Dear Ask America Supporters,

     On behalf of Richard Simmons and the Ask America Project, may you and yours, have a happy, healthy and hopeful Holiday Season.
    
     And....speaking of Holiday Cheer..... as 2009 winds to a close, we DO have some very hopeful news to share!

     As of today....the FIT Kids Bill, thanks in great part to all of you, has a total of 104 Co-sponsors in the House of Representatives!  Congressman Kind's office tells us that:  "Over a 100 co-sponsors is a big milestone and something we are really excited about."

     Because of the pending reauthorization of No Child Left Behind, to be addressed in 2010, FIT Kids may have the best "fit" and the best chance this coming year, within the context of Education Guidelines reform.

     BRAVO! Everyone, we should all be very proud!  Look for more information on FIT Kids 2010 at the start of the new year when Richard takes to the major media airways once again.

     With CHILDHOOD OBESITY unfortunately still very much on the rise, and an issue of particularly great concern to Richard and the nation's leaders, we have a keen interest in helping pass a brand new HOUSE RESOLUTION sponsored by Representatives Marcia Fudge (D-OH) and Kay Granger (R-TX).  The RESOLUTION calls for SEPTEMBER 2010 to be officially designated as "Childhood Obesity Awareness Month".

     Rep Fudge's office tells us that:  "We currently have more than 30 national organizations as supporters of the resolution."

      We are very proud to say that Ask America is among the list of original supporters of the Resolution, however.....like FIT Kids, other Representatives....your Representatives, need to hear that from ALL OF US.  We need to send the message loud and clear that we want to see more done to combat this growing epidemic., and that we support this resolution.

     As you have done so incredibly and loyally with FIT Kids for three years, would you please take a moment to remind your Representative that all of us with Ask America, stand behind this important Resolution too?  And as always.....thank you.  We have the ability to make change happen if we simply make the effort.

     Please COPY and PASTE the following statement, or create your own, and click on the provided link to contact your Representative.  Again...THANK YOU!  (We will keep you informed as to the status of the RESOLUTION.)

Dear Representative,
     I join with fitness expert Richard Simmons, and Representatives Marcia Fudge and Kay Granger in respectfully asking you to support the House of Representatives Resolution designating SEPTEMBER 2010 as "Childhood Obesity Awareness Month".  Thank you.

Click link to write your Congressperson: https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml


     These letters are so vital and so helpful.  Thank you again.

    Often, we are asked "How can I do more, besides writing letters, to help with Fit Kids and the growing crisis of childhood obesity and inactivity?"

     You can do "Richard's work" right in your own community!

     Recently, we received an e-mail from the Virginia Lake Elementary School in Palatine, Illinois:
Dear Mr. Simmons, I am part of a group of parents in the northwest suburbs of Chicago that is fighting for adequate daily physical activity in our schools. We are one of the largest school districts in suburban Cook County. Our school district (Palatine CCSD #15) has had a P.E. exemption waiver for the last ten years. While our district has continuously applied for these P.E. waivers, our school has also just cut our recess time in half to only 20 minutes per day. The children now have to sit and quietly do reading/other work for the other 20 minutes, not with their teachers, but with program assistants checking in on them. We also only receive P.E. class twice/week for 30 minutes. We refuse to sit on the sidelines while our school leadership contributes to the epidemic of childhood obesity by cutting our daily physical activity. We support the FIT Kids Act and are reaching out to our U.S. District Representative Melissa Bean to urge her to vote in favor of this bill. Would you kindly lend your support to our cause as well and allow us to add your name to our petition asking our district school board to reinstate our recess policy? We will continue to fight to bring daily P.E. to our district schools and more awareness to the epidemic of childhood obesity. Physical fitness and proper nutrition has to be both taught and modeled to our children from a very young age to make it a lifelong habit. Thank you for all your hard work! Sincerely

Well....Richard, and our Washington contacts were so impressed by the dedication and determination of these parents, led by GINA K. that, not only did we sign the petition, RICHARD did a video clip for the school board meeting:

Video 6
Video Length 1:38
Click here to watch


AND, the National response was significant, hopefully significant enough to supply some "gentle pressure"!  Thank you again Gina!