When President Clinton first appeared on Rachael's show, it was to announce the partnership of her new Yum-o! organization and Clinton's Alliance for a Healthier Generation, with the shared goal of combating childhood obesity and helping families eat healthier. Two women who have been inspired to make similar positive changes at their kids' schools share their stories:

Tonya, 41, first became aware of a need to make changes at her son's school in Wake Forest, North Carolina when her son mentioned a number of sugary snacks he'd eaten there one day. With the principal's suggestion, the mom created a school wellness council, which is funded through the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the American Heart Association. The program is made up of teachers and administrators who help plan menus and choose physical activities. Tonya shares that their latest initiative is called Change for Fitness, with the goal of raising enough money to turn a nearby service road into a walking path. "This will give the kids a sense of accomplishment because they will know that they can actually make things happen," she says.

As with Tonya's school, walking plays a key role in a program created by Mindee at Campbell Elementary School in Lincoln, Nebraska. "Most fundraisers are about selling candy and junk food," she says. "If we raise money by raising our fitness levels at the same time, then everybody wins." With the money they raised from their first walk-a-thon, Mindee and the students were able to build a quarter-mile walking track at the school. Students continue their walks daily as part of phys ed classes, keeping track of all the miles they log, hoping someday to walk enough miles equal to that of a trip around the world!

Rachael asks the women what they would say to parents who are not sure how to get involved in their own school. "Take a look around your school," Tonya says. "Survey what's being offered in the cafeteria, find out how much P.E. time kids are actually getting each day and just let the school know that you're interested in healthier alternatives at your school."

Mindee adds that parents ought not be discouraged by thinking that they will have to deal with a lot of bureaucratic red tape to get things accomplished. "They were really happy to have people come in and say I want to take charge of something," she says about her school's administrators.

Rachael then introduces the person who brought these two stories to her attention, President Bill Clinton. "What these mothers are doing for their children and other people's children is really important," he says. "We're going to try to use Mother's Day on my Facebook page to promote more people doing this kind of work."

President Clinton explains that 2.7 million kids are affected by childhood obesity. "It's America's most serious public health challenge," he states. "We've got to take this message all across the country. Every school in America just needs one parent like them to start."

Related Links

The Alliance for a Healthier Generation

Yum-o!