ATLANTA, Jan. 17, 2023 — The American Heart Association and the National Football League (NFL), with the Atlanta Falcons, to begin collective impact work in the Atlanta community to remove barriers that prevent active lifestyles. The work is funded through the NFL’s PLAY 60 initiative which challenges kids to be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.
The Atlanta collective impact is the second location for this work following the successful collective impact model in Inglewood, Calif. in relationship with the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers. Similar to Inglewood, Atlanta is a large city with several barriers preventing people from living active lifestyles. The collective impact work is a data-driven approach, that brings together community leaders and organizations from different sectors to focus on a common agenda to solve a specific social problem. In the Atlanta collective impact, the coalition will focus on equitable access to daily physical activity and quality nutrition.
“According to the CDC, the state of Georgia has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the country and there’s an urgent need for these numbers to be reduced to allow each of Georgia’s children the opportunity to grow to their fullest potential,” said Carla Smith, region senior vice president and executive eirector of the Metro Atlanta American Heart Association. “Active children have better bone health, physical fitness, brain function, attention, and academic performance. These are all critical to living a healthy lifestyle into adulthood.”
For over 15 years the American Heart Association, devoted to a world of healthier lives for all, and the NFL, in collaboration with the 32 NFL teams, have reached over 10.5 million kids with physical activity resources to meet the recommended 60 minutes a day of vigorous physical activity. NFL PLAY 60 is rooted in proven science that shows that active kids learn better, focus more, think more clearly and perform better in the classroom[1].
“The NFL is proud to work alongside the American Heart Association and the Atlanta Falcons to promote healthy lifestyles for youth across Atlanta,” said NFL senior vice president of social responsibility, Anna Isaacson. “It’s crucial that through this impact work, children have access to programs and tools that will help them stay active and receive quality nutrition daily.”
In addition to the collective impact work in Atlanta and Inglewood, the American Heart Association and the NFL offer many free resources that can be used in the classroom, afterschool or at home.
- NFL PLAY 60 App: The free NFL PLAY 60 app helps kids get move more throughout the day by using their activity to control personalized avatars onscreen in a fun interactive environment. The app is available for iOS and Android devices.
- NFL PLAY 60 Exercise Library: In collaboration with the 32 NFL clubs, the NFL PLAY 60 library features kid-friendly exercises to help kids get their recommended 60-minutes of daily physical activity. The library features 1–3-minute videos of players, mascots and cheerleaders moving more from homes, stadiums and practice fields.
- American Heart Association NFL PLAY 60 Playlist: A robust playlist of all things AHA and NFL PLAY 60. This playlist offers past Super Bowl Virtual Field Trips, club exercise videos, combine drills, Kids Day Broadcasts, NFL PLAY 60 chapter videos and more! This playlist can inspire hours of activity for your child or students.
For more information on NFL PLAY 60, visit heart.org/NFLPLAY60.
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About the American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.
About The NFL Foundation
The National Football League Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of those touched by the game of football – from players at all levels to communities across the country. The NFL Foundation and its members, the 32 NFL clubs, support the health, safety and wellness of athletes, youth football, and the communities that support our game. For more information on the NFL Foundation, visit: www.NFLFoundation.org.
About NFL PLAY 60
For over 15 years (since 2007), the NFL PLAY 60 initiative has served as the League’s national youth health and wellness initiative to encourage millions of kids across the country to get physically active for at least 60 minutes a day and fuel the body with nutritious foods. With more than $360 million to youth health and fitness through PLAY 60 programming, grants and awareness campaigns, the NFL, its 32 clubs and its PLAY 60 partners have provided more than 38 million children the resources they need to boost their activity levels by supporting programs in over 73,000 schools and constructing more than 280 youth fitness zones nationwide.
For more information, visit NFL.com/PLAY60.
For Media Inquiries:
American Heart Association
Linzy Cotaya | linzy.cotaya@heart.org
For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)
heart.org and stroke.org
Erin Thomas, Marketing Communications Director, Metro Atlanta | Erin.thomas@heart.org
NFL
Jordyn White
Jordyn.White@nfl.com
[1] Department of Health and Human Services, Physical Activity Guidelines, page 14. Available for download here: health.gov/paguidelines/default.aspx