The New Balance Foundation announced that they are joining The First
Lady, Michelle Obama in her efforts to end childhood obesity.
“We are proud to join forces with the First Lady and the White House on
our shared commitment to getting more kids active and embracing
healthier lifestyles,” says Anne Davis, managing trustee of the New
Balance Foundation. “As a corporate foundation we have stood behind the
prevention of childhood obesity for the last decade and we recognize
that a strong collaborative effort between government, non-profit and
private sectors can truly make a difference in addressing this serious
epidemic. We look forward to working closely with The First Lady to
achieve her national goal of solving the childhood obesity challenge
within a generation.”
The New Balance Foundation’s primary objective is to promote healthy
lifestyles for children and families with the majority of its grant
funding focused on the prevention of childhood obesity. The Foundation
recognizes that childhood obesity is a growing epidemic with the
percentage of children who are obese doubling and the percentage of
obese adults tripling in the past 30 years. Today, nearly one third of
all children in America are obese or overweight. The New Balance
Foundation seeks to address this epidemic using a holistic approach
that involves children and those who impact children – including
caregivers, educators, medical professionals, after-school providers
and the community as a whole.
“The First Lady is committed to ending childhood obesity over the next
18 years and we are equally committed to working with her team to
increase support for existing programs and collaborate to develop new
and creative ideas that achieve her goal,” says Davis.
In 2009, The New Balance Foundation granted more than $6 million to combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles.
