Council Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the May 5, 2004 PCPFS Council meeting.

MEETING SUMMARY

Table of Contents

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

1.1. In Attendance

1.1.1. Council Members
1.1.2. Executive Director
1.1.3. Invited Speakers

1.2. Council Members Absent
1.3. Opening Comments

2. Welcoming Remarks from the White House
3. Executive Director’s Report
4. Council Member Updates

4.1. Pam Danberg
4.2. Nick Baird
4.3. Amanda Cromwell
4.4. Katherine Cosgrove
4.5. Melissa Jackson
4.6. Lynn Swann
4.7. Dot Richardson
4.8. Charles Moore
4.9. Tedd Mitchell
4.10. Ivette Lirio
4.11. Dan Gable
4.12. Wisconsin Governor’s Challenge

5. President’s Challenge Update
6. Programs Update
7. Communications Update
8. Science Board Update
9. General Mills/President’s Challenge Youth Physical Activity Partnerships
10. How the Media Can Help Promote PCPFS Message
11. NCPPA Update on Physical Activity Legislation
12. Presentation on New www.fitness.gov
13. Kids in Action
14. PCPFS/Bally’s/Discovery FitTV Initiative Fitness Runs in Families
15. Secretary Tommy Thompson
16. Report on Childhood Obesity DVD
17. I Can Do It, You Can Do It! Youth Fitness Mentoring Program for Persons with Disabilities
18. Get Fit! Road Show
19. PCPFS Action Plan for Remainder of ‘04
20. Revisitation/Review of Subcommittees
21. Summary of Strategies
22. Adjournment

1. Call to Order and Roll Call

Lynn Swann

Mr. Swann welcomed and thanked the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports (PCPFS) members for their participation and requested roll call. Ms. Wargo conducted the roll call.

1.1. In Attendance

1.1.1. Council Members

• Lynn C. Swann — Chair
• Dorothy G. Richardson, MD — Vice Chair
• James N. Baird, Jr., MD
• John P. Burke
• Katherine S. Cosgrove
• Amanda C. Cromwell
• Pamela M. Danberg
• Danny M. Gable
• Ivette M. Lirio
• Ted L. Mitchell, MD
• Charles M. Moore

1.1.2. Executive Director

• Melissa Johnson

1.1.3. Invited Speakers

• Brendon Hale
• Laura Keehner, Office of Presidential Personnel, White House

1.2. Council Members Absent

• Denise Austin
• Paul R. Carrozza
• Jaime A. Davidson, MD
• Nomar Garciaparra
• Marion L. Jones
• Nancy Lopez
• Derek D. Parra
• Emmitt Smith

1.3. Opening Comments

Lynn Swann

Mr. Swann asked for a motion to approve the minutes from the previous meeting. Mr. Moore made a motion to accept the minutes, Mr. Mitchell seconded the motion, and all voted in favor.

Mr. Swann noted that the Council continues to move forward, although there is always more progress to make. Trying to change lifestyles and get people to be more physically active in terms of overcoming obesity has been a major hurdle. The Council has been working with many groups to get the message out about overcoming obesity.

The Council is also continuing to move forward with the Presidents Challenge website. He noted that John Burke would talk about the Wisconsin Governor’s Challenge. He asked the Council to stay confident and noted that they are making progress. Though the Council’s mission set out in 2002 may not be fully accomplished in the 4 years of this Council’s existence, they have set a solid foundation for future progress.

2. Welcoming Remarks from the White House

Laura Keehner

Ms. Keehner, Deputy Associate Director, Office of Presidential Personnel, greeted the Council and shared that it has been a privilege to work with Melissa Johnson. She reiterated Mr. Swann’s comments about pressing forward and noted that the Council has done a tremendous job. Physical fitness is close to the President’s heart. She asked the Council to have people who are interested in serving on the Council to contact the Office of Presidential Personnel.

3. Executive Director’s Report

Melissa Johnson

Ms. Johnson presented the Executive Director’s report. She began by thanking the staff for their support in the day-to-day operations of the Council. She also thanked Mr. Swann and Dr. Richardson for their leadership over the past 2 years. They are doing a lot of national work through presentations and outreach. They are also having an impact internationally—Mr. Swann has just returned from South Africa where he distributed PCPFS materials. He has also worked with the YMCA and the Association of Military Surgeons of the United States (AMSUS). Dr. Richardson has also conducted several national presentations for various organizations and conferences, including Secretary Thompson’s Prevention Summit in Baltimore.

Ms. Johnson discussed activities at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Last week was Secretary Thompson’s second Prevention Summit. He remains committed to prevention through physical activity, and the HealthierUS initiative is going strong. The Council’s role in this initiative is to promote the physical activity pillar. The other three pillars are nutrition, prevention, and making healthy choices.

At the Prevention Summit, the Secretary spearheaded Prevention: A Blueprint for Action. As a component of HealthierUS, the Secretary started Steps to a HealthierUS, which includes the Steps Community Grants. In 2003, $15 million was awarded to 12 different states or large cities. Applicants can now apply for the grant online at the HealthierUS website, which is now up to $44 million. The new grants will be awarded in September and will go to organizations that are working with asthma, obesity, and diabetes and incorporating physical activity. The Secretary also held an Innovation/Prevention awards dinner.

The President has asked the Council to work with other departments, and Ms. Johnson talked about two Memorandums of Understanding (MOU’s) between interagency workgroups. There is a Healthier Children’s MOU through the Department of Agriculture (USDA), HHS, and the Department of Education. There is also a Recreation MOU with the Department of Interior, USDA, HHS, and the Army Corps of Engineers. The Department of Transportation is also involved but hasn’t yet signed the MOU. This MOU attempts to promote physical activity on public lands. There will be an event on June 5, 2004 in Minnesota in association with National Trails Day. Research from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that those who volunteer outdoors are two to three times more likely to reach the recommended levels of physical activity.

The Secretary recently kicked off the Healthier Lifestyle campaign. There are about four print and television advertisements in support of this campaign that focus on body parts. In one of the ads, someone puts two pieces of flesh on the lost and found desk and says that someone lost their love handles from taking the stairs. The key message in this ad and in the campaign is that every small step counts. Ms. Johnson encouraged the Council to remind their audiences of this concept.

The dietary guidelines are being revised. Every 5 years, USDA and the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP) work together to review and revise these guidelines. The new guidelines and food pyramid will be presented in a report scheduled for June.

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports month. The Secretary held a reception to kick off the month and celebrate the 100 days leading up to the summer Olympics. May 19 is National Employee Health and Fitness day.

Ms. Johnson noted that a main goal of the Council is to get the states involved in the President’s Challenge program. Mr. Burke has been successful in Wisconsin and Governor Doyle spearheaded the state initiative.

In February, all of the governors met for the National Governors Association (NGA) meeting. Deputy Secretary Claude Allen gave a presentation to the HHS subcommittee on the activities of HHS on the President’s Challenge program. The topic for the opening session was long-term care, with Ken Cooper as the speaker. The whole conversation moved to prevention and physical activity. The governors were fully engaged, and it is an optimal time to talk to them about the health and fitness of their constituency. For example, Governor Mike Huckabee just lost 100 pounds and is committed to sharing the message on health and fitness.

Ms. Johnson asked the Council to work through the regional directors when trying to get states signed on to the program. There are ten regional directors that have been appointed by the President. Each director has access to an average of eight states and/or territories. These directors can help facilitate meetings with governors and are very supportive of the Council’s mission. The National Association for Health and Fitness (formerly the Governor’s Council on Physical Fitness) is another avenue to reach the states.

The Secretary’s Challenge for HHS employees had 849 participants, of which 25% have completed the program. There are plans to take the program department-wide to 65,000 HHS employees, or even cabinet-wide to 2 million federal employees.
The sports clinics have been reinstated. We had a snowshoe clinic in Wintergreen, VA. Ms. Johnson would like to see these clinics held quarterly on a seasonal basis and would like to tap into the sports expertise of the Council to develop other clinics around the country.

On June 16, there will be a big fitness celebration event on the mall. It will be located in the area between the Capital and 4th Street. The event is currently in the planning stage and more information is forthcoming.

A President’s Challenge Science Board was formed last fall, on which Tedd Mitchell will report. Additionally, the second President’s Council Science Honor award will be presented in June at the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) national conference. It is a secret, but the recipient has been selected. In addition to the Science Board, an enhanced collaboration with ACSM is currently being developed.

Donna Shamberg retired last Fall, and her position, along with a new summer intern, will be filled in the next month. Updates on other members not in attendance: Denise Austin has been very active. She led a warm-up and pilates class at the Prevention Summit and also conducted the White House Easter Egg Roll. Derek Parra came out with a new book and is on the speaking circuit. Jaime Davidson spoke at a 6th grade class in NY on behalf of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinology. He presented the Power of Prevention program and PCPFS Rx publication. Additionally, Paul Carrozza just kicked off the Texas Roundup initiative.

Mr. Swann then emphasized the need to reevaluate the scientific information. It is important that they integrate new information into their speeches and be able to answer questions about that information. Accuracy is important because audiences will take the new information as fact. For example, there are many different diets that are promoted for various reasons. Each person will benefit differently from the different diets. It is not the Council’s position to promote one diet over another, but to provide accurate information based on input from the medical community.

4. Council Member Updates

4.1. Pamela Danberg

Ms. Danberg began by explaining that she was asked to speak in Detroit at a self-esteem conference. The conference audience was made up of primarily African-American women and their teenage daughters. They are trying to form a foundation based on teenage obesity and working mothers. They did not have a great turnout, but the mayor did attend. It was a good opportunity to network and speak to a very specific audience.

This summer will be the third year of the Longevity Center’s youth summer camp, where the President’s Challenge is used to measure the level of physical fitness for the youth.

4.2. Nick Baird

Dr. Baird noted that the Ohio Department of Health had a Director’s Challenge in October. It was an 8-week program in which 57% of the employees participated. Later in the year, the challenge was extended throughout Ohio’s local health departments, in which 65% participated. For the last 4 years, they have had a Governor’s Participation and Fitness Challenge for the National Employee Health and Fitness Day.

The Governor’s Advisory Council on Physical Fitness Wellness and Sports recently pledged to deliver a million new President’s Challenge members within the next 12 months. To support this initiative, Dr. Baird mailed letters to 920 mayors in Ohio, and the Ohio Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance has mailed out challenge information to their 3,000 members.

Healthy Ohioans is a multi-year project that focuses on schools and uses “Small Steps, Big Strides” as their tag line. Within the program, there is a Buckeye Best Healthy Schools Award, which identifies schools who put together activities that look at nutrition, physical fitness, and exercise. They have about 1,000 applicants this year.

Another component of Healthy Ohioans involves the Business Council. Sixteen large and small businesses, selected by the Governor, have developed “Doing Well by Being Well: Designing and Leading Employee Wellness Programs,” which incorporates the President’s Challenge. It is a toolkit for businesses to look at return on investment in terms of employee physical fitness. There is also the Healthy Worksite Awards, which recognizes businesses that meet certain criteria.

The Ohio News Network, which is a television station shown throughout Ohio, have taken on the Healthy Ohioans project. Dr. Baird has recently participated with the president of the Business Council in a prime time special to discuss the project, the toolkit, and the President’s Challenge.

4.3. Amanda Cromwell

Ms. Cromwell has not done any official speaking. She is interested in doing more work at colleges and universities, and would like to be utilized more in her role as athlete and coach.

4.4. Katherine Cosgrove

Ms. Cosgrove noted that her focus is in the corporate arena. She has contacts with Sprint and Hilford Diamonds. She will be meeting with Hallmark and hopefully with H&R Block. They all have corporate fitness facilities and she hopes to enlist them in the President’s Challenge. She has also worked with a local Wal-Mart that has many Hispanic employees and hopes to provide to them some Hispanic literature. She also looks forward to working with athletic clubs in Kansas City.

4.5. Melissa Johnson

Ms. Johnson recognized Penny Royall, who served as the former Acting Executive Director, and has now been promoted from Commander to Captain and is serving as the Director of ODPHP. She added that today’s agenda was prepared to let the Council members know about the many different activities in which they can participate. The Council and the Surgeon General have conducted many joint programs this past year.

4.6. Lynn Swann

Mr. Swann noted that his work with ABC takes him to a college football game every weekend. In conjunction with these sporting events, Mr. Swann goes to various local clubs and groups to promote the President’s Challenge. In two weeks, Mr. Swann will go to Geneva with the Secretary for the World Health Assembly. He will not have a specific role in terms of presenting the Council’s activities, but will be learning about the global perspectives on physical fitness. The trip to South Africa was extraordinary and showed that there are overwhelming problems in the world. Without prevention, the United States may run the risk of moving closer to the health problems South Africa is facing.

This year, Mr. Swann will try to engage more universities through outreach programs. Colleges have some of the greatest exercise facilities in the world. Therefore, even a small outreach program to their students who are not utilizing these facilities could be very successful. He will reach out to college presidents and athletic directors to encourage their college athletes to get more involved in their local schools. His major goal is to get more corporations, organizations, foundations, and individuals to reach out to the communities that are not participating in physical activities.

4.7. Dot Richardson

Dr. Richardson explained that she is looking to the Council to build a coalition of organizations that promote physical fitness to better promote their shared goals and coordinate their efforts. Governor Bush’s task force has put forth a list of recommendations for Florida. It is unsure how the House and Senate will vote on these recommendations. The Council will continue to work with Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The USA Center for Sports and Health has over 3,700 members, and has been very successful. She spoke with the Dietetic Association, the Florida Department of Health, and the University of Central Florida’s Health and Fitness program. She also spoke with Coca Cola, which has a fitness facility that is not being utilized for its employees.

4.8. Charles Moore

Mr. Moore presented the Winter 2004 edition of the New Century Philanthropy publication, which focuses on sports and philanthropy. It goes to about 3,000 people, including 1,500 CEOs. This issue was supported by three best practice articles by Colgate-Palmolive, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Home Depot CEOs. It also included articles by Kofi Annan about the alignment of sports and corporate philanthropy and Melissa Johnson on PCPFS activities and the President’s Challenge program. The Institute for International Sports’ newest initiative is a day on dealing with obesity, in partnership with the Association of College Directors of Athletics. This program takes college athletes to elementary, middle, and high schools to deliver an anti-obesity message. Finally, they have taken the President’s Challenge to Cornell University.

4.9. Tedd Mitchell

Dr. Mitchell noted that Mr. Swann was on Dr. Cooper’s Healthy Living radio program last year to give an update on the President’s Challenge. Last year Dr. Mitchell was involved in the presentation of the President’s Council Fitness Awards at a prominent school district. Last summer he spoke at the National Senior Games in Norfolk, Virginia—the oldest athlete was 102 years old. In October, he spoke to the American Restaurant Association in Naples, Florida about the President’s Healthier US Four Pillars.

The Science Advisory Board met on December 11 and 12, in January, and then in March, in which he participated in seminars on steroid use among high school athletes. When Mr. Swann was participating in sports, steroid use was usually focused on specific sports and positions (e.g., football linemen). Over the past 20 years, steroid use among high school students has expanded into other sports and positions, and also includes non-athletes. It is estimated that about 5% of students will use steroids by the end of high school.

The Cooper Center was represented at the Texas Roundup in Austin, Texas. Dr. Mitchell gives four healthy living seminars through the Cooper Center to individuals predominantly from Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Louisiana, in which he promotes the President’s Challenge. In April, Dr. Mitchell gave a seminar at Kick Start, Chuck Norris’s foundation for underprivileged children at high-risk schools. The event specifically spoke to the type of audience that would benefit most from a positive physical fitness message. The event culminated in a karate class led by Mr. Norris for more than 1,000 kids, which is in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest karate class. Additionally, he has just published a book on fitness and business leadership.

Finally, in reference to Mr. Swann’s comments on prevention and South Africa, Dr. Mitchell noted that prevention is often thought of in terms of not getting “sick from bugs.” As a result, prevention through nutrition and fitness has been overlooked. It is the Council’s responsibility to promote the preventive benefits of nutrition and fitness, especially in light of the escalating rates of obesity. He noted that prevention is not just about public health as far as infectious diseases are concerned. It is also about changing personal behaviors.

4.10. Ivette Lirio

Ms. Lirio noted that she accompanied Dr. Richardson to meet with Governor Bush about the President’s Challenge and its website, in hopes of starting a Governor’s Challenge in Florida. She is working with the Miami-Dade school system to promote the program. Elementary schools are supportive, but middle schools have proven to be more of a challenge. She is also working with a professor to promote the program among physical education and other majors.

4.11. Dan Gable

Mr. Gable noted that he has three ways to promote the Council’s goals. The first approach is through normal speaking engagements on performance and motivation at universities. The second approach is through the National Wrestling Coaches Association, in which they conduct programs on nutrition. The third area is through the political realms. He is the Honorary Chairman of the Board for the President’s reelection in Iowa.

4.12. Wisconsin Governor’s Challenge

John Burke

Mr. Burke noted that the premise of the Wisconsin Governor’s Challenge was that it is easier to make a difference at the state and local level, especially for Council members. He met with Governor Doyle to discuss taking the President’s Challenge and making it the Governor’s Challenge in Wisconsin. This could be replicated in all 50 states, with Wisconsin as a case study.

Governor Doyle announced the program as a six-week program, running from April 19 to May 31. The Governor encouraged individuals, workplaces, schools, and community groups to participate in the challenge. Top performers in the program will be honored with a plaque from the Governor and all participants who complete the challenge will receive a certificate and a PALA patch.

On the day the challenge was announced, the Governor flew to Madison, Milwaukee, and Appleton, the three biggest Wisconsin markets. He spoke at each event, all of which had media coverage. Many of the print media ran multiple articles on the program and all of the major stations covered it. Mr. Swann added that though Appleton is not as big as the other two cities, it has a tremendous reputation as a sports town. As a result, it proved to be an excellent market for the program. This approach should be carried over to other states.

Mr. Burke presented the Wisconsin Governor’s Challenge portal webpage, which features Governor Doyle as the champion of the program. The webpage was supplemented with collateral, including posters, awards, fact sheets, press releases, etc. Mr. Burke presented a mock up of this portal webpage, along with a PowerPoint presentation, to the Governor and within two minutes, received the Governor’s approval for the program. Mr. Burke believes that all governors would be as equally accepting of this type of program.

Mr. Swann asked if the Council members make their pitch to their governors through the regional directors, would they be able to create a similar home page? Mr. Burke responded affirmatively and noted that it was inexpensive and easy.

Mr. Burke noted that they had various large sponsors, including Trek, Appleton, Wisconsin Sports Development Corporation, and Vision Fitness. The program took 90 days to plan and cost $125,000, all of which was provided by the sponsors. The budget included expenses for public relations, awards, and promotional materials. However, the program could be done for much less. They plan to raise between $250K to $500K next year to promote it.

As of April 27, they had 534 groups and 14,000 people signed up on the challenge—the Governor’s office thought that 5,000 participants would constitute a successful program. Next year they anticipate having 40,000 to 50,000 participants. The Governor’s Challenge works because it is easier to make a difference at the state level, governors are very motivated to alleviate the state’s health concerns, and governors can accomplish a lot in a short period of time. In a period of 90 days, Governor Doyle approved the program (in a 10-minute meeting); put one of his key staff members in charge of implementation, used the Governor’s office to get schools, businesses, and unions onboard; took a day out of his schedule to announce the program; and hosted the awards ceremony at the Governor’s mansion.

In terms of process, it would be helpful to:

• Make an appointment with the governor via the regional director;
• Put forth a specific proposal for the state, based on the President’s Challenge;
• Provide specific dates for the program;
• Get businesses to sponsor the challenge.

Mr. Swann added that another possible route for additional staff is internships through schools and universities—this would be a great short-term project for college students.

Dr. Richardson asked if the program extended beyond 6 weeks. Burke responded that participants could continue the challenge on their own, but the official program is 6 weeks long.

Dr. Mitchell noted that fall would be the perfect time to conduct the Governor’s Challenge since schools prep in the fall for the President’s Fitness Testing, which is held in the spring. Mr. Burke responded that he thought spring was the better season.

Dr. Richardson asked if they could track the number of participants by state. Ms. Johnson responded affirmatively.

Mr. Swann noted that there is nothing wrong with running it twice a year. He noted that corporate sponsors might prefer one season to the other for various reasons.

Mr. Burke noted that the Wisconsin program could provide best practices in terms of public relations. Additionally, once the governor is on board, his or her office will take control of the public relations campaign, which is a good approach.

Mr. Gable asked if past Wisconsin governors have participated in this type of program. Mr. Burke replied that they have not. Mr. Gable asked about Wisconsin’s reputation around the country in terms of sports and fitness. Specifically, he asked if Wisconsin, since it is an outdoors state, was in a better position for such a program to succeed. Mr. Burke noted that Wisconsin is better than average for recreation, but is worse in overall health. He added that he thinks all of the states will be easy in terms of implementing this program because of the political climate. Ms. Johnson noted that Mississippi, Alabama, and West Virginia have the worst obesity rates. Mr. Burke noted that the states with the worst obesity rates might be the easiest sell.

Mr. Moore asked that if the regional director comes to the meeting with the governor. Ms. Johnson replied that their attendance is recommended since they have a direct contact in the governor’s office. This is especially helpful for those who do not have direct relations with their governor. Mr. Swann noted that the Council has learned that following this process is the best way to accomplish their goals.

Mr. Burke noted that the budget included funds to pay for the awards so that recipients did not have to pay for shipping. In fact, the Governor’s office insisted on sending out the awards, including a letter from the Governor.

He added that a second project he is working on is trying to get kids to ride their bikes more often. In 1970, 35% of kids either rode their bike or walked to school; today, that number is less than 5%. In collaboration with Trek, he has started a program called “Get it in Gear for Kids,” which targets kids for the Presidential Cycling Challenge. 2,000 Trek retailers will participate in an “Adopt a School” component to try to get schools involved. The program has a website for kids and will launch on June 1, but will be bigger in the fall.

5. President’s Challenge Update

Brendon Hale, PhD

Dr. Hale is the Assistant Director of the President’s Challenge Administration at Indiana University. He has been with the challenge for 8 years and is an avid cyclist, golfer, and bowler.

Dr. Hale began by providing an update on the President’s Challenge website. Since September 2003, they have had more than 1.5 million unique visitors to the website, of which more than 85,000 have registered to participate in one of the three programs. This is slightly more than a 5% retention rate, which represents a decent rate for these types of programs. Of the total participants, almost 50,000 are involved in the Active Lifestyle program, which is promoted in Wisconsin’s Challenge. The remaining participants are in the Presidential Champions program, including 6,000 in the Advanced Performance program. The top states for registered users are Wisconsin (#1), Texas (#2), California (#3), and Ohio (#4).

There are about 6,000 groups that have been formed, including corporate and school groups, community centers, and other organizations. The program has developed a fitness file that schools are using to implement the program. The fitness file is used to track student scores and to generate reports, including best score reports for motivational purposes. It also automatically calculates a student’s award level. Almost 5,000 schools are using this tool, including 1,800 that have registered in the last three weeks. There has also been a rise in the number of advocates.

Additions to the website include a group find option that allows visitors for search for groups by state. There is also an option for bicyclists to record their distance and time. Mr. Swann noted that they want to track and make available data on high performers based on a points system. For instance, people could compare their points against someone like Lance Armstrong.

The biggest project for the program is developing an instructional video on how to conduct the testing program for educators to use in the classroom. Filming for this video will begin next week and the DVD will be available for distribution in August.

6. Programs Update

Chris Spain, Director of Research Planning and Special Projects

Ms. Spain noted that she has never seen so many nontraditional partnerships than with the current administration. She attributed this to the Council’s activities in generating interest and the administration’s ability to open the doors for private-public partnerships. There are 45 programs throughout the country in diverse venues, including corporate, educational, and medical.

In the corporate sector, Home Depot has opened up their plants to encourage their employees to walk. They are prepared to give out 20,000 awards at the end of their 6-week program. Through Hershey Track and Field, children are competing throughout the country in track and field events. In August at Hershey, Ms. Johnson will be giving awards to all of the children who qualified for their state. This program is free of charge.

Burger King is another nontraditional partner. Through this partnership, Burger King will provide funding for the program’s awards. In the first year, 960 schools applied within the first month, 207 schools were selected, and more than 60,000 awards have been purchased by Burger King to give to the schools.

Bob Green’s walk and bike across America, which is sponsored by McDonald’s, will end in Washington, DC with a ceremony to count points towards his gold medal. Coke’s Step With It program, in partnership with NASPE, provides free information and awards to schools and is funded by Coca Cola bottlers. Partnerships with Burger King, McDonald’s, and Coke would not have been possible if the Secretary did not refer them to the Council.

The Council will be involved with the Administration on Aging’s Steps to Healthier Aging campaign. The program was announced at the HealthierUS summit and will launch on June 15. There will be 640 senior centers across the country that will have access to this campaign, a partnership between NIH, CDC, and PCPFS.

In the medical sector, the American Academy of Family Physicians is the first organization to bring the program in-house, and their progress will be monitored and compared on an annual basis. The Children’s Hospital has created an opportunity to adopt an inner-city school that may not have access to various programs. The Children’s Hospital also provides funds for awards and is currently expanding its sponsorship. Additionally, a small medical center in West Virginia only had enough money to start with a newsletter to promote the program. Last year, they had 100 participants. This year they have more than 3,000.

The aquatics industry is seeking new ways to promote the program and physical activity through swimming. Their instructors each reach a minimum of 300 individuals. The St. Louis Rams is seeking to expand its program to more schools and incorporate the President’s Challenge program. They will also provide funding for program awards.

7. Communications Update

Janice Meer, Director of Communications

Ms. Meer noted that May is National Physical Fitness and Sports month. She recognized Jerry Donlon and Pierre-Alain Girardin, who brought the sport of Tchoukball to the U.S. Tchoukball is a non-contact sport similar to handball and soccer for all age groups, as well as people with disabilities. They would like the sport to be evaluated for the President’s Challenge program.

She noted that the media is a new source for partnerships. She recognized Sally Squires of the Washington Post. Ms. Squires wrote an article featuring Ms. Johnson, and the media has been reaching out to the program. Sports Edge and SportingKid, magazines founded by Tina D’Aversa-Williams and Michael J. Pallerino, included feature stories based on Ms. Johnson’s presentation. When the news release about Ms. Johnson’s appointment as the new Executive Director was released, there was an outpouring of interest and calls.

She then discussed partnerships that allow them to do more with less. The Council has not focused on the preschooler group (birth to age five) because they do not meet the minimum age requirements of the challenge. Last year, Kellogg’s offered to do an informational booklet, Kids in Action. The National Association for Sport and Physical Education (NASPE) published in 2002 guidelines for physical activity for infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. These guidelines became the basis for the booklet through a partnership between Kellogg’s, NASPE, and PCPFS.

Ms. Meer then showed a Fox News special on an event to launch Kids in Action. The Associated Press covered the event and the article was syndicated around the country. A lot of interest has been generated and they are almost out of the booklets. Kellogg’s is preparing press-ready files on CDs that can be used by other organizations to print the booklet themselves. Through this method, the booklets can be customized with different logos. This is a new type of partnership, which is also being used with the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists.

PCPFS’ new website, www.fitness.gov, will go live in the next 1 to 2 weeks, and will have the same look and feel of www.presidentschallenge.org. Visitors will now be able to move seamlessly between the two sites. The President’s Challenge website can be accessed from every page in fitness.gov. The website will feature PCPFS’ new e-newsletter. Ms. Meer asked the Council to submit more reports for the newsletter.

Ms. Meer requested that the Council review the new presentation. It contains a number of slides that can be reordered or modified to customize the presentation for different events and audiences. Council members who would like additional support in customizing the presentation should contact Ms. Meer. There are two versions of the presentation, one with a seal and one without. The version without the seal can be used at events where Council members are being paid, where they are not representing the Council, or if products are being sold.

8. Science Board Update

Tedd Mitchell, MD

Dr. Mitchell noted that the first meeting of the Scientific Advisory Board was held in December 2003. They discussed the role of the Board as a conduit to the public for information on the science behind nutrition, fitness, and health. This information is constantly being updated. As a result, outdated information may inadvertently be presented to the public. For example, the death rate from obesity changed in the last month.

To ensure that the information is current, accurate, and based on science, ten top rated researchers have been selected across the country. Dr. Chuck Corbin (Arizona State University - East) is the Chair, and Dr. Jim Morrow (University of North Texas) is the Vice Chair of this group. The other members are also in the academic environment. They will act as an advisory board to the Council. Subcommittees were formed to review existing information. They will also help plug the Council into the more academic, research-oriented scientific groups, including the American College of Sports Medicine. This will give the Council a conduit to the academic field.

The Advisory Board will also look at getting information from the Council into some of the scientific literature and not just the Reader’s Digest. An update on the progress of this work will be presented at the next Board meeting.

Ms. Spain added that the Board is actually called the President’s Challenge Science Board, and the next meeting is in December, probably in Washington, DC. There will be a meeting this Friday to discuss the name and structure of the Board.

9. General Mills/President’s Challenge Youth Physical Activity Partnerships

Mary Catherine Toker, VP, Government Relations, General Mills

Ms. Toker began by describing the General Mills Champions program, which is a three-way partnership between General Mills, the President’s Challenge, and the American Dietetic Association. In May 2004, they announced the second group of program awardees. Any local, nonprofit, community-based organization can apply for one of the 50 $10,000 grants. The proposal must have a dietetic component, designed by a registered dietician, and a physical fitness component. The awardees include 4H, YMCA, Head Start, and other community groups.

They are also getting ready to conduct the 2nd annual Presidential Active Lifestyle Award sponsorship in Minneapolis schools. Approximately 20,000 students in 65 schools were awarded the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award (PALA) for adopting and maintaining a physically active and fit lifestyle. Ms. Toker requested the Council nominate school districts within their areas, especially low SES schools, for award sponsorship.

Ms. Spain added that General Mills has another program, the Wheaties State Champions, which complements the President’s Challenge State Champions program. Annually, the State Champions program recognizes three schools, based on enrollment size and number of Presidential Physical Fitness Award winners, within each state. Wheaties complements this prestigious program by sending to each state champion school various sporting equipment and school supplies. These schools also have an opportunity to earn additional funds for their school by participating in a poster contest. Three winners, one from each enrollment category, receive $5,000 for their physical education programs.

10. How the Media Can Help Promote PCPFS Message

Sally Squires, Health Reporter, Washington Post

Ms. Squires is a nutritionist and has a weekly column in the health section of the Washington Post. She explained that as a journalist, she technically not to give opinions or advice. What she can do is give information and educate her readers.

The Lean Plate Club began in July 2001 in the health section. It is a weekly column on healthy eating and physical activity that appears in the Tuesday edition. The Lean Plate Club is not about dieting or deprivation. Rather, it takes a positive approach to healthier lives for its readers. Sample topics include good tasting health foods, lifestyle activities, pedometers, exercises to do at the desk, walking, and taking the stairs. The health section has 770,000 readers and is also on www.washingtonpost.com, with 16 million hits daily. All of the articles on the web are archived and can be accessed at any time. This also includes transcripts of weekly web chats and the weekly newsletter, which has grown from 16,000 to 63,000 subscribers.

Fit for Fun is an 8-week challenge to get “desk jockeys” to be more active. Ms. Johnson participated in a Q&A in support of this program, along with a web chat. Through the challenge’s website, there is a link to the President’s Challenge website. In conclusion, the news media is trying to balance the latest news with public health and public service; this is often a fine line between information and endorsement.

11. NCPPA Update on Physical Activity Legislation

Karen Silberman, Executive Director, National Coalition for Promoting Physical Activity (NCPPA)

NCPPA addresses physical activity issues in public education campaigns, policy development, and media education. Its members are fellow liaison partners with the President’s Council, NIH, and CDC. NCPPA is a broad-based coalition of researchers, advocates, public health officials, and anyone interested in physical activity. Its goal is to educate and advocate for programs and policy that encourage Americans to be more physically active.

NCPPA’s focus is legislative. It attempts to translate scientific research and programming efforts into policy change. In 2000, the coalition moved to Washington, DC to better establish relationships with policy makers. Last year, Nike joined the coalition as the first corporate partner. It also has three government partners, including Ms. Spain, who serves on their board.

NCPPA is also loosely organized at the state level. The goal of the state coalitions is to increase physical activity at the local level through partnerships and collaborations. Typical members include community organizers, school officials, health department employees, academic researchers, and affiliate members of NCPPA member organizations. The state coalition activities vary from state to state, but in general include advocacy for policies, education and communication with the local public, leading community-based programs, and assisting national-level efforts on policies.

NCPPA follows policies at both the state and federal level. In 2003 at the state level, there were 60 pieces of legislation that were introduced that specifically addressed issues of physical activity. Out of the 60 pieces of legislation, 44 were directly related to physical education. At the federal level, they have been working on the Get Outdoors Act, which was recently introduced by Representatives Miller and Young. This act would establish a permanent trust fund to provide recreational access to all Americans. It is an environmental steward bill, but has public health as it relates to physical activity in the preamble of the bill. The bill calls for more than $3 billion per year from off-shore energy production, which will be used for recreation conservation, maintaining public land, including urban parks and recreational facilities, hunting, angling, wildlife viewing, and historic preservation.

Another bill that they have been working on is the Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act (IMPACT Act), introduced by Senator Frist. The act will appropriate funds to local communities and state departments of education to develop and implement programs promoting physical activity and educating Americans on the need to be physically active on a daily basis.

The Physical Education for Progress Bill (PEP Bill) is a successful program funded by the Department of Education. The program is in its fifth year. It was originally funded for $5 million; last year the funding rose to $70 million. It is a grants-based program where school districts apply for physical education equipment. For the current year, they are seeking $100 million.

Every 6 years, there is a transportation reauthorization in which the federal government reallocates money to the states for roads and highways. Of the $275 billion in the bill, there is money to support transit funding. Studies have shown that people who take public transportation tend to walk or bike on either end of that travel. There is also money to establish a school program that would encourage kids to bike or walk to school. Additionally, there will be funds to design roads that would be safely convenient for both pedestrians and bicyclists.

They are also working on the Workforce Health Improvement Program (WHIP), which would allow for favorable tax treatment of health club memberships as an employee benefit. It will allow employers to deduct the cost of subsidizing or providing health club benefits to their employees, while excluding the benefit from being considered additional income for employees.

NCPPA also provides several resources. It publishes a biweekly e-newsletter, as well as a monthly overview of advocacy and policies. It also puts out a monthly report that tracks legislation at the state level. All three resources can be accessed on their website.

NCPPA will be hosting a policy conference, Physical Activity Policy in Action—Scanning the Landscape, on June 9 in Washington, DC. The conference will address federal and state policies over the past 5 years. Ms. Silberman encouraged all interested individuals to attend.

Mr. Swann asked Ms. Silberman what her major challenges are. She responded that funding is the biggest challenge, especially in the current economic climate.

12. Presentation on New www.fitness.gov

Larry Geiger, VP of Client Relations, TechnikOne

Mr. Geiger noted that TechnikOne is a design agency based in Charlotte, North Carolina, that developed the Council’s new website. They worked with Ms. Meer and her team to develop a template, which they worked to make as dynamic as possible.

The site was designed for easy navigation, and every major section is just one click away. It was designed with multiple audiences in mind, from executive directors to parents. It includes many publications, in both PDF and html formats, and features some video as well. It also includes an e-newsletter that visitors can subscribe to via the website.

13. Kids in Action

Rita Grandgenett, Manager, Nutrition at Kellogg’s

Ms. Grandgenett manages the nutrition program at Kellogg’s. Kids in Action was created by Kellogg’s and PCPFS in 1992, revised in 1996, and has now been totally redesigned. The program encourages physical activity in preschoolers, toddlers, and infants. In developing the booklet, Kellogg’s worked with the supplemental nutrition program for women, infants, and children (WIC program), which is funded by USDA. The WIC program is geared towards women who are pregnant or breast-feeding and are at the 85% poverty level or less. The program provides nutrition education and vouchers for certain key foods that carry certain nutrients. Kellogg’s is involved because of the cereal connection. The target audience for this program is a vulnerable population because incidents of obesity are high. The Kids in Action booklet was made available through the WIC program and was well received.

The National WIC Association conference was recently held in Anaheim, CA. At the conference, a USDA representative presented on Eat Smart, Play Hard. They also had 3 year olds from a local daycare center participate in various exercises. They then got the attendees involved as well.

They worked with the California WIC Association to form WIC Walks. This program works to get the WIC staff to model appropriate behaviors, since many of the staff members are from the target communities.

Kellogg’s also has a video targeting the Hispanic community. The video shows how to use dance steps for exercise. The video is in Spanish with English subtitles. The first part is for adults and the second part is for kids. They are also working on a video on low-impact exercises for those with diabetes.

Mr. Swann noted that parents need to catch themselves when telling kids to sit down and not to move as much.

14. PCPFS/Bally’s/Discovery FitTV Initiative:Fitness Runs in Families

Matt Messenger and Norris Tomlinson, Bally’s Total Fitness

Carole Tomko, General Manager, Discovery FitTV

Ms. Tomko explained that FitTV launched into 35 million homes in December 2003. FitTV is Discovery’s network dedicated to fitness, wellness, nutrition, lifestyle, high-performance sports, and anything that gets people moving. Early this year, Discovery Health, in partnership with Bally’s, started the Body Challenge initiative, which has been enormously successful.

Mr. Messenger then showed the initiative’s PSA that is running on the Discovery Channel and two other vignettes. Mr. Messenger noted that he is the Director of Communications for Bally’s Total Fitness. The vignettes are part of their Everybody Needs Something program that tries to create an inclusive environment in their clubs. The 6-week program invites people, especially families, to come in and work out for free on the weekdays. On weekends, they conduct special classes.

Many adults have been on a lot of diets and may not understand the importance of exercise. When they are made aware of its importance, they want to make exercise a part of their lifestyle, but do not know where to start and how to teach their children. This program is trying to provide that guidance. From May 14 to June 26, they will run Family Fitness Days at Bally’s. This is being announced through the PSA, posters in the clubs, and an ad in People Magazine. The 6-week program is free and people can sign up through ballys.com and discovery.com by clicking on FitTV.

Mr. Tomlinson, National Director of Fitness Services, noted that they have put together a team of their best instructors to teach their weekend classes over the next 6 weeks. To keep the classes exciting for kids, one of the classes will be based on urban dance, similar to those seen on MTV’s hip hop videos. There will also be a boot camp, in which the parents can participate.

To publicize their programs, Mr. Messenger noted that they want to do an interview on the CBS Early Show with Mr. Swann. He noted that Bally’s is focusing on total fitness by encouraging people to eat right and exercise, and offering more information on nutrition.

15. Secretary Tommy Thompson

Secretary Thompson thanked Dr. Richardson for her work at the Prevention Summit last week. He noted that there is no reason for the statistics on obesity, diabetes, and tobacco to be so high. 125 million Americans have one or more chronic illnesses. So much can be improved by changing lifestyles through eating properly and exercising. He spoke about this subject in Chicago to 800 people last night.

He noted that he received “marching orders” from Mr. Burke and Mr. Swann. Therefore, he decided to try to get the President to have a Challenge for all the federal agencies within the next month. He would also like to have a reception on Capitol Hill with leaders from both political parties to hear from the Council. Additionally, he would like to send a letter to school superintendents from the Secretary of Agriculture, the Secretary of Education, and himself asking them to join the President’s Challenge.

Secretary Thompson noted that they are making progress. He went to McDonald’s “Hamburger University” to discuss doing things in a healthier way. They have agreed to end their super-sized meals and put healthier items on the menu. He also spoke at a Food Institute conference and told them how important it is for them to be involved. At the conference, Pepsi had a wellness center focusing on nutrition and exercise. He learned that the CEO of Pepsi runs 3 miles every day. He noted that if the CEO of Pepsi can work in a run into his schedule, others could also find the time for exercise. Additionally, Coca Cola has agreed not to pay for exclusive marketing contracts in schools and will add fruit juices to their vending machines.

Secretary Thompson thanked the Council for their work and noted that they are near the “tipping point.”

16. Report on Childhood Obesity DVD

John Whyte, MD, HHS and Carole Tomko, Discovery FitTV

Dr. Whyte noted that HHS has launched an initiative to create a multimedia DVD on the growing problem of obesity in youth. The DVD will target kids ages 6 to 9 and their families. The initiative has three components, one each for nurse practitioners, physicians, and families. The physician component addresses how to diagnose and treat childhood obesity and will be distributed to 140,000 pediatricians, family physicians, and nurse practitioners. The kids program component will be family focused and will have a section for kids and a section for parents. The kids section will be about smart eating (not “dieting”) and physical activity (not “exercise”). The parent’s section will have more detailed information and guidance about specific types of foods. There is also a separate section on the President’s Challenge.

They plan to distribute 400,000 to 500,000 copies of the DVD, primarily through physician’s offices. They are also looking for distribution partners to get the DVD to parents and children directly. The rollout is planned for early to mid-June before schools end for the summer.

Mr. Moore asked how the DVD would be distributed to the thousands of children who do not get to a physician’s office. Dr. Whyte noted that they are not distributing the DVD exclusively through the physician’s offices, but that that channel was important to give the DVD added credibility. The DVD will be provided free of charge, and a toll free number and a link on the website will be set up to receive requests. He is also looking at other distribution channels, such as local clinics and Boys and Girls Clubs. Dr. Baird suggested using WIC and other state clinics. Ms. Lirio suggested using public school systems.

Dr. Richardson noted that they needed a standardized program that could be implemented by any facility. Dr. Whyte agreed and noted that the DVD was not meant to be a complete program. It is rather a vehicle to share the Council’s message.

Mr. Swann asked if the 400,000 or 500,000 copies of the DVD are a minimum or maximum. Dr. Whyte said he hopes it is a minimum. He noted that other agencies and organizations can duplicate and co-brand the DVD for distribution.

Dr. Richardson noted that insurance companies could be involved, since research has shown that diet and an active lifestyle are effective ways for a healthier life.

17. I Can Do It, You Can Do It! Youth Fitness Mentoring Program for Persons with Disabilities

Margaret Giannini, MD, Director, Office on Disability, HHS

Dr. Giannini noted that the Office on Disability was created within the framework of the President’s Freedom Initiative. Her role is as an advisor to the Secretary and the President. Her background has always been in disabilities, and she is a physician by training. Previously she was a pediatrician oncologist and many of the children she saw had disabilities as a result of cancer, amputation, and other illnesses.

During her tenure at the Office on Disability, she realized that little was being done for children and youth with disabilities in terms of physical fitness and sports. She met with Ms. Johnson and Ms. Spain, and they came up with a national initiative, in which every community will have a program for children with disabilities.

At the rollout for the program on May 26, which will be attended by the Surgeon General and the Secretary, they will have a number of people with disabilities who will give demonstrations. There will be two Olympian amputees, including someone who has climbed Mount Everest. There will be 35 disabled children from the Washington, D.C. area. There will also be an amputee solider from Iraqi who went through a physical fitness program after being released from Walter Reed Hospital. He is now so physically fit that he has been cleared to return to active duty. He will be a great mentor for other soldiers.

Other demonstrations using adaptive equipment will include bowling, golf, table tennis, an obstacle course, and hand cycling. The demonstrations will show that it only takes a little effort and adaptation for people with disabilities to participate in these activities. The program has 50 partners, and after the rollout, they will create a toolkit for local communities to continue the program.

18. Get Fit! Road Show

Phil Christian and Matt Bahr

Get Fit! promotes a healthier America through an interactive field trip and the President’s Challenge. Mr. Bahr noted that the obesity issue is about physical inactivity, and everyone and their kids can be more active. One of the reasons he is passionate about their program is that both his parents were physical education teachers. They did not just focus on sports or activities. They knew that athletes and people in general need balance between athletics and academics. His mother, who is almost 80 years old, still teaches a class called Fitness for Life, and she tries to give people what it takes to be fit, which is finding something you enjoy doing.

Mr. Bahr explained that a mild physical exercise that you do is far better than the best regimen that you do not do. Kids today need to get away from the TV. The Kaiser Family Foundation found that 5.5 hours a day are spent by the average kid with media, including TV, computer, and video games. This is 38.5 hours a week or equivalent to a full-time job.

Get Fit!, which they recently showed to Senator Frist, takes existing programs to the communities and gets them excited in ways they understand. It aims to motivate people to participate in some activity and then to track, monitor, and follow up.

Mr. Swann noted that Mr. Bahr and his brother were kickers in the NFL for many years—17 years for Mr. Bahr. The average time for an NFL player is 3.5 years, and Mr. Bahr noted that the average for a kicker is 2 years.

Mr. Bahr explained that Mr. Swann’s amazing ability to make catches is a combination of a lot of different activities he did as a kid and as an adult. Kids that are more fit score better on the PSATs.

Mr. Christian explained that their mission is to create a healthier America and to continue a program that he and Mr. Bahr have worked on for the past several years. He served as executive producer of a program called Go for It. This program traveled the country as a road trip program in large venues, talking to young people about living a healthy, fit lifestyle. They communicate their message through interactive media that are relevant to today’s children. Over 4 million kids, parents, teachers, and others participated in the program in 140 cities. They saw both immediate and long-term results. The targeted demographic group was grades 3 through 8 to reach kids as they were beginning to make decisions that would follow them for the rest of their lives. The Go for It program focus was broad, covering health and fitness, as well as good character development, respecting others, and getting a good education.

With the Get Fit! program, they want to focus more on the health and fitness component. In an average week, 45,000 to 50,000 children see the program. They are in the process of implementing school follow up programs. They have a local and national public awareness campaign, an interactive Get Fit! website, and a live, interactive field trip. They also do TV and radio shows and other activities. They want to make Get Fit! cool. Whenever they add a new component they always ask if it will pass the “cool factor.” If it does not, then chances are that kids will not receive it well. They use slides, lasers, video, music, and the participation of positive role models, such as Mr. Bahr, Mr. Swann, and many others.

Mr. Christian explained that the Get Fit! Road Show is the centerpiece of the Get Fit! program. In an average week 50,000 kids participate in the show. They still get letters from teachers asking them to bring the program back to their community. He noted that Adria Montgomery-Klein and Natalie Montgomery-Carroll, the fitness twins from Birmingham, Alabama and huge fitness advocates, are going to be involved. He has seen them interact with young people for many years, and they know how to motivate people.

They have free take-home materials that they distribute at the shows. The program is extremely interactive. Even though they have 15,000 kids in an arena, every kid feels like they are a part of it. They call it “short attention span theater.” It is a 90-minute program, but no one piece is longer than 4 minutes. The entertainment is designed to condition the kids and to get them ready for the messages that follow.

The show starts at about 10:00 am, but people start arriving 1 hour early. They keep people busy with pre-show fitness activities and expos. Then they have an opening with a laser show that gets kids up and moving. They have large games like an obstacle course and a giant basketball game. They divide the audience into two groups, and the theme is to have one side compete against the other. They have a segment called Brain Drain, which quizzes kids on the previous messages to test their retention. Their Words of Wisdom segment features positive role models with two to four professional or Olympic athletes participating in the program. They also have fitness and extreme sports exhibits, as well as fun competitions for teachers.

Mr. Bahr then showed a 3-minute video that showed how they generate the excitement with kids and news clips on the program.

Mr. Christian noted that they carefully balance education and entertainment, using entertainment to engage the kids for the follow-up message.

Mr. Christian then discussed how PCPFS could be involved, noting that they want to increase the participation. The Get Fit! program is like the President’s Challenge on tour. The Get Fit! program can help spread the President’s Challenge message and get more people to participate. They would love to have more Council members like Emmitt Smith participate in the program. He commented that the President’s Challenge website is filled with rich resources, and he always finds something new when he visits it. They would love to take this information and bring it to more people. Mr. Bahr explained that the idea is not to reinvent the wheel, but to get the information to more kids to get them excited about being fit.

Like the President’s Challenge, Get Fit! has a curriculum as part of the leave-behind materials. They could have co-branded merchandise, such as t-shirts and pedometers. Like the President’s Challenge, their old program featured awards, and they could work with the Council to create new ones.

Mr. Christian explained that the long-term benefits of Get Fit! will help advance the Steps to a HealthierUS program. This is a unique program and there is nothing of its scale that is ready for deployment. They have great partnerships established with venues, school systems, and community leaders all over the country. They get emails all of the time from parents who go home and talk to their kids about the experience. If they can make fitness cool, kids can transform bad behaviors and learn about the benefits of eating properly and exercising regularly, which will have an impact as they become older. The investment is pennies per person over the long term.

19. PCPFS Action Plan for Remainder of ‘04

Dr. Richardson commended Mr. Burke for his good work with the governor in Wisconsin and noted that it will open the doors to a lot of opportunities.

Mr. Swann noted the Council has received several materials in their binder to review on their plane rides home. The next item on their agenda was to think about their next steps for the remainder of 2004. They need to consider their programs and plans for the next year, particularly for the next 6 months.

20. Revisitation/Review of Subcommittees

Ms. Johnson noted that they heard a lot about partnerships and collaborations during the meeting, and she wanted to focus on the role of subcommittees for the remainder of the meeting. In the past, they had subcommittees for programs, communications, and resources. She suggested that PCPFS reconsider the reformation of subcommittees. They can either go back to the three that they had before or create new ones based on issues that were discussed during the meeting, such as targeting youth, seniors, people with disabilities, the medical community, and families. They could combine certain areas to leverage the people on the Council.

Mr. Swann suggested that they discuss what they need to accomplish in the next 6 months before deciding what subcommittees are needed. The key thing they should continue to build on is the www.presidentschallenge.org website because it encompasses a great deal of what PCPFS does. They need to get the word out and find the types of partnerships that will allow it to grow.

Dr. Mitchell suggested that they form subcommittees by regions and take an approach similar to Mr. Burke’s work in Wisconsin.

Ms. Johnson noted that they thought about having states as one of the subcommittees, since Council members should be active in their states anyway. If they do it by region, then the Council members could promote national initiatives in the ten regions. Mr. Swann asked how the regions are divided and Ms. Johnson explained that it is by population.

Dr. Mitchell commented that a PCPFS goal and priority should be to duplicate what Mr. Burke did in 90 days in Wisconsin. In 180 days, they should be able to make contact with the governors in each state. If he were given Region 6, for example, with Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and New Mexico, each of the governors could be spoken to in the next 6 months.

Mr. Swann summarized that the priority would be to implement the Governors’ Challenges in addition to the President’s Challenge.

Mr. Burke noted that contact with the governors has to happen face-to-face. He doubted that they could get the commitment over a conference call. He suggested they aim to implement the program in a reasonable number of states, whether it is half or one-third of the states. Ms. Johnson noted that the regional directors might be able to set up six meetings at once.

Dr. Mitchell agreed, noting that sending them a letter would not be adequate. He suggested they work with the staff to use Mr. Burke’s template to develop tailored presentations on what the challenge can do for each governor, including state-specific statistics. They could then try to secure a date for the governor to start the challenge.
Mr. Burke noted that the Secretary seemed excited about getting together with the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Education to push the idea of getting the President’s Challenge into all schools by the fall. If they can get to governors by June 15, the governors can have the program in conjunction with other school activities they plan to do this fall.

Since it is May, Mr. Swann noted that they could reach governors with the September and October timeframe. They could leverage the three Secretaries, Dr. Carmona, and the President. They will know in advance how many governors have committed and they can kick off all of the programs at the same time. As Mr. Burke said, they would essentially have a series of state programs that would have a national impact.

Dr. Richardson noted that she would like to see them get on the Today Show. On the map showing the number of overweight people, the ultimate goal is to see the states with higher numbers reverse the trend. The public needs to see where they are.

Mr. Swann envisioned a process that gets early buy-in. Janice Meer can help with this process. When people look at their back-to-school programs, they can see how many states are onboard. A variety of people could then talk about it on television and the morning shows, including the weather people. He referred to the Safe Routes to School program as an example. If they partner with a group that does this program, more kids would ride their bikes and walk to school, and the activities would all relate to the national and back-to-school programs. It would be outstanding to roll all of it into the governors’ programs.

Dr. Mitchell asked about Secretary Thompson’s timeframe for working with the other departments. Ms. Johnson responded that they send out materials to schools every year and write about the President’s Challenge. Dr. Mitchell noted that if they can do the groundwork with the governors first, the letter from the federal government would tie it all together.

Mr. Swann summarized that all of the individual activities would be geared toward the September timeframe, including the governors’ challenge. They would involve the Secretaries and maybe the President, if they can work around his schedule with the election.

Dr. Baird asked about using the National Governors Association (NGA) to reach multiple governors at once. Ms. Johnson noted that their next meeting is in Seattle in July. The Deputy Secretary met with the HHS Subcommittee, so she is seeing if it is possible to play a role in the next one. Dr. Baird noted that his governor chairs the HHS committee, so there may be a tie-in this area. Ms. Johnson added that a CD was given to each governor at the last NGA meeting, and they are trying to get a piece on the President’s Challenge on the next CD for July.

Mr. Swann reminded PCPFS that they had discussed doing presentations and outreach to governors in the past, and now they know the process to get it done by going through the regional directors. They must follow the appropriate process to avoid roadblocks. This process may take longer, since many Council members have direct contacts, but in the end, they will gain more buy-in.

Mr. Moore asked what role Mr. Swann envisions Council members playing in the governors’ challenge. Mr. Swann responded that they would address this issue when they discuss the subcommittees.

Mr. Moore noted that there are ten regional directors. If each Council member targets two governors and they end up with 20 committed governors by the fall, they would be miles ahead of where they are now. He added that working with 50 governors is a lot of work. Mr. Swann responded that they do not anticipate getting all 50 governors.

Ms. Johnson noted that each Council member would meet face-to-face with one or two governors, along with the regional director. Mr. Moore would be going to meetings with Deborah Konopko, for example. She is the director for Region II, which includes New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.

Mr. Burke asked if they want to give out regions or states. Dr. Richardson suggested that they assign regions and then pick states. Mr. Swann asked Mr. Burke if these presentations are a “one-person show,” and Mr. Burke responded affirmatively and suggested that they spread the states out within each region.

PCPFS then discussed and assigned regions to the members, and Ms. Johnson agreed to call the regional directors to let them know that the Council members will be contacting them. Mr. Swann also asked her to provide the regional directors with a list of the Council members and the states they have been assigned. Ms. Johnson noted that she would also contact the Intergovernmental Affairs Office to let them know that PCPFS will be contacting the regional directors.

• Region I (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT): Mr. Moore volunteered to target Connecticut. Mr. Swann noted that Nomar Garciaparra is also located in Boston.
  
• Region II (NJ, NY, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands): Mr. Moore agreed to take this region and to start with New York and New Jersey. Mr. Swann noted that he might be in Puerto Rico for an event.
  
• Region III (DE, DC, MD, PA, VA, WV): Mr. Swann and Denise Austin were assigned Region III since it includes Pennsylvania.
  
• Region IV (AL, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN): Several Council members are located in this region. Dr. Richardson agreed to take Kentucky and Florida, and Ms. Lirio joined her. Ms. Cromwell noted that she has connections in Georgia and also volunteered to cover North Carolina.
  
• Region V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI): Mr. Burke and Dr. Baird agreed to cover this region because of their work in Wisconsin and Ohio.
  
• Region VI (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX): Dr. Mitchell agreed to take Texas and Louisiana and to call Paul Carrozza to see what he would like to do.
  
• Region VII (IA, KS, MO, NE): Mr. Gable volunteered for this region, and Ms. Cosgrove agreed to cover Kansas and Missouri.
  
• Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY): Ms. Johnson shared that she talked to Joe Nuñez the last time she was in Colorado, and he loved the idea. He went to all eight of his governors and sold each of them on an organ donation program. The Council assigned Derek Parra to this region.
  
• Region IX (AZ, CA, HI, NV, Guam, Pacific Islands, American Samoa): Ms. Johnson and Dr. Richardson agreed to take this region. Ms. Johnson noted that Hawaii is interested and that she has contacts in Arizona. Mr. Swann added that he would be in Hawaii in July, which is a little late for this program.
  
• Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA): Mr. Swann asked if anyone had a contract with Nike. Mr. Burke replied that he is their licensee for cycling but does not know the governor. Mr. Burke noted, however, that he might be able to easily target Oregon.

Dr. Richardson noted that if they get governors onboard, then they could help convince the others. Mr. Swann added that they need to reach them before the NGA meeting.

Mr. Swann noted that Council members should make it known if they need more help or have a good relationship in a state that could expedite the process. Council members could partner to leverage a contact. When Council members meet with a regional director, they also need to communicate this to the staff. They should put together the necessary materials, put the program together, and rehearse. To ensure proper coordination, he asked Council members to let the staff know when they have the meetings scheduled and to make the phone calls in a timely manner.

Mr. Moore asked Mr. Burke if they need to go into the meetings, at least conceptually, with some sponsors. Mr. Burke explained that to make a good program fly, they will need to come up with about $100,000, which is not unreasonable for the governors’ offices. The great thing about this program is that the governors will want to adopt it as their program, ensure it is successful, and find the sponsors. He noted that they used $150,000 to do all of the public relations work, put together collateral materials, and pay for the awards. He believes that they will raise between $250,000 and $500,000 the next time they do it in Wisconsin.

Mr. Swann asked if $150,000 would be enough to do this in California with the same quota. Mr. Burke responded that it likely would not be since they would probably give many more awards. Mr. Swann asked if they could come up with a cost per person. Mr. Burke replied that they could give a figure for Wisconsin, which was about $8 per person, and he expects to get 35,000 to 50,000 people involved in Wisconsin next time. He explained that the cost per person would go down because of the website development costs. New states can just cut and paste their materials into a template.

Mr. Swann noted that when they put the presentation together, they should include unique factors for the state, including what might make the cost go a bit higher.

Mr. Burke shared they had three funding levels in Wisconsin, so if they raised level one, which was $50,000, then they knew what they could afford. The second level was $150,000, and the third was $250,000.

Ms. Johnson noted that they need to let the governors know that these funds can be from corporate sponsors, since there are many HHS initiatives underway. Mr. Burke noted that one of the reasons the governor in Wisconsin liked the program so much is that it did not cost them anything.

Mr. Swann suggested that these issues be a part of the presentation. They need a list of things they will love about the program and a list of concerns that PCPFS can anticipate the governors will have, such as costs, timing, and requirements on their personal staff. A lot of this material will come from Mr. Burke’s template.

Dr. Richardson asked if they need to have the sponsors ahead of time, and Mr. Burke replied no, though he did have one. He added that there are a lot of local companies that will come forward.

Ms. Johnson reminded the Council members that they are not to solicit money. Mr. Swann agreed but noted that they may be approached as people hear about the programs.

Ms. Spain asked how the Council would feel about working with existing coalitions to allow some of the work to continue in states where they may not have a presence.

Mr. Swann responded that he does not think this is an issue. Mr. Burke added that many of the governors have their own fitness and health Councils. In Wisconsin, the governor involved his health minister.

Mr. Moore asked if they plan to meet again this year. Mr. Swann noted that it depends on the available budget and people’s schedules. They may end up having an event for which they bring everyone in, but at this point, they are not looking at another meeting. The Council still needs to stay in touch through the staff and to call each other if they have questions, and that they need to funnel the governor’s initiative through the staff office.

Mr. Moore noted that they had a buzz with these last two meetings and agreed to take action, which is difficult to maintain when they go back to their jobs. Ms. Johnson responded that their new focus will help.

Mr. Moore commented that it would be good to meet again in the fall. Mr. Burke agreed and suggested they have a meeting in late August or early September before the campaign starts. Mr. Swann noted that the meeting would have to be earlier and reminded the Council about the NGA meeting in July.

Mr. Burke noted that this meeting may roll into the Secretary’s idea to have a reception on Capitol Hill. Mr. Swann added that they need a sense of urgency and to create momentum for September.

Dr. Mitchell suggested that they have specific deadlines as they move forward, which Ms. Johnson may want to define.

Dr. Richardson commented that they have also heard what a lot of partners, such as General Mills and Kellogg’s, are doing. There are grants available. There needs to be a strategy for getting the word out and enhance their efforts. PCPFS members need to be knowledgeable or everything should be provided on the website.

Ms. Spain explained that this information is on the website and that they missed the grants cycle for General Mills, since the deadline was in February. They can still list opportunities available in the future to fund any activities people may want to develop.
Dr. Richardson asked about the DVD coming out. Ms. Spain responded that it will be released by September. Dr. Richardson suggested that there could be ways to strengthen that partnership by promoting the DVD through the website and different groups.

Referring back to Ms. Johnson’s comments, Mr. Swann explained that they could support these partners by engaging all members of the Council to be active. Each member should try to determine two things they can do every month to promote PCPFS and its programs, whether it is talking to state or local groups or others. Through this process, they can promote some of the partnerships PCPFS has with these groups and programs. He encouraged them not to hesitate to call Ms. Spain and ask for the latest information on the programs and partners that would be appropriate for the targeted group. Council members can request copies of the DVD to hand out to groups. If they get everyone on the Council to do this, they will be taking one small step at a time. Mr. Swann shared that when he travels, he chooses at least two activities, such as going to the local Boys and Girls Club, the YMCA, or another community organization. He goes to talk to kids who are overweight and need some encouragement. Sometimes he takes kids to the stadium or meets them at a park to run or exercise with them for an hour.

Dr. Richardson asked where they are with the fitness test and if it has changed over the last 20 years. Ms. Spain explained that if you look through the book over the years, it has continually moved forward. They had an expert panel review it and found that the older coaches and teachers are sticking with it. They present lifestyle activities and encourage people to adopt them slowly. It takes a long time to change old habits. In terms of the number of patches going out, the fitness test far exceeds anything else.

Ms. Johnson explained that a few members of the Science Board have taken this project on and are reviewing it over the next year. Mr. Burke asked if the Science Board is reviewing it for its science or marketing appeal. Ms. Johnson responded that they are examining its validity.

Mr. Burke recommended that someone talk to the schools about their satisfaction level with the test because he hears only negative things about it. Mr. Swann noted that part of the problem is that it is a 1-day test. He commented that it is a good tool in one standpoint. The problem aspect is with the kids who know they are overweight and know that they cannot do a pull up or other normal activity. These kids will be embarrassed in front of the group and will act out. That will always be an issue.

Dr. Mitchell responded that these are the reasons why it should be about physical activity throughout the school year.

Ms. Johnson asked how many awards have been given out since its inception. Ms. Spain responded 80 million.

Mr. Burke explained that the test is still popular. Eight million people still do it each year, and it is their premier product. However, they should still fix the problem. Ms. Johnson and Ms. Spain responded that they are working on it. Mr. Swann commented that there will always be an issue for the group that is overweight, which is why they need a sustained program.

Dr. Richardson explained she likes the idea of having a goal, but whether this is the right test is another question. What happens is that kids have their regular recess or physical education class, and then one day they just test them without preparing them.

Dr. Mitchell noted that a lot of corporations do not base bonuses on how you rank amongst others. It is based on your improvement over time. This might be an approach to discuss with the Science Board. They can have baseline testing and create rewards as they reach certain goals from third to fourth grade.

21. Summary of Strategies

Mr. Swann summarized that Council members are responsible for working on all aspects of the program in their region. This is a critical time period. In the past, the obesity and inactivity issues were less rampant. This Council does not have the budget it needs to be involved in the programs in which it needs to be. They probably will not get this budget within the life of this current Council. They can still work towards becoming a more viable force in HHS. He explained that they are creating a foundation upon which the next Council can build. You cannot talk about $250 billion spent on preventable obesity without talking about the need for physical fitness. He acknowledged that they face political issues with physical education and working synergistically with the Department of Education. They can work with governors, and the website helps to build a foundation for what this Council can do in the future.

Dr. Richardson noted that what they have done in a short time frame is exciting. They have the interactive website, the Science Board, several initiatives, and more corporations that are interested in launching programs with their employees.

Ms. Johnson noted they have come a long way with the hard work of both the Council and the staff. It is important to reconsider what they are doing and what they have done. Everyone seems open to innovation and creative planning. She thanked everyone for his or her efforts.

22. Adjournment

Mr. Swann adjourned the meeting at 4:00 p.m. and thanked everyone for attending.

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