On Saturday, April 11, the YMCA at Virginia Tech and Virginia Tech Recreational Sports invites community members to participate in YMCA Healthy Kids Day, the nation's largest health day for children and families.

YMCA Healthy Kids Day includes fun, engaging and creative activities for children and families and promotes year-long wellness and healthy living. YMCA Healthy Kids Day events are free and open to all.

“As families struggle to balance life’s daily demands and persevere during an economic downturn, it is important that we reach beyond the YMCA to the entire community,” says Sandy Wirt, director of student programs for the YMCA at Virginia Tech. “This is the third year that we have partnered with Virginia Tech’s Recreational Sports department and the community for the annual YMCA Healthy Kids Day event.

Through this event, the YMCA at Virginia Tech, Virginia Tech Recreational Sports as well as our campus and community partners have given our neighbors the opportunity to take their minds off daily stresses, and instead have fun and focus on positive, sustainable, healthy lifestyle changes together, as a family.”

This year, activities will include

  • Autographs and a basketball skills clinic with members from the Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball Team;
  • Dance lessons; and
  • Bicycle class covering bike inspections and helmet fittings, with free children’s bike helmets being offered as available (bring your bicycles and your helmets to the event for fitting and inspection).

YMCA Healthy Kids Day will be celebrated across the country at more than 1,700 YMCAs. Last year, more than 700,000 attendees participated in YMCA Healthy Kids Day events nationwide. This year’s activities vary and may include exercise demonstrations, family fitness activities, health screenings, educational fun projects, nutritious food demonstrations and more.

The YMCA at Virginia Tech’s Healthy Kids Day events will be held in War Memorial Hall on the Virginia Tech Campus between 10 a.m. and 1p.m. on Saturday, April 11, 2009. The event is free, open to the public and aims to make fitness fun, introduce healthy behaviors and ways to play, and offers essential lessons to help kids take care of themselves throughout their lifetimes. This event will take place rain or shine and attendees are encouraged to come dressed to “play.”

Find more information on Healthy Kids Day online.

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