
	Childhood Obesity

Fund Raising

If you or your company would like to help fund this program please contact Keith Porter or Jamie Lord at keith@ghorba.org or jamie@ghorba.org Since GHORBA is a non-profit organization your donations are tax deductible.

Childhood Obesity

IMBA's Executive Director Speaks Out

After nearly a decade as the star of TV's most popular sitcom, Jerry Seinfeld can afford to buy anything he wants. Yes, he owns a stable of vintage Porsche racing cars, but one of his most-prized possessions has only two wheels.

It's a chopper-handlebar, banana-seat replica of his first bicycle - a vintage Schwinn that was Seinfeld's ticket to freedom when he grew up in the suburbs of New York City. Jerry commissioned this bike because riding was such an important part of his childhood and he wanted to stay connected to it.

Bike riding should be part of every kid's life. It's an ideal form of exercise. It delivers adventure and builds self-confidence. Most of all, it's FUN.

Unfortunately, most kids these days spend a lot more time on the couch than in the saddle...or participating in any other sport. The consequences - all negative - are astounding. Consider these stats:

According to the Surgeon General, the percentage of U.S. children who are overweight has nearly nearly tripled in the past two decades.

	Type II diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents. Obesity is closely linked to Type II diabetes.
	Overweight adolescents have a 70% chance of becoming overweight adults.
	Forty-three percent of adolescents watch more than two hours of TV each day.
	Hard-hit by budget cuts, only a third of U.S. schools offer physical education classes.
	The immediate consequence of being overweight (perceived by the children themselves) is social discrimination. This is associated with poor self-esteem and depression.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, Director of the Center for Disease Control, says, "One critical answer to this problem is that we all must work together to help our children make physical activity a life-long habit."

This is where mountain biking and IMBA Sprockids can help.

IMBA Sprockids is dedicated to getting kids on bicycles and creating a network of support for schools, youth groups, clubs, parents, and the kids themselves. IMBA Sprockids groups can be as simple as one dedicated parent committing to leading regular group rides on school property. They can be as ambitious as creating full-fledged junior racing teams or regularly integrating classroom material with on-the-trail mountain bike adventures.

We need to act. We want every kid to be active and experience the joys of bike riding. We want every adult to look back at their childhood and fondly remember their first bike. Better yet, we want people to keep riding throughout their lives. That's one way, for sure, to make the world a better place.

- Tim Blumenthal