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VIDEO: Alaina Jaye Halsey
Indianapolis' Black Expo
Kids play, learn lifelong love for fitness July 17, 2015
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Children’s eyes grew large with excitement as they filed into the convention center.
Pointing to the inflatable activities that towered over them, they rushed to be the first to climb on an inflatable obstacle course or try their hand at putt-putt. Organizers said they hope the children will remember that joy and turn it into a lifestyle of activity. Hundreds of children gathered in the convention center July 17 as Black Expo Summer Celebration kicked off its Family Fun Zone event, offering kids the chance to experience special attractions including inflatable obstacle courses, putt-putt, and bungee-assisted jumping. "Today’s objective is to promote a healthy and active lifestyle," Lashelle Day, a volunteer for Black Expo said. “We have so many activities for kids to be involved in where they’re not just sitting, but instead moving and getting fit,” Day said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, only one in three children are physically active every day. Instead, children are spending more than seven and a half hours a day in front of a screen, be it television, computer or smartphone. Yvonne Putnam was in Indianapolis for a family reunion and decided to bring her grandson to Summer Celebration for the day. “I’m hoping he can get to know some new people and experience some new things while being active so he can start thinking about being active and benefiting from that in the future,” Putnam said. Darnell Jameson brought his three daughters to the event. “I am excited to see my kids have some fun while also staying active,” he said. “It is important that kids have fun. A lot of times kids have things going on in the neighborhood and around them that isn’t necessarily positive, so it is important that they are also exposed to positive events like this.” Andy Wheeler with the Salvation Army Eagles brought a group of 16 kids to the event. He said the one main take-away he wants the children to see is that it doesn’t matter what color you are or where you come from, anyone can have fun and be active together. “Just because it is a Black Expo doesn’t mean it is just for black kids, that it is for everybody to come and have a good time while staying active,” says Wheeler. |