Lifting Kids

By his own admission, Chris White is a “skinny guy,” and he has the stats to prove it: At 5'10", the 17-year-old senior at Oakland, California’s Bishop O’Dowd High School weighs only 140 pounds. White knows he’s bucking a trend. Roughly 15 percent of children and teens (almost 9 million) are overweight or obese—triple the number straining the scale 25 years ago.

“The obesity rate is ridiculous,” says the teen, who is varsity shortstop on his high school baseball team and a junior staff member at the Oakland Boys & Girls Club. “We just watched the movie SuperSize Me in school, and I didn’t want to go to McDonald’s ever again.”

And he probably won’t. White works hard to stay in shape. Once his shift is over, he heads to the club’s gym, newly furnished with equipment donated by 24 Hour Fitness. It’s been a useful gift for a kid who’s juggling college-bound classes, sports, and work, allowing him to make up for the off-season workouts he has to miss because he has a job. And his example has inspired others. “A couple of my friends are struggling with their weight, and they see me working out and they want to do it, too,” he says.

That was the idea when 24 Hour Fitness decided in 2005 to furnish the Boys & Girls Clubs of California with fitness gear to support Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s call to end the state’s obesity epidemic. Boys & Girls Clubs operates 3,900 centers in 50 states, open to all children age 6 and up. Kevin McCartney, its vice president of government relations, was serving on the governor’s health and fitness advisory committee when another committee member, 24 Hour Fitness Founder and Chairman Mark Mastrov, asked him if the clubs might be interested in equipment and free 24 Hour Fitness passes for teens.

“We talked, and one thing led to another,” says McCartney. Last year, 24 Hour Fitness donated equipment to eight clubs, including Oakland. This year, they’ll be targeting even more.

“Most of the kids who go to the Oakland Club are high-risk, high-need. They could never afford to go to a gym,” says McCartney.

Oakland Club Director Calvester Stanley hopes the 24 Hour Fitness program—and the people in it, like Chris White—serves as an inspiration. “As a society, we’ve become more sedentary, and that’s wreaking havoc on our kids, who are suffering a host of ills,” he says. “That’s part of what we are looking to counteract and what made our partnership with 24 Hour Fitness so natural. When it’s started early, fitness can become a positive lifetime pursuit.”

How You Can Help
Boys & Girls Clubs nationwide rely on volunteers willing to share a few hours and their expertise. Go to bgca.org to find the club nearest you and donate some of your spare time to better a child’s life.

Free Passes for Fitness
If you live in California, your teen may qualify for a free 30-day pass to 24 Hour Fitness if he or she is willing to take the Governor’s Challenge—to be active for 30 to 60 minutes a day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks. Teens completing the 4-week challenge will be able to earn a 12-week workout pass at 24 Hour Fitness to take the Governor’s Advanced Challenge. For more information, go to activeca.org.