ROSEMONT, Ill. – GENYOUth raised more than $2 million at its annual gala to help
support youth wellness programs such as Fuel Up to Play 60 that was founded in
partnership by America’s dairy farmers and the National Football League (NFL).
The gala is GENYOUth’s largest fundraiser of
the year and is underwritten through third-party sponsorships, table sales and
in-person donations. Gala proceeds will support Fuel Up to Play 60 – GENYOUth’s
flagship program – and its 2019 student ambassador summit, student/teacher
summit scholarships and young social entrepreneurship efforts.
Fuel Up to Play 60 focuses on improving nutrition
and physical activity in schools, including the consumption of low-fat and
fat-free dairy. It is one of the nation’s largest in-school wellness efforts,
reaching 73,000 schools and 38 million students nationwide since its 2007
launch by National Dairy Council and the NFL.
“GENYOUth is the absolute right program for
dairy farmers to be involved with,” said Marilyn Hershey, a Pennsylvania dairy
farmer and chair of Dairy Management Inc., which manages the national dairy
checkoff. “Its annual gala raises funds that support dairy farmers’ youth
wellness programs. This follows our checkoff strategy of working with others
who share our goals and can bring their resources to the table to extend our
commitment.”
PepsiCo was honored with the 2018 Vanguard Award,
given annually to the organization or individual whose commitment, passion and
support enables GENYOUth to empower students to be change agents for health,
wellness and academic achievement. PepsiCo made it possible to increase access
to more than 5 million school breakfast meals around the country and to
translate Fuel Up to Play 60 into Spanish. The company also provided NFL FLAG
football kits to more than 27,000 students in summer feeding programs.
During the gala, PepsiCo announced a renewed
2019 commitment to GENYOUth totaling $1 million to grow school breakfast
participation in high-need communities and further enhance the FUTP 60 en
Espanol program and student ambassador network.
This year’s gala was themed “Everyday
Superheroes” and key leaders who have supported Fuel Up to Play 60 were
recognized, including: New York school program advisor Yesenia Pion, Ohio State
University professor and pediatrician Dr. Robert Murray, pro football hall of
famer Thurman Thomas and National Dairy Council President Jean Ragalie-Carr.
Additionally, several Fuel Up to Play 60 student ambassadors were recognized
for their commitment to improving the nutrition and physical activity
environment in their schools.
Serving as keynote speakers for the gala were
New York Yankees star Aaron Judge, two-time Olympic gold medalist boxer
Claressa Shields and former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, who
spoke on a panel moderated by Nate Burleson of the NFL and CBS networks.
“We are so thankful to everyone who joined us
on behalf of our nation’s youth,” GENYOUth CEO Alexis Glick said. “We are
committed to making sure this next generation has the resources they need to
thrive and to help empower youth to lead the way forward for healthier,
high-achieving futures. Together, as athletes, executives, farmers, team
members and individuals, we demonstrated that our collective strength is far
greater when we work side by side to equip, engage and empower our nation's
youth.”