YMCA aims to promote fitness for youths

RED BANK - As a part of a commitment to battling obesity and inactivity in youth, The Community YMCA (CYMCA) is offering area students in fourth and seventh grades a free membership to the Activate America Kids Club to encourage fitness and healthy lifestyle choices.

According to a recent report released by Monmouth County-based Meridian Health System, 36 percent of adults in this market area are overweight and 25.9 percent are obese.

This trend is also having a dramatic effect on children, with 12.1 percent of those ages 6-17 overweight and fewer than four in 10 participating in regular physical activity.

At the local level, The Community YMCA is focusing on the fourth and seventh grades, which are thought to be key years in development.

YMCA Activate America Kids Club memberships are available at the following area schools: Eatontown - Vetter, Meadowbrook, Woodmere Elementary schools and Memorial Middle School; Fair Haven - Sickles Elementary School and Knollwood Middle School; Little Silver - Point Road Elementary School and Markham Place Middle School; Red Bank - Red Bank Primary, Red Bank Middle School, Westside Christian Academy, St. James School, Red Bank Charter School;

Also, Rumson - Deanne Porter Elementary School and Forrestdale Middle School; Shrewsbury - Shrewsbury Borough School; Tinton Falls/Shrewsbury Township - Swimming River School, Mahala Atchison School and Tinton Falls Middle School.

The Activate America Kids Club runs from though June 1, 2008, and includes special invitations to CYMCA teen and family nights, family swim and Activate America events, along with reduced member rates for programs at other Community YMCA locations.

For more information or to sign up, visit the Red Bank Family Health & Fitness Center, 166 Maple Ave., Red Bank, or call (732) 741-2504.