Get in the Action

Making Kids Healthier, One School at a Time

Get in the Action gives ordinary people an opportunity to get involved in their own communities, creating the kinds of healthy changes in schools that make it possible for kids to be physically active and to eat nutritious food every day. From the cafeteria to the playground, our volunteers are rolling up their sleeves, pulling out their paint brushes and tools to build or renovate school facilities so kids have healthy school environments.

Launched in 2010 in Chicago, Get in the Action was introduced at a time when the nation is battling a childhood obesity epidemic. Over 30% of our kids are overweight or obese and many of them face increased risks for serious obesity-related medical conditions as a result. But the good news is it’s possible to turn this epidemic around and Action for Healthy Kids volunteers are leading the way.

Get in the Action is the Solution!

Whether our volunteers plant a sustainable community garden, build and furnish an indoor fitness center, renovate a jungle gym, install a fresh fruit and salad bar in a school cafeteria, introduce students to ‘brain breaks’ of physical activity or provide fruit and vegetable taste tests to introduce students to a variety of healthy foods, Get in the Action, our national service initiative, is all about making the kinds of changes in schools that can help our kids live healthier lives and it’s working!

“It was life-changing for kids and life-changing for the school too,” explains Crystal Bahena, a fifth-grader at Frederic Chopin Elementary, one of two Chicago schools where the initiative – designed to encourage more physical activity and healthier food choices by kids – was introduced in September 2010. “I used to eat popcorn and things with the butter, but now every night I just eat the orange and instead of drinking pop, sometimes I just grab a glass of orange juice or water.” 

Get in the Action Goes National

This year, our volunteers are getting in the action in Chicago, Denver, Phoenix and Washington D.C., as well as cities in California, DuPage County, Ill. and Florida, where they’ll dive into projects designed to make kids healthier, one school at a time.

Learn how you can Get in the Action for healthier schools in Chicago and Denver.