Good food, good times, good health

The message from 10-year-old Chantel Ossanna of Belleville was refreshing mostly because of the source.

For the past several years, people have been inundated with warnings from doctors, health units, and all corners of the health field about the benefits of eating right and becoming more physically active.

Children, with startling findings that more and more of our youngsters are obese, have been targeted for health education in ways never before seen.

"I know if I do that," said Chantel, referring to the good advice of eating properly and getting off the couch, "I'll live a long and healthy life."

A student at St. Michael's Catholic School, Chantel was one of 60 youngsters from Grades 5 to 8 who took part in an innovative "SuperKids Saturday" at Albert College. The event was the brainchild of Karen Kehler, who is employed at Albert.

The kids who signed up, by all accounts, had a ball and got to nibble their way around the place while learning about activities that are fun and beneficial to their health.

Loyalist College's fitness and health promotion students helped set up and run 15 activity stations and the event was funded through a special grant from General Mills Canada Corp.

Kehler wasn't required to organize this event, but felt compelled to do it in an effort to contribute to the overall health and well-being of kids. It's a noble gesture and a commitment that deserves the gratitude of a community that, too, is worried about the shape of our kids.

Kehler said she started SuperKids to empower children to be fit and strong. When General Mills heard about Kehler's work the multinational food giant provided a grant of about $5,000 to Albert College so Kehler could plan Saturday's event, provide each participant with information to take home with them, and to update the SuperKids website she has developed over the past two years - www.superkidsinternational.com.

There needs to be more commitment to the cause of health and fitness as a means of lessening the burden on ourselves and our health care system, particularly among our young, and Kehler's approach is just what the doctor ordered.

One such event each year by a committed individual like Kehler is helpful, but it isn't enough to stem the tide of a culture that offers too many chances for poor eating habits and every opportunity for children to take up a pastime behind the control of a video game console or computer keyboard, rather than one on the playing field or in a gym.