FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
5,000 Students Run For Something Better At ING Miami Marathon®
Middle School students throughout the Dade County School system have begun
training in the 2011 ING Run For Something Better® program, which will
conclude Sunday January 30 with more than 5000 kids participating in a 1.2
mile-run as part of ING Miami Marathon and Half-Marathon® festivities.
The ING Run For Something Better® is aligning with First Lady Michelle
Obama's Let's Move! Campaign, which hopes to solve the challenge of
childhood obesity within a generation so that children born today will
reach adulthood at a healthy weight. That initiative involves diet and
exercise such as training for the ING Run For Something Better. The local
initiative, called Let's Move Miami, runs though February 22.
"We are tying the two programs together because we are trying to get all
students and staff -- students for 60 minutes a day, adults for 30 minutes
a day -- to become healthier through physical activity as a lifestyle,"
said Dr. Jayne Greenberg, Executive Director for Physical Education and
Health Literacy for Dade County Schools. "There is a natural synergy
between the two programs. The students have to be physically active to
train for ING Run For Something Better.
"The program began as a goal-setting program. It not only teaches you about
being physically active but how to set a goal, work hard toward your goal
and to achieve your goal. If you can set a goal to be physically active
every day, you can take that same goal-setting and apply it to everything
that you do. We are trying to apply it to teachers, administrators,
custodians, and kitchen staffs. We want everybody in Miami-Dade Schools to
be healthy."
The ING Run For Something Better® began in 2003 with a few hundred Dade
County middle school students and has grown every year. That swarm of
youngsters, clad in orange ING Run For Something Better® shirts and orange
shoe laces, will gather at the steps of the Dade County courthouse at 11
a.m. on January 30 and will run their own 1.2 mile race down Flagler Street
after the completion of the big race. They will finish in the Half-Marathon
finish chute alongside marathon finishers nearing the conclusion of the big
race.
"We're pleased that ING Run For Something Better® has touched the lives of
so many youth in Miami-Dade County schools," said Rhonda Mims, president of
the ING Foundation and senior vice president, ING's Office of Corporate
Responsibility and Multicultural Affairs. "It's encouraging to see so many
students on the road to adopting healthier lifestyles as ING continues its
mission to combat child obesity."
"With so many physical education and sports programs having been scaled
back due to budget cuts and with the First Lady out in front on the child
obesity issue, the ING Run For Something Better® program becomes an
important initiative to develop an appreciation for physical activity
through running among middle school age students," said Dave Scott, General
Manager of US Road Sports & Entertainment of Florida and Race Director of
the ING Miami Marathon. "Each passing year this program has grown and these
youngsters will be joining the ranks of a growing health and fitness
generation. I honestly believe that kids love to run."
The kids in the ING Run For Something Better® are in the midst of a 15-week
training program at their respective schools, running a minimum of 25 miles
over that period of time. The 1.2 mile finale is a celebration run of their
participation in the program, and the participating kids will receive
orange shoe laces, a t-shirt, a medal and a post-race snack upon completion
of their final mile. While there are 5,000 kids running the final mile on
race day, 11,000 students are participating in the ING Run For Something
Better® program.
The schools participating in the ING Run For Something Better® program are
Ada Merritt K-8 Center, Allapattah Middle School, Ammons Middle School,
Avocado Elementary School, Bob Graham Education Center, Bowman Foster Ashe
Elementary School, Campbell Drive Middle School, Carol City Middle School,
Charter School at Waterstone, Citrus Grove Middle School, Cutler Ridge
Middle School, Devon Aire K-8 Center, Doral Academy Charter School, Emerson
Elementary School, Fienberg Fisher K-8 Center, Henry H. Filer Middle
School, Hialeah Gardens Middle School, Highland Oaks Middle School, Howard
D. McMillan Middle School, Jorge Mas Canosa Middle School, Kenwood K-8
Center, Key Biscayne K-8 Center, Lake Stevens Middle School, Miami Edison
Middle School, Miami Lakes K-8 Center, Palm Springs Middle School,
Pinecrest Academy Charter School, Redland Middle School, Richmond
Elementary School, Richmond Heights Middle School, Riviera Middle School,
Rockway Middle School, Somerset Academy Charter School, South Dade Middle
School, Sunset Park Elementary School, Tropical Elementary School, Winston
Park K-8 Center, and Vineland K-8 Center.
About US Road Sports
US Road Sports & Entertainment Group is a health and wellness company
dedicated to the production of world-class endurance events. The mission
of US Road Sports is to offer an unparalleled participant sports experience
that showcases host communities and endures as a deeply valued local asset
through events that are a part of the city's culture, identity and brand.
For each participant, US Road Sports strives to offer events that allow
participants of all skill levels the opportunity to improve their physical
and mental health and accomplish life-altering goals while having fun. US
Road Sports provides sponsors and municipalities highly effective exposure
to help maximize their presence and message in the community.
About ING
ING is a global financial institution of Dutch origin offering banking,
investments, life insurance and retirement services to over 85 million
private, corporate and institutional clients in over 40 countries. With a
diverse workforce of more than 107,000 people, ING is dedicated to setting
the standard in helping our clients manage their financial future.
In the U.S., the ING (NYSE: ING) family of companies offers a comprehensive
array of financial services to retail and institutional clients, which
includes life insurance, retirement plans, mutual funds, managed accounts,
alternative investments, direct banking, institutional investment
management, annuities, employee benefits and financial planning. ING holds
top-tier rankings in key U.S. markets and serves approximately 30 million
customers across the nation.
ING's diversity management philosophy and commitment to workplace
diversity, diversity marketing, corporate citizenship and supplier
diversity fosters an inclusive environment for employees that supports a
distinctive product and service experience for the financial services
consumer. For more information, visit ing.us.
About INGRun For Something Better®
ING Run For Something Better® helps fund school-based running programs in
an effort to combat childhood obesity before it ever begins. Linked to
ING's commitment to education, the program helps introduce kids to the
benefits of sport, a habit of physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle.
Nationally, ING has committed over $2.5 million to fund grants and
school-based running programs through ING Run For Something Better®. Since
2006, $1 million has also been raised by individual donors through a
special charitable fund that encourages others to support the cause through
their own contributions. When someone donates $10 or more to ING Run For
Something Better®, ING will recognize their contribution by giving them a
special pair of orange shoelaces to wear showing that they are "tied" to
supporting kids' fitness. One hundred percent of the net proceeds go to the
ING Run For Something Better fitness programs. For more information about
the orange laces, go to www.orangelaces.com.
About the ING Foundation
The ING Foundation's mission is to improve the quality of life in
communities where ING operates and its employees and customers live.
Through charitable giving and employee volunteerism, the foundation focuses
on programs in the areas of financial literacy, children's education,
diversity and environmental sustainability. For more information, visit
ing-usafoundation.com.
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