Running America
View Larger Map | For Elite adventurer, Charlie Engle, every day brings a new challenge. He has run through some of the most forbidding terrain on the planet and has learned many lessons about life along the way. With a lot of determination and the ability to endure hardships in every way, Charlie has moved from a life of drugs and alcohol to a life of understanding and learning to live with himself. After many years of sobriety, he has become a top athlete, spokesperson and philanthropist. United Way is teaming up with Charlie and Running America to raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity and to raise funds to support the recently announced United Way goals to address the issue. Our goal is to inspire more people to get involved in their communities and become part of the change: give, advocate, volunteer. Beginning on September 13, 2008, in San Francisco CA and ending on or before October 27, 2008 in New York NY, “Running America” is an idea sparked by Charlie’s recent run across the Sahara Desert to help Africa, and his desire to America and draw attention to childhood obesity and youth fitness. This time the task will be to finish the run in 45 days to break the world record. |
United Way is working to advance the common good by focusing on education, income and health. Under the umbrella of health, one of United Way’s ten-year goals is to increase by a half the number of youth who are healthy and avoiding risky behavior. This means by 2018, 2.9 million more youth would be healthy and avoiding risky behavior. One of the indicators of this broad goal is the percentage of students who are overweight.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, obesity among children has nearly doubled in the last decade. Alarmingly, more than 9 million children in the United States are either obese or overweight and studies show today’s children are not getting the necessary exercise and activity for effective weight management and good health.
A growing number of United Ways across the country are making great progress around the issues of childhood obesity and youth fitness with programs that help youth make positive nutritional and behavioral choices.