Community Corner
Steuart W. Weller Elementary wins $10,000 PLAY 60 Grant
Washington Redskins players create excitement at the school and encourage healthy activities.
On Tuesday, the children and staff of Steuart W. Weller Elementary School were greeted with some special guests. Washington Redskins Tim Hightower, Darrel Young, Ryan Torain and Roy Helu, along with Hightower's mother, Nikki, visited the school to present them with a $10,000 NFL PLAY 60 Grant.
The NFL PLAY 60 Super School sweepstakes selects one school in each of the 32 NFL markets and two non-NFL markets. The PLAY 60 campaign focuses on getting children to exercise for 60 minutes a day and the grant is used for health and wellness programming or equipment at the school.
As the players entered the multipurpose room, they were greeted with a roar of cheers, especially Helu, who really got the children excited as he ran through the crowd giving high-fives to the kids.
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Despite his current injury, Hightower walked on stage without his crutches and spoke of the importance of exercise to the children. He told them to get outside and play as much as possible – after doing their homework, of course! He then introduced someone he referred to as his "lifelong hero" – his mother Nikki.
Mrs. Hightower, a former third grade teacher, spoke excitedly to the children about the program. She encouraged them to "wiggle here, wiggle there, play here, play there. We need an active lifestyle so we all need to get out 60 minutes a day and play."
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Mrs. Hightower then introduced the Proctor & Gamble Super Parent – Mindy Smith. Smith was awarded the P&G Super Parent as someone who had gone above and beyond in helping the children in their community get active and healthy. A check for $1,000 in Smith’s name was presented to the school’s athletic department.
Mrs. Hightower closed by telling the children: “I want you to just look at your little bodies, and if you don’t remember anything else, I want you to remember that you are beautifully and wonderfully made. But your body cannot go on unless you give it activity.”
For more information on NFL PLAY 60 visit http://www.nflrush.com/play60.
