Health and nutrition advocate and supporter of AHA's Start! movement Jared Fogle shared his personal story of overcoming childhood obesity with the youth advocates and discussed the importance of physical activity and healthy eating at the Public Service Awards reception. Start! is the AHA's movement to get Americans more physically active.
During You're the Cure on the Hill, advocates asked lawmakers to significantly boost funding for heart disease and stroke research and prevention and cosponsor the Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act. Specific asks included:
* Co-sponsor the Fitness Integrated with Teaching (FIT) Kids Act - federal legislation that would amend No Child Left Behind to make quality physical education a priority in schools.
* Appropriate $31 billion for the National Institutes of Health for fiscal year '09.
* Appropriate $70 million for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Program and $25 million for WISEWOMAN for fiscal year '09 so more states can implement these life-saving programs.
The association also recognized public officials and volunteers for
their efforts in the fight against heart disease and stroke. This year's
Public Service Award honorees include Representatives Nicholas Lampson
(D-TX) and Randy Kuhl (R-NY) for offering nutrition provisions to the Farm
Bill and introducing CPR and AED Awareness Week legislation respectively.
Congressional staffers Ben Klein, Legislative Director to Senator Byron
Dorgan (D-ND) and Amy Fisher, Health Legislative Assistan
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