Nationwide, 32 local schools win NFL PLAY 60 grants for physical activity

The American Heart Association and the National Football League provide $1,000 financial grants to support movement during the school day

2024-04-25

(Press-News.org) DALLAS, April 25, 2024 — One school in each of the 32 National Football League (NFL) team hometowns has won a $1,000 grant for physical activity equipment as a part of the American Heart Association and the NFL’s NFL PLAY 60 Fitness Tracking Competition. The competition encouraged classrooms to get moving for at least 60 minutes every day and log their movement minutes through the NFL PLAY 60 app. Physical activity positively impacts overall mental and physical wellness which is essential to help children reach their full potential.

The number of winning schools corresponds to the number of NFL franchise teams while Rosholt High School in Rosholt, Wisconsin, representing the Green Bay Packers, was named the nationwide winner for logging the most physical activity minutes and received an additional $1,000 grant. The names of the winners were announced during the annual NFL PLAY 60 Draft Fitness Break broadcast which aired virtually in classrooms nationwide earlier today. The competition, held Jan. 22 to Feb. 9 in advance of Super Bowl LVIII, invited NFL PLAY 60 app (free and available for iOS and Android devices) users to select an NFL team to compete under and use the Group Quickplay feature in the app’s Teacher Dashboard to track a classroom’s total activity minutes. To log minutes, participants followed NFL PLAY 60 app avatars onscreen to complete exercises adding minutes to their classroom’s total.

“At the American Heart Association, our future is all about improving yours,” said American Heart Association Chief Executive Officer Nancy Brown. “The American Heart Association and the NFL have teamed up to inspire kids to get moving to support their overall wellness by pairing fun with health fundamentals to drive life-long wellness through NFL PLAY 60. As we enter the next century of work by the American Heart Association, we will continue to be laser focused to propel physical and mental health in children.”

The Fitness Break broadcasts are a series of three 15-minute synchronous streamed broadcasts that get students moving with sneak peeks into the upcoming NFL season Kickoff, Super Bowl and Draft. The last Fitness Break broadcast of this school year aired early today. On demand playback of all three broadcasts are available at heart.org/NFLPLAY60. There will be a new suite of NFL PLAY 60 resources, including Fitness Break broadcasts, for the 2024-2025 school year.

In addition to the broadcasts, the American Heart Association and the NFL offer students, teachers and families on-demand ways to reach their daily goal of 60 minutes of play. The NFL PLAY 60 Exercise Library features two-to-three minute exercise videos from each of the 32 NFL teams featuring players, NFL Legends, cheerleaders and mascots. And the NFL PLAY 60 app, available free for iOS and Android devices, allows users to select their favorite team and control personalized avatars onscreen with their own physical movement. Users can create custom workouts and earn special PLAY points and unlock cool NFL gear for on-screen PLAY 60 avatars.

“Every year, the NFL PLAY 60 Fitness Tracking Competition helps students across the country achieve their daily goal of 60 minutes of play through the innovative and engaging NFL PLAY 60 app,” said NFL Senior Vice President of Social Responsibility Anna Isaacson. “We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at the American Heart Association to provide students with resources they need to lead healthy lifestyles.”

The full list of grant winners are:

Arizona Cardinals- Cheatham Elementary School, Laveen Village, Arizona Atlanta Falcons- Alpharetta Elementary School, Alpharetta, Georgia Baltimore Ravens- Our of Lady of Hope/St. Luke School, Dundalk, Maryland Buffalo Bills- PS 099 Stanley M. Makowski Early Childhood Center, Buffalo, New York Carolina Panthers- Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, Forest City, North Carolina Chicago Bears- River Trails Middle School 26, Mt. Prospect, Illinois Cincinnati Bengals- New Miami Elementary School, Hamilton, Ohio Cleveland Browns- Ridge Elementary School, Mentor, Ohio Dallas Cowboys- Scott Johnson Middle School, McKinney, Texas Denver Broncos- North Cache Middle School, Richmond, Utah Detroit Lions- Minges Brook Elementary, Battle Creek, Michigan Green Bay Packers - Rosholt High School, Rosholt, Wisconsin *National Winner Houston Texans- Turner Elementary School, Pasadena, Texas Indianapolis Colts- Meredith Nicholson Elementary School, Crawfordsville, Indianapolis Jacksonville Jaguars- Rocky Bayou Christian School, Crestview, Florida Kansas City Chiefs- Stony Point Elementary School, Kansas City, Kansas Las Vegas Raiders- Pinecrest Academy Springs Campus, Las Vegas, Nevada Los Angeles Chargers- Hobart Boulevard Elementary School, Los Angeles, California Los Angeles Rams- Cutler Elementary School, Cutler, California Miami Dolphins- Panther Run Elementary School, Pembroke Pines, Florida Minnesota Vikings- North Park Elementary School, Fridley, Minnesota New England Patriots- Pierce Middle School, Milton, Massachusetts New Orleans Saints- Columbus Middle School, Columbus, Montana New York Giants- P.S./M.S. 124Q Osmond A. Church School, Queens, New York New York Jets- Iris Wolfson High School, Greenvale, New York Philadelphia Eagles- Elsinboro Township School, Salem, New Jersey Pittsburgh Steelers- Pittsburgh Liberty K-5, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania San Francisco 49ers- Saints Peter and Paul School, San Francisco, California Seattle Seahawks- Oroville Elementary School, Oroville, Washington Tampa Bay Buccaneers- Egypt Lake Elementary School, Tampa, Florida Tennessee Titans- Glencliff Elementary School, Nashville, Tennessee Washington Commanders- Creative Learning Center, Richmond, Virgina Rooted in American Heart Association science, the NFL PLAY 60 initiative helps children to develop healthy habits for a better chance of a healthy adulthood. The program encourages kids to get a minimum of 60 minutes of vigorous physical activity each day to meet the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans[1]. Reducing sedentary behavior and increasing physical activity are key to immediate and long-term health for children.

The NFL and the American Heart Association have been teaming up since 2006 to inspire kids through fun and engaging ways to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day. The impact of physical activity on overall mental and physical wellness is essential to help children grow to reach their full potential. Information on NFL PLAY 60 resources and additional grant opportunities can be found online at heart.org/NFLPLAY60.

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About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for a century. During 2024 - our Centennial year - we celebrate our rich 100-year history and accomplishments. As we forge ahead into our second century of bold discovery and impact our vision is to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, X or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About NFL PLAY 60

NFL PLAY 60 is the League’s national youth health and wellness platform. In its 18th season, the initiative empowers millions of youth to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day and provides support for programs and resources so that kids everywhere can lead a healthy lifestyle. Alongside the NFL’s 32 NFL clubs and partners, the PLAY 60 movement will continue to serve and motivate the next generation of youth to get active and PLAY 60. For more information, visit NFL.com/PLAY60.

[1] Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines, page 14. Available for download here: https://health.gov/paguidelines/default.aspx

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Nationwide, 32 local schools win NFL PLAY 60 grants for physical activity

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