Matthew Stafford Surprises Michigan School with Healthy Message
Kathleen Gardner
| 2 min read
Who knew that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford likes to cook? That was just one of the inside scoops students at Tenniswood Elementary in Clinton Township were treated to when Stafford surprised the students with his visit to promote our partnership with the Detroit Lions in the NFL’s Play 60 program. “My biggest thing is just challenging them to be active every day and make good decisions when they’re eating,” Stafford said of the fun-packed afternoon last week. “If we create good habits at a young age, they’re going to be healthy teenagers, healthy adults, and we’re all going to benefit from that.” Play 60 focuses on teaching kids the importance of leadership, eating healthy and being active for 60 minutes every day. It’s part of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan’s #MIKidsCan campaign, which aims to help kids build healthier habits that will carry into adulthood. Tenniswood was chosen for the special visit because of its enthusiastic support for Blue Cross’s Building Healthy Communities program. The Stafford assembly was the last of six assemblies this school year with the Lions at participating schools. “We have become a healthier environment, where healthy eating and activity is exemplified by staff and embraced by students and their families,” the school’s principal, Kimberly Vigneron, said of its Building Healthy Communities grant. Tenniswood used its grant to create a student leadership team and Healthy Kids Clubs. Among other activities, the kids clubs encourage teammates to complete a 5K walk or run together. Here’s what some of the Tenniswood kids had to say about the benefits: [smartslider3 slider=12] To learn more about #MIKidsCan and our Play 60 partnership with the Lions, go to ahealthiermichigan.org/MIKidsCan.
