Retail, Education, Healthcare Leaders to Sponsor Partnership for a Healthier America’s Building a Healthier Future Summit
Companies join experts from government, industry and academia to address the childhood obesity epidemic
Washington, D.C. (March 6, 2014)—The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) today announced new sponsors for the 2014 “Building a Healthier Future Summit,” taking place March 12 to 14 at the Washington Hilton in Washington, D.C. Leading companies in the retail, education, healthcare and sports sectors join PHA at the Summit, which brings together private sector, government, academia and philanthropic leaders to discuss real solutions to ending America’s childhood obesity crisis.
The 2014 key sponsors include:
“BOKS”—BOKS, an initiative of Reebok and the Reebok Foundation, is a before-school physical activity program aimed to get elementary school children moving in the morning and their brains ready for a day of learning. Launched in 2009, and now in more than 800 schools to date, BOKS provides a completely free robust curriculum to empower the community and help the youth of this generation embrace healthy habits that will last a lifetime.
Bright Horizons Family Solutions, Inc.— A leading provider of high-quality child care, early education and other services designed to help employers and families better address the challenges of work and life. Bright Horizons has made a commitment to serve as an open model as they continue to focus extraordinary effort on promoting healthy habits for the children they care for every day. Bright Horizons was PHA’s first child care partner and is providing onsite child care for children ages 2 through 12 for attendees at this year’s Summit.
Brita®—A product line that transforms water from any tap into cleaner, clearer, great tasting water. The Brita pitchers, on-the-go bottles and faucet mount systems remove the impurities, including chlorine, that can leave a bad odor or taste in water. Brita supports PHA’s “Drink Up” campaign and its efforts to encourage America to drink more water. Through its “Filter for Good” program, Brita has encouraged millions of Americans to ditch single-serve plastic bottles and opt for a more sustainable way to drink water.
Knowledge Universe®—The nation’s largest provider of early childhood care and education includes KinderCare® Learning Centers, CCLC®, and Champions®, where more than 31,000 employees help children grow and learn in nurturing and safe environments. Every day, more than 130,000 children take their first steps, learn to read and prepare for school through its early childhood and school-age programs. Inspired by its commitments to PHA, Knowledge Universe is launching the Grow Happy initiative, which will provide families with tools, recipes, tips and advice that can help them make small changes toward leading a healthier lifestyle.
Morrison Healthcare—A leading national food and nutrition services company that exclusively serves more than 600 hospitals and health systems. The company’s “Mindful ChoicesSM” platform includes the latest in healthful eating and an understanding of behavioral change in food consumption. Morrison’s alignment with PHA impacts up to 41 million patients and 500 million hospital meals annually.
Walmart Stores, Inc.—One of the world’s largest retailers remains proud to partner with First Lady Michelle Obama and PHA in making it easier for all families to shop and eat healthier. Walmart continues to make meaningful progress on its five healthier food commitments, including reducing sodium and sugar in food, putting more stores in food deserts, increasing support for nutrition education programs and saving customers more than $1 billion annually on fruits and vegetables.
WellPoint, Inc.—One of the nation’s largest health benefits companies serving approximately 36 million Americans through its affiliated health plans and nearly 68 million individuals through its subsidiaries, including Medicaid beneficiaries in 19 states served by its Amerigroup subsidiary.
The two-day “Building a Healthier Future Summit” will bring together philanthropic, government, academia and private sector leaders to discuss real solutions to ending America’s childhood obesity crisis. Participants will join breakout sessions focused on health equity and childhood obesity solutions. First Lady Michelle Obama will keynote the event. Leading decision makers and experts from both the private and public sectors will also speak as part of the Summit. For more information about the Summit, visit www.ahealthieramerica.org/summit.
About Partnership for a Healthier America
The Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA) is devoted to working with the private sector to ensure the health of our nation’s youth by solving the childhood obesity crisis. In 2010, PHA was created in conjunction with—but independent from—First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! effort. PHA is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that is led by some of the nation’s most respected health and childhood obesity experts. PHA brings together public, private and nonprofit leaders to broker meaningful commitments and develop strategies to end childhood obesity. Most important, PHA ensures that commitments made are commitments kept by working with unbiased third parties to monitor and publicly report on the progress our partners are making. For more information about PHA, please visit www.ahealthieramerica.org and follow PHA on Twitter @PHAnews.