RYE NECK – Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey (D-Westchester/Rockland) today marked National Nutrition Month by touring the fitness center for Rye Neck Middle School and High School and discussing her bipartisan bill to fight childhood obesity.

“I am pleased that Rye Neck Union Free School District has joined the fight to keep our children healthy and fit,” said Lowey.  “Poor nutrition and too little exercise are taking a serious toll on our children.  I am working in Washington to pass legislation to give our schools resources for wellness programs like the one Rye Neck has established.”

Lowey discussed her efforts in Congress to address childhood obesity.  She led efforts to pass a provision to provide states with additional resources to promote nutrition and fitness in schools last fall.  The Fiscal Year 2004 Omnibus Appropriations Bill provided over $10 million for the School Meals Initiative/Team Nutrition program to “combat increased obesity and other health problems in children.”  Team Nutrition, a program within the U.S. Department of Agriculture, gives states the tools to coordinate and foster activities in local school districts to improve children’s health.

Lowey is also the leading Democratic sponsor of the bipartisan Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity (IMPACT) Act to establish initiatives to prevent and treat obesity in our schools and communities.  The IMPACT Act was passed by the U.S. Senate in December, and Lowey pledged to fight for its passage in the House of Representatives this year.  This bill would establish initiatives to prevent and treat obesity in our schools and communities, increase funding for Team Nutrition, and implement other programs like Rye Neck Union Free School District’s wellness initiative.

The recently-renovated fitness center is part of an overall wellness enrichment program called WOW, Working on Wellness, which serves students in Rye Neck Middle School and High School.  In addition to fitness and nutrition, a School-Wide Enrichment Model (SEM) focuses on helping individual students use their talents to overcome educational challenges.  For example, music is often used to improve math skills. Lowey secured $20,000 in federal funds in Fiscal Year 2003 towards this portion of the enrichment program. 

“Rye Neck Union Free School District is taking great steps to give our kids more than reading, writing, and arithmetic.  This wellness initiative provides lessons in health and nutrition that will last a lifetime.  It also helps students gain confidence and new methods for learning.  I will continue to fight to give children across America access to programs that help them lead healthy, active lifestyles.”