The article is part of our series of blog posts featuring each of the individuals and/or organizations selected for the National AfterSchool Association’s Most Influential in Health and Wellness for afterschool. The Walking Classroom proudly sponsored the competition because of our strong belief in the value of afterschool programs and the importance of promoting healthier lifestyles for all kids.

Selections were made by NAA based on strong advocacy for and support of health and wellness in afterschool. Those selected represent individuals and organizations whose service, action, and leadership align with and support the NAA Healthy Eating and Physical Activity (HEPA) Standards and affect large numbers of youth, families, or afterschool professionals.

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Our next honoree is:

Alliance for a Healthier Generation

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation works to empower kids to develop lifelong healthy habits by ensuring the environments that surround them provide and promote good health. Over the next five years, the Alliance will continue to focus, first and foremost, on the prevention of childhood obesity. They have already made tremendous progress toward this goal. In 2016, they achieved the following.

• Their Healthy Schools Program reached more than 18 million students, primarily from low-income populations, through its work to improve and sustain physical education, health education, child nutrition and staff wellness policies and programs in 31,000 schools.
• Through Voices for Healthy Kids, a national public policy advocacy initiative of the American Heart Association and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, they spearheaded a consortium of national stakeholders focused on supporting state, local and tribal policy efforts to improve the food and physical activity environment in schools.
• National partnerships with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America and the National Recreation and Park Association helped them increase physical activity programming and healthy eating practices for nearly 300,000 young people during out-of-school time.

Read about the Alliance for a Healthier Generation’s greatest achievements and their health and wellness future goals on the NAA website