Why Fitness Fundraising?
Would you let your child participate in a "Fundraiser" that you know is going to cause cancer or become detrimental to their health?
NO MORE COOKIES!
NO MORE CANDY BARS!
NO MORE PIZZA CARDS!
NO MORE PRETZEL DOUGH!
NO MORE "FATTENING FUNDRAISERS"!
I was tempted to title this article "Supporting Your Favorite Charity Will Make You Fat" or "Fundraising Directly Linked to Childhood Obesity". However, I was unable to locate any studies to medically support those statements. Besides, I am quite sure there have never been any studies linking fundraising to obesity. After all, it really only pertains to those of us who have a desire to support our schools and local charitable organizations and like to eat.I admit that no one has ever forced me to sit in front of my computer to devour an entire box of Girl Scout Cookies or made me woof down that See's candy bar while zipping down the highway in my car. But I have wondered if my yo-yo dieting is linked to Fundraising.Think about it! Just last week I counted 3 "fattening fundraisers" outside our local grocery store - cookies, candy bars and more candy. Not to mention my neighbor's son who stopped by the house on Sunday to sell "Pizza Cards" for his baseball team. Of course, I bought one of everything. Ugh!!!
My other gripe with the "fattening fundraisers" is that from a promotional and marketing standpoint, they just do not make sense. Where is the staying power? You eat it and it's gone. Isn't the point of a successful fundraiser to raise funds and AWARENESS? All I am aware of after eating 4 boxes of cookies is the 2 boxes stuck to my hips.
What gives? Why can't they sell us something we can actually use?
"The sale of low nutrition food in school undermines parents' ability to feed their kids a healthy diet," said Joy Johanson, senior policy analyst for the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
"Considering that childhood obesity has tripled since 1980, it's detrimental to children's health and sends the wrong message to use junk food for fundraisers," Johanson said.
Proponents of new school wellness policies say creativity can make up for the loss in income when calorie-packed fundraisers need to be replaced.
Johanson recommends considering nonfood fundraisers in fact many school groups have already switched to nonfood fundraising.