By Staff Reports
(Honolulu) — June 9, 2015 — More than 3,600 students, families and school staff at 16 schools in Hawaii recently participated in the semiannual Fire Up Your Feet Spring Activity Challenge. Using the Fire Up Your Feet online activity tracker, parents, students and school staff at participating schools logged more than 110,300 minutes and 4,257 miles of physical activity — walking, biking, jogging, surfing and more — over the course of one month.
Kaiser Permanente awarded a combined total of $6,000 to 11 active schools on Oahu, Maui and the Big Island for placing within the top three schools nationwide in several categories, including overall participation, highest weekly activity tracking numbers, and most bike activity.
Kaelepulu Elementary in Kailua again took top honors in the Hawaii region, receiving $1,150 to support physical activity and wellness programs at the school. The following 10 schools also received awards for their participation in the spring challenge:
- Laupahoehoe Community Public Charter School, Hawaii $1,000
- Paia Elementary School, Maui $1,000
- Kainalu Elementary School, Oahu $750
- Kaunakakai Elementary School, Maui $600
- Mountain View Elementary School, Hawaii $600
- Haiku Elementary School, Maui $200
- Kapunahala Elementary School, Oahu $200
- Kualapuu Elementary Public School, Maui $200
- Kula Elementary School, Maui $200
- Maunaloa Elementary School, Maui $100
“Fire Up Your Feet makes physical activity fun, uniting school communities around the shared goal of active living while allowing them to win awards,” said Mary Ann Barnes, RN, president of Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. “We are proud to support wellness in our community and encourage keiki to embrace healthy living at a young age.”
Fire Up Your Feet is a national, ongoing program launched in 2013 as part of Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools campaign. Any K–8 public, private or charter school in Hawaii is welcome to participate in activity challenges held in the spring and fall school semesters.
Through the Fire Up Your Feet program, Kaiser Permanente and Safe Routes to School have awarded more than $26,000 to participating schools in Hawaii and $290,000 nationwide. To learn more about Fire Up Your Feet or to sign up for the fall challenge, taking place Oct. 1–31, visit fireupyourfeet.org.
About Fire Up Your Feet
Fire Up Your Feet is a core program of Safe Routes to School National Partnership, available to any elementary or middle school (grades K-8) nationally. Made possible through funding from the Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Fund at the East Bay Community Foundation, the program offers free resources including an online activity tracker, and a school fundraising organizer, all aimed at increasing physical activity before, during and after school for students, parents, staff and teachers. The National PTA is actively partnering to encourage family engagement to support both child and family health.
The Safe Routes to School National Partnership was founded in 2005 and works to advance safe walking and bicycling to and from school and in daily life, to improve the health and well-being of America’s children and to foster the creation of livable, sustainable communities.
About Kaiser Permanente Hawaii
Kaiser Permanente Hawaii has provided total health to the people of Hawaii for more than 50 years, with physicians who are members of the Hawaii Permanente Medical Group, the largest multi-specialty physician group practice in the state of Hawaii. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. Visit kp.org for additional information. Become a fan of good health with Kaiser Permanente Hawaii: Like our page at Facebook.com/KPHawaii and follow @KPHawaii on Twitter.