COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (October 14, 2005) Averitt Express associates recently donated $135,000 to the American Heart Associations HeartPower! program to help teach students about heart-healthy behaviors in hopes to fight the trend of obesity and heart disease.
The goal of the HeartPower! program is to teach students about maintaining a healthy heart, along with the importance of good nutrition, physical activity and staying tobacco-free. Averitt is the major contributor to the program.
HeartPower! is a teacher-tested, scientist-approved program targeted for grades Pre-K-8. HeartPower! materials were recently made available online, allowing for increased use and availability. The premade lesson plans are easily downloadable and printable and include classroom materials such as coloring activity sheets, games, poems, quick activities, songs and stories.
Health teachers and coaches at schools throughout the country use the materials to teach their students about the importance of a heart-healthy lifestyle. But all teachers are benefiting from the lesson plans as HeartPower! activities fit into almost any subject, including math, art, music, reading, and language arts.
"The kids absolutely love the HeartPower! program," said Joan Boggan, a physical education teacher at Sterki Elementary School in Knoxville (Tenn.). "They love the songs, and they really live the principles to eat healthy, exercise and stay tobacco free. And now that the program is online, the kids can access it from home. We really appreciate everything that Averitt does to bring us these materials."
Childhood obesity rates have risen dramatically in America as has the concern for the health of the nations youth. According to the AHA, more than 40 percent of children will eventually die from heart disease, up to one-third are obese and only one-in-ten participate in daily exercise. However, studies show children develop lifestyle habits at an early age, which can affect their chances of developing heart disease later in life.
All donations to the AHAs HeartPower! program come directly from Averitts employee giving program, Averitt Cares, which is funded 100 percent by voluntary weekly contributions from its associates. Averitt associates have donated more than $3 million to charities throughout the programs 19-year history, including more than $1 million to HeartPower! since its launch in 1996.
About the American Heart Association
Since 1924, the American Heart Association has helped protect people of all ages and ethnicities from the ravages of heart disease and stroke. These diseases, the nations No. 1 and No. 3 killers, claim more than 930,000 American lives a year. The association invested more than $439 million in fiscal year 200304 for research, professional and public education, and advocacy so people across America can live stronger, longer lives.
About Averitt Express
Established in 1971, Averitt Express is a leading provider of freight transportation and supply chain management with international reach to more than 100 countries. The company specializes in delivering customized solutions with a single source of accountability for service offerings that include less-than-truckload, truckload, time-critical, importing/exporting, and supply chain management. Backed by successful execution for hundreds of customers, Averitts supply chain capabilities include dedicated fleet operations, warehouse management services, portside distribution, transportation management, and transportation network design and operation.