PHIT America said Julia Love Pritt Private Foundation has become its first Presenting Sponsor who will help further achieve its goal of getting millions of more kids physically active and playing sports.
The Seattle-based foundation has pledged funds to help PHIT America get children physically active and learning more in school. The multi-million dollar level of funding will support students’ participation in (1) a before-school physical activity program called AMPED and (2) locally organized team sports leagues, by providing financial support from The PASS.
In the next three years, funds from the Julia Love Pritt Private Foundation will subsidize the AMPED program and The PASS, directly impacting the lives of at least 100,000 students, primarily in the Pacific Northwest.
AMPED jumpstarts the bodies and minds of young students so they start the school day ready and prepared to learn. The PASS is a program for kids who want to play local sports, but need financial assistance. Families apply for The PASS ‘online’ in order to pay for their child’s entry into a local sports program.
“We see too many kids who are sedentary or can’t afford to play sports,” said Darren Pritt, Chairman, Julia Love Pritt Private Foundation. “What PHIT America is doing with the AMPED and The PASS programs is exactly what the children in the Pacific Northwest need right now. We are delighted to extend a helping hand to support PHIT America in its mission to reverse physical inactivity in the U.S.”
“We applaud the ‘big-picture’ vision of the Julia Love Pritt Private Foundation. The AMPED program is a winner. To date, 124 schools from 32 states representing more than 63,000 kids have benefited from this great morning running program,” said PHIT America Founder Jim Baugh. “And, after years of realizing the potential of the PHIT Act, but frustrated that Congress was not acting quickly enough, we said, ‘Let’s find another way to help kids who want to play a sport.’ Working with John Ballantine at KIDS in the GAME, we launched The PASS program. The PASS will be a boon to the sports industry because we will create new sports participants. The PASS has been tested and is successful. Roughly 13,000 kids have already benefitted from The PASS. We hope many companies help by supporting The PASS and the AMPED programs.”
The implementation of AMPED and The PASS is an extension of the PHIT America GO! Grants program which has provided grants to 730 U.S. elementary school P.E. programs, which have impacted more than 400,000 students since 2015.
In addition to the support from the Julia Love Pritt Private Foundation, PHIT America is looking for more corporate partners and foundations to support/fund physical activity programs in the Pacific Northwest or in other parts of the U.S. Interested parties can contact Jim Baugh — Jim@PHITAmerica.org.
Founded in January 2013, PHIT America is a non-profit campaign focused on overcoming the severe ramifications of the ‘Inactivity Pandemic’ through three strategic approaches – education, supporting school-based activity programs, and advocating – which will get Americans, especially our youth, more active, fit and healthy.
