Pro-Vision Academy Awarded the NFL PLAY 60 Grant
This week marks an exciting event for the Pro-Vision Academy athletics programs! Last fall our Houston charter school was selected as one of the recipients of the NFL PLAY 60 Grant. Now, NFL representatives are visiting Pro-Vision Academy to meet our students and discuss the importance of staying active! Keep reading to learn more about the grant and what it means for the future of our school.
About the NFL PLAY 60 Grant
The National Football League is a key supporter of promoting physical activity for kids. As the childhood obesity rate rises, the need for encouraging healthier lifestyles increases. Over the last 30 years childhood obesity has doubled, and obesity in teens has quadrupled. These alarming statistics have led some experts to liken obesity to an epidemic.
The problem is a combination of diet and activity level. In an effort to help with the latter, the NFL is teaming up with organizations like the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA) to create the PLAY 60 campaign. The NFL PLAY 60 initiative raises awareness, encourages kids to be active for at least 60 minutes a day, offers informational support and provides schools and non-profits with grants for athletic programs.
Since 2006 the NFL has awarded nearly $13 million to help fund programs that support active lifestyles for kids. The NFL PLAY 60 Grant is just one of many grants offered by the organization. Each of the 32 NFL football clubs is given the opportunity to give the grant to a program in their area that helps kids get active. In 2014 the Houston Texans football organization selected Pro-Vision Academy as the recipient of their grant.
How the NFL PLAY 60 Grant Will Impact Pro-Vision Academy
Everyday we strive to improve the education and extracurricular activities that we offer our students. As a charter school we face certain financial hurtles that other state public schools don’t have to overcome. In Texas open-enrollment charter schools don’t receive state facilities funding, which equates to roughly $800 per student. These schools also don’t receive funding from local tax revenues.
The $10,000 provided by the NFL PLAY 60 Grant will go a long way towards helping us improve our football program, which played its first season in fall of 2015. The funds will also be used to help our school obtain much needed equipment and gear for physical education and other outdoor athletic activities.
We encourage all students to get outside and get active. And that’s exactly the message NFL representatives will deliver when they visit Pro-Vision Academy. We are honored to have been selected for the NFL PLAY 60 Grant and that the Houston Texans believe so much in our school’s athletic initiatives.
The entire faulty and student body are looking forward to putting the grant money to good use in the coming year and offering our kids even more ways to get active!
Original source: http://www.provision-inc.org/pro-vision-news-events/pro-vision-academy-awarded-nfl-play-60-grant/