More than 100 Christel House Academy students joined Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in launching Project 18, a new program aimed at fighting childhood obesity in Indiana today. The state-wide health and wellness campaign is an initiative of Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital at St.Vincent (courtesy photo) and focuses on school health education and community outreach.

The project, which is named after Manning’s football jersey number, provides Indiana elementary schools with an 18-week health and wellness curriculum designed to address the major risk behaviors in third-grade to fifth-grade students. It focuses on the areas of nutrition, physical activity and holistic health. In 2008, Indiana ranked 11th in the country for obesity. Approximately one-third of Hoosier children are overweight, and are more likely to develop high blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, low self-esteem and depression. Marsh Supermarkets, Ball State University and Strategic Marketing & Research, Inc. (SMARI) have also teamed up with Manning and St. Vincent as they work to educate Indiana students and their families on healthy living choices through Project 18.

In addition to launching the program at Christel House Academy, Principal Carey Dahncke was also invited to be the only school principal to participate in videotaped public service announcements (see Carey in the Goal Setting video).

Be sure to check out the local Indianapolis evening news for highlights of the launch and press conference that took place at Christel House Academy this morning. Also watch our website for updates on our Academy students’ progress in the program beginning this fall.

More on our health programs
More Project 18
Video Coverage on WISH-TV
Coverage at IndyStar.com

Labels: Academy, event, health