Hip4Kids chief says knowledge the best preventive measure

Editor, NRN:

Three and a half years ago Hip4Kids, a not-for-profit educational initiative for children, young adults, their parents and educators, embarked on a mission to address and remedy childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes while simultaneously working to advance the goals of the foodservice and hospitality industries. Our belief is that if disseminated through 21st century learning programs, such as the Internet and community outreach, the creative power of hospitality professionals and the expertise of educators and health-care professionals could begin to answer questions about a "twin epidemic" and educate a constituency that is our most important future resource--our children.

Currently our Web site, www.Hip4Kids.org, delivers a vast array of interactive programming to children, young adults and their teachers. We are especially proud of our interdisciplinary curriculum for after-school programming, which is available by request to any teacher in the country.

We have accomplished a great deal these past few years and continue to observe the media coverage of the epidemic of obesity in this country and others. A recent NRN article, "As U.S. wins the war against hunger, it's losing the battle against weight gain," Oct. 18, page 52, was informative, but it did not note that there are educational efforts, such as Hip4Kids, that counter the approach that seeks to lay blame at the feet of hard-working hospitality professionals.

Hip4Kids has made significant strides here in New York, but we still await support from an industry of which I am a 20-plus-year veteran. Hip4Kids has always taken care to deliver programming that is mindful of every facet connected to the hospitality industry and to teach that it is not necessarily a matter of what we eat, but of how much and what energy is expended. This has been a major theme delivered through our programming with the New York City Departments of Parks and Recreation and Health and Mental Hygiene and countless other after-school clinics we have conducted in association with the American Cancer Society and the American Diabetes Association. In short we believe in personal responsibility, not blaming producers of any specific goods. We also believe that if you really care to educate yourself on food consumption, professional chefs are a great resource.

We would like to extend an invitation to all concerned professionals and companies seeking to promote the hospitality industry to join in this dynamic project. To do nothing only furthers the health-care crisis of childhood obesity; to respond in the positive would negate the claims of those who seek remedy via lawsuits.

Christopher Daly

founder

Hip4Kids Inc.

New York

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