kidsThe Center Helping Obesity In Children End Successfully (C.H.O.I.C.E.S.) will hold its 5th Annual Children’s Nutrition Education and Physical Activity Expo today, March 27, at the Adamsville Recreation Center from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Presented by The Aetna Foundation and WSBTV- Channel 2’s Family 2 Family, the Expo will kick-off with remarks at 11:30 a.m. by Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed and Councilman C.T. Martin.

More than 2,000 parents and youth are expected to participate in this free community-wide annual event. The Expo will include fun fitness activities, nutrition exhibitions, free health screens, cooking demonstrations, an Easter egg scavenger hunt and vendor presentations.

In Georgia, 15 percent children aged 2-4years in the Women, Infant and Children (WIC) program are obese, 24 percent third grade children are obese, 15 percent middle school students are obese and 14% high school students are obese according to The Georgia Department of Human Resources, Division of Public Health.

“We are excited about bringing the Expo to the City of Atlanta,” said Vanetta Keyes, Founder and Executive Director of C.H.O.I.C.E.S. “It is our hope that this event will serve as a healthy activity for Atlanta parents and youth as well as encourage them to take the principles learned at the Expo and implement them into their everyday lives.”

Event Partners for the Expo include The City of Atlanta, Atlanta Public Schools, The Atlanta Braves, The Atlanta Dream, The Atlanta Hawks, The Atlanta Thrashers, Enliven Atlanta Magazine, Fulton County Department of Health, Get Fit Atlanta, GPAN, Reach for Wellness and We Can!.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.ChoicesForKids.org or call (678) 819-3663.

Collin KelleyEditor

Collin Kelley has been the editor of Atlanta Intown for two decades and has been a journalist and freelance writer for 35 years. He’s also an award-winning poet and novelist.