Leigh Ellen Brummerhoff
22 March 2006

Annapolis, MD – [March 22, 2006] – The Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. is partnering with Anne Arundel Medical Center to provide local students with an education forum focusing on childhood obesity and nutrition on Friday, April 28, 2006 at Marley Elementary School, in Glen Burnie.

With a goal to reverse the growth of childhood obesity and its associated health issues, the Junior League of Annapolis, Inc. will join more than 225 Junior Leagues across four countries to participate in the Kids in the Kitchen program. Kids in the Kitchen will provide fourth and fifth grade students with the opportunity to enrich their lives and palates with recipes, tips and activities from Junior League members. “We’re planning an educational and fun event to teach kids to make smart choices that promotes healthy eating and snacking and the role the Junior League can play in bringing to focus a critically important issue of childhood obesity,” Meg Samek-Smith, President Elect of the Annapolis Junior League, said. “We hope the day will not only teach children how to recognize but to choose healthy food, and to identify ways to maintain a healthy lifestyle long into the future.”  During the event, students will be will be taken though an exercise using the Food Pyramid as well as activities on label reading and preparing healthy snacks. There will also be a short fitness segment with tips on how to how to build exercise into everyday routines.

Among the many aspects of this grassroots campaign, the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), the umbrella organization of the Junior Leagues, will launch a virtual recipe collection featuring kid-friendly, nutritious recipes that are grouped into five categories: breakfast, lunchbox, dinner, snacks, and party treats. The website will also feature tips and recipes of the day, as well as quizzes and polls to test kids on their nutrition knowledge. The virtual recipe collection, available mid-March, will be accessible at http://kidsinthekitchen.ajli.org.

“Since 1981, the Junior League of Annapolis has been training volunteers to execute large and small scale community service projects in Anne Arundel County, Samek-Smith said. “Our vision is to be the leader in making our community a place where all children can reach their full potential. The Junior Leagues’ Kids in the Kitchen initiative reflects just how deep the Junior League’s commitment is to use volunteer leadership skills to improve the lives of the people in our local community.”

For more information on the Junior League of Annapolis and the upcoming 2006-2007 year, please contact the JLA office directly at 410.224.8984.