By Ashley M. Casey
Staff Writer
For the third year in a row, Word of Life Christian Academy has been awarded a “Game On” grant from CSX and Action for Healthy Kids. The $500 grant provides funding for physical activity programs and nutrition.
“Word of Life, in my recollection, is one of the few schools that has received a sustainable grant for the third year,” said Mike Gulino, New York Coordinator of Action for Healthy Kids. “They do a really good job with their resources.”
CSX and Action for Healthy Kids award grantees $1,000 the first year and $500 in sustainability funding for each subsequent year.
Gulino said Word of Life has used its Game On funding to improve its outdoor and indoor recess programs, upgrade playground equipment and provide nutrition and wellness education in the classroom.
“They have a half an hour every day in the morning and they dedicate that toward nutrition and taste tests,” Gulino said.
Word of Life also builds “brain breaks” into the day, allowing students time for physical activity between lessons.
Action for Healthy Kids, Gulino said, focuses on teaching children about nutrition, physical activity and wellness for the long run.
“We’re an organization that’s really dedicated to kids being healthy,” Gulino said. “If kids develop some good personal health skills, they become lifelong habits that they take with them.”
CSX has partnered with Action for Healthy Kids to provide grants since 2013. During the 2017-18 school year, 186 school districts have received Game On funding that will touch the lives of 152,000 students.
