Camp Get FIT helping underserved children get healthy during the summer months
Summer was a busy time for our Nutrition & Health Education department as their Get FIT program hosted three summer camps in South Texas. Camp Get FIT, a free summer program, made its way to Sabinal and Bracketville in June, and finished up the summer in Cotulla.
The Get FIT (Families in Training) program is a preventive program aimed at averting type II diabetes, obesity and sedentary lifestyles. Camp Get FIT began in the summer of 2006 after school nurses identified that children tended to gain more weight in the summer than they do during the school year.
Children, ages 5 to 12, participate in swimming, dancing, team sports, field trips, arts and crafts, and nutrition lessons during the course of the four-week program. As a community-wide initiative, Get FIT partners with area school districts to implement a nutritious summer food program so campers eat from a healthy menu of items.
Because health is a family concern, as part of the Camp Get FIT criteria, parents are required to attend classes one evening per week during the Camp Get FIT term.
This year marked the Camp’s first time in Cotulla, Texas. Camp Get FIT returned to Sabinal for its second consecutive year, and to Bracketville for its fourth and final year.
With all three Camp sessions combined, over 300 campers participated in Camp Get FIT this past summer. Further, Camp Get FIT had such a positive impact on the Cotulla community that the food service department is contemplating adopting the Get FIT menu.
