| September 22, 2003 |
On Monday, September 22, Congresswoman Granger and the Duchess of York will address 3,500 high school senior girls at TCU’s Daniel Meyer Coliseum. The Women’s Foundation of North Texas is sponsoring this event for all area high school senior girls.
Congresswoman Granger’s remarks will focus on her federal legislation to combat obesity, as well as her efforts to support healthy eating habits and the benefits of regular exercise. The Duchess of York will tell her personal story and talk about her own battle with obesity. Deborah Ferguson, from Channel 5 KXAS - NBC news, will moderate the event.
The Congresswoman and the Duchess of York met last year in Washington, DC when the Duchess was in town highlighting the growing problem of obesity. Congresswoman Granger and the Duchess of York met to discuss their mutual interest in combating the obesity epidemic. Since that meeting, Congresswoman Granger and the Duchess of York have been collaborating on various projects.
"The Duchess and I make a great team," said Granger. "We are both really passionate about this issue."
In addition to making remarks on Monday morning, Congresswoman Granger will hand out "step-o-meters" to all the seniors that attend. Congresswoman Kay Granger has worked with Coca-Cola Bottling Company to give out 3,500 Coca-Cola "step-o-meters" as motivation to get the girls excercising. The "step-o-meters" measure the number of steps the girls take each day. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the recommended number of steps per day is 10,000 steps.
"The step-o-meters make fitness fun," said Granger. "It’s a great way to see exactly how much exercise you are getting every day. It is also fun to see how you are doing in comparison to your friends. I gave the step-o-meters out to my staff in Washington, DC and then I just sat back and watched as the competition grew. Those type A Washington people can get really competitive!"
On Monday, at the TCU event, Congresswoman Granger will also announce a new "Kay Granger Fitness Challenge." The fitness challenge is targeted toward the youth in our area. Young people are invited to take the "Kay Granger Fitness Challenge" by signing up for one of the Cowtown marathon races (5k, 10k, marathon).
The youth challenge participants will spend the next five months training for the race and each race finisher will receive a special Kay Granger Fitness Challenge medal, minted specially for this event. Congresswoman Granger will present the medal to the finishers at a special ceremony following the February 28th race.
"I am really excited about the Fitness Challenge. I’m even considering ways where I could show the kids that I am training along with them. Maybe I’ll post my own "step-o-meter" readings daily on my website. This is something we can all do together."
Following the 9:30am event at the TCU coliseum, the Congresswoman and the Duchess will speak at an 11:30am fundraiser luncheon, being held at the Fort Worth Convention Center, for the Women’s Foundation of North Texas.