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Yesterday we had a special guest at Fit Club, Anthony Hargrove, a defensive end for the Buffalo Bills and former Georgia Tech player. He saw the WCIV ABC News 4 piece last week (on our blog site for view!! once you click on to the site you have to refresh your computer to watch the video) and was so touched that he called and ask if he could come talk to them about overcoming adversity as well as leading them through a workout with he and his personal trainer, Ron. WCIV ABC News 4 will air another piece on Thursday’s evening broadcast, also on Thursday look for a piece on Fit Club in the Post & Courier. WCBD will be coming down to Mitchell on Thursday and I’ll let you know when that piece will air.

The kids of course were ecstatic that an NFL player was coming to visit them. The picture here is just after we had our snack and Anthony signed Piggly Wiggly bumper stickers for each of the kids. We tried to get all 15 “Fit Club” kids into the picture –it was like herding cats

I continue to be so amazed by the support we are receiving, thank you Charleston community. I am so excited to get some pics of Fit Club up onto our site -stay tuned.

We have in week 4 a combined weight loss of over 32 lbs!!! The most important part though is that the kids keep coming and are sharing in the calls some very important things that we believe will hold the key to their sustained success in weight control and everyday life.

Enjoy your holiday weekend and just know how grateful we all are that you have taken the interest in our “little engine that could” -because we are!

Louie’s Kids was recently featured on ABC News 4 with a segment called ‘Fighting childhood obesity’. Check it out using the link below.

http://cfc.wciv.com/videoondemand.cfm?id=17089

Kevin Mayburn was the child in the piece you didn’t get to meet -I had gone up to Wellspring Academy, just outside of Asheville, NC this year to see Kevin and cheer him on. His journey’s been nothing less than amazing -single Mom (hospice nurse -angels on Earth), two sons, a father that died from alcoholism way too early and a boy that began eating his pain away. I’m so grateful to be able to share this kids current successes with you -read on and please, log on, make a donation and pass our website along-

Quick brief update…..Kevin has now lost 132# as of last Monday the 9th of June.  He told me that all of the “X’s are out of his life.”  I asked for clarification. (I’m thinking trouble in school) but what he said was “I am now wearing a large tee shirt, not and XLarge, but just a large.”  I couldn’t believe it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  He went down to camp wearing a 5X from Men’s Big and Tall shop.  When they say 5X they mean 5X!!!  If my math is correct Kevin weighs about 228#’s ………..down from 360 as of January 14h, 08.  I still making every effort to stay on track.  I got out my HOPS book last night to help me stay focused.  I have lost 45# ………….much slower than Kevin.  My trip down to Wellsprings for Family work shop helped me get more focused.

The response from the kids in our Fit Club program this summer here in Charleston has been overwhelming. From community partners like WCIV ABC News 4 Charleston, Piggly Wiggly of Carolina, MUSC Health -it’s been one great partnership after another.

15 title-1 school children are getting a lot of fun (really fun) exercise and some really excellent behavioral counseling two times a week for 2.5 hours each time. The lessons are fun -the kids are really participating on the calls and we still have our original 17 kids!!

Keep sending those comments and look for a post soon from one of recent most successful kids about his own weight-loss journey -we’re so proud of Kevin Mayburn and his Mom Denise and can’t wait to share more of Kevin’s story with the world.

Fighting obesity …one child (one family) at a time!
Cheers!
Louis 

Fit Club’ is a newly designed and custom tailored program (developed by Louie’s Kids and Wellspring Academy) that incorporates research based interventions and ongoing support to fight childhood obesity. The plan includes nutritional education; a daily regimen of physical activity; ongoing monitoring via a website; tracking through daily journaling; family engagement; weekly conference calls with a clinician; and meetings at the school for encouragement and support for approximately six hours per week. In partnership with Wellspring Academy, Louie’s Kids has developed this 4-month customized solution that will be implemented through collaborative efforts with school administrators and staff at Mitchell Elementary School in Charleston.

With the support of the school nurse and school administrators, 20 children will be identified who are clinically obese (BMI of 30 or higher). The program will begin in June and conclude in late September. Each week, selected children (ages xx-xx) will meet with the Program Coordinator at Mitchell Elementary School. Various activities will include an exercise regimen, nutritional counseling, utilizing the school computer lab for filling out food journals, and parent education. Children will learn how to manage a healthy weight by making healthy choices including how to snack healthy, how to cook healthy, how to incorporate physical activity in ones daily lives, how keeping a journal can help them in their journey to a healthier lifestyle, and will receive clinical support from a trained, licensed clinician from Wellspring Academy.

Hours are 4-6 pm Tuesday’s and Thursday’s at Mitchell Elementary. One hour each meeting will have a physical fitness component and a behavioral counseling session with a trained and licensed weight-loss counselor.

Download Press Release (pdf)

Just wanted to send a shout out. The response from the Rachel Ray show has been nothing less than amazing. It’s been overwhelming really and I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to respond to each of you individually.

We have been hard at work here at the foundation unveiling a new pilot program here in Charleston this summer that could bring more Wellspring programs to the masses -I’ve been saying “we’ve long been bringing mohammed to the mountains” now it’s time for us to start “bringing the mountains to Mohammed!”

The program we are proposing at a Title 1 school in downtown Charleston will be like no other in a Title 1 school in the nation. We realized that we could not send every kid who contacts us to summer camp. We have helped kids like Elliott and Keisara and Shaquoya, etc. etc. in so many ways other than summer camp. This is what we will do -this is where we are headed.

Helping every kid that contacts us, right in their hometowns, right in their communities.

Stay tuned for more news and updates from Louieskids.org. Keep those comments coming and spread the word to someone you know, send Oprah an email, help us continue to find funds to bring these one of a kind programs to every community in the country -every kid deserves it.

Louis

We were so fortunate for the Rachael Ray Show to recognize the hard work being done at Louieskids.org. So as of Friday, April 18th we are under another national spotlight. Thanks to the amazing producers there at the show –and all of you, my “village” Louieskids.org is making it happen …one child at a time!

Without all of you this would have never happened. I hope you’ll continue to spread the word about Louieskids.org One of the kids in the piece is over 220 lbs and is only 14. He’s lost 40 pounds and for now is living at the boarding school just outside Asheville, NC. He was eating himself to death before his Mom mortgaged her home to get him to Wellspring Academy (formerly Academy of the Sierra-Carolinas). We’re cheering Kevin on in hopes that he’ll earn a spot at summer camp this year as a reward – and the sealing of his fate for a healthful life.

The other kid is Danielle. Danielle’s entire life has changed since Louie’s Kids started working with her just 2 years ago. Over 60 lbs later and with the self-esteem of 10 kids her age she’s a testament to what we are doing and the fact that it works. Her Mom tells us she raises her hand in class, first, she’s outgoing, energetic and an entirely different kid than she was when we first met her.

Louie’s Kids is proud to partner with The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease. PTFCD is a national coalition of patients, providers, community organizations, business and labor groups and health policy experts, committed to raising awareness of policies and practices that save lives and reduce health costs through more effective prevention and management of chronic disease. Check out their website at www.fightchronicdisease.org