CATCH/Sioux YMCA Project Featured at Global Gathering

The Sioux YMCA Initiative is a partnership between the YMCAs of Greater Twin Cities (YGTC) in Minnesota and the Sioux YMCA in South Dakota. Each summer, the YGTC selects participants from local and national partner YMCAs, provides them with extensive training and coordinates their 15-day service trips in order to provide greater services to six remote communities on the Cheyenne River Reservation for over 12 weeks each summer.

Youth on the Cheyenne River Reservation face stark health challenges, including an extremely high prevalence of youth obesity and diabetes. To combat these disparities, the Sioux YMCA and the YGTC have collaborated with the Great Plains Tribal Chairmen’s Health Board’s Childhood Obesity Prevention Program to implement CATCH as the official Sioux YMCA Initiative youth program of 2013 and 2014. By partnering with local schools and other youth-serving agencies on the Cheyenne River Reservation also implementing CATCH, young people are receiving holistic support to enhance their physical activity and increase positive nutrition behaviors.

CATCH Continues Move It Movement Tour!

CATCH continues its exciting partnership with Cartoon Network this month as the Move It Movement Tour rages on.

Peter with some Cartoon Network stars, Finn and Jake from Adventure Time!

One of our visitors participating in the NFL Challenge

The Move It Movement tour came by our Austin offices, and we were so excited to see all of the amazing resources they have available to children and families! We caught up with the tour at the Dell Diamond, where partners including Subway and the NFL join with Cartoon Network and CATCH to get kids playing, drinking water, and eating right.

CATCH's Project Director and newfound sports-superstar, Peter Cribb, threw the first pitch at the Round Rock Express minor league game on Tuesday, August 5. "It was a thrill!" Peter says of the experience. "It was a lot of pressure, let me tell you. Those pitchers on the mound are under a lot of pressure. If you ever get the opportunity, just don't throw it in the dirt like I did!" We're pretty sure Peter's just being modest; we were all impressed as Peter gave new meaning to the term "off-speed pitch."

Peter with one of the many amazing families we saw

CATCH is incredibly proud to be acknowledged as a piece of the puzzle when it comes to improving children's health. One of the most exciting aspects of the Move It Movement tour, Peter pointed out, is that parents and children come through the activities together. Both parents and children get the same message about making healthy choices, enhancing the strength of the message and bolstering the community decision making that we find key to improving child health.

To find out when the Move It Movement tour is coming to a city near here, click here!