Parents and kids get movin’ in Maricopa

Residents interested in getting fit with their whole family are invited to attend a meeting for Let’s Move Maricopa, the local version of first lady Michelle Obama’s youth fitness initiative.

Let’s Move Maricopa is scheduled to have weekly sessions beginning Sept. 4, with an informational meeting 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28 at Butterfield Elementary School.

The free program is open to families — all members, even the grown-ups. However, the program asks for a commitment from families to participate in at least three of the four monthly sessions.

Let’s Move sessions will take place every week until November at a location yet to be determined.

On the docket for the 2012 sessions are an adult boot camp, an eight-week running camp and karate.

By November, the goal is to have everyone participate in a 1-mile fun run.

Participating families will receive one fitness journal and T-shirts, as well lessons in fitness and nutrition.

The basic premise of the program is to combat childhood obesity by encouraging kids to be physically active for 60 minutes a day and teach them about making healthy food choices.

It was brought to Maricopa by City Councilwoman Julia Gusse.

Gusse said she quickly saw that not only did the program promote healthy practices, but it also offered a no-cost way to fill a gap in the community.

“There’s nothing for kids to do here in the summer,” Gusse said. “They need activities for free, and all the activities are free.”

This year, the program is sponsored by Chances for Children, a local nonprofit group and a $25,000 city grant.

Chances for Children is experienced in getting kids excited about fitness, said Mirisue Galindo, chances director and Let’s Move Maricopa program coordinator. It already had a program in place with local schools to provide fitness and nutrition education and saw an opportunity to expand its reach through the Let’s Move program.

“We’ve been doing the same concept since 2003,” Galindo said. “Now instead of sponsoring just the classroom, we can support all the children in the community.”

To keep the program going, Chances for Children will need to raise $10,000 in addition to the city’s grant.

“Our main goal is to keep it free,” Galindo said. “Everybody has the right to have access to activities.”

The program’s initial success, during the summer of 2011, actually rose from the support of Gusse, a receptive city and the generosity of about a dozen volunteers.

When Gusse attended the National League of Cities Conference in 2010 and heard Obama speak about her national fitness program, Gusse said she knew she wanted to bring the program to Maricopa.

So when the program first started, it was relatively simple: volunteers set up weekly programs featuring different types of activities.

Once a week, a volunteer taught karate and another week the group focused soccer, while still another taught kids how to play football.

“For each event we have about two volunteers,” Gusse said.

“It was a huge response,” Gusse said. “We had 125 kids signed up.”

The effort did not go unnoticed, and Galindo and Gusse were acknowledged for their efforts. Both women received calls from the White House.