active lives as part of the First Lady's Let's Move! initiative, a national campaign to combat childhood obesity.
Players including the Redskins' Derrick Dockery, Chris Horton and Casey Rabach, the Ravens' Sam Koch and Matt Lawrence and Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington took part in today's event, held on the South Lawn of the White House. The players led children through football drills and spoke with them about the importance of being active for 60 minutes a day. The day's events also included live music, cooking stations, storytelling and Easter egg rolling.
The NFL, through its award-winning NFL PLAY 60 campaign, is a strong partner with the White House in addressing childhood obesity. In November, President Obama filmed a PSA at the White House with several NFL players promoting PLAY 60 and the White House's "United We Serve" campaign. The PSA ran during NFL telecasts on Thanksgiving weekend in airtime donated by the NFL.
Designed to tackle childhood obesity, NFL PLAY 60 brings together the NFL's long-standing commitment to health and fitness with partner organizations. Since the program was launched in 2007, the NFL has committed $200 million to youth health and fitness through programming, grants, and media time for PSAs.
All 32 NFL clubs implement NFL PLAY 60 programs in their local markets through school and community-based initiatives. The NFL partners with organizations such as American Heart Association, National Dairy Council, and The Cooper Institute on programs that give teachers and parents guidance and students the opportunity to be active for at least 60 minutes a day. Among the many Play 60 programs are "Fuel Up to Play 60," an in-school nutrition and fitness program in partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture and the National Dairy Council, the "Play 60 Challenge," implemented in partnership with the American Heart Association and NFL Network's "Keep Gym in School," a national initiative designed to boost fitness and physical education in middle schools.
For more information, visit NFLRUSH.com or www.whitehouse.gov/easterEggRoll.
