Fit for a cause
On May 10 a group of around 100 teenage girls will carry bags overflowing with canned soups, Kraft dinner, granola bars and more to the St. Albert Food Bank.
This year Fit + Fierce, a program that teaches fitness, nutrition, health and wellness to girls under the age of 18, has a goal of collecting 2,000 pounds of food to donate.
The fitness program isn’t just about getting into shape. Fit + Fierce works on the body as well as the mind, giving adolescent girls the tools they need to make healthy choices and be confident.
“Part of the program has a focus on building confidence, being resilient, being self compassionate, having all those tools to be strong and stay true to yourself to get through the tough times,” said Kelsey McQueen, personal trainer and co-leader of the program.
Fit + Fierce runs from September to June, the same months as the school system. It takes girls from Grade 4 to Grade 12, teaching them the skills they need to navigate day-to-day situations.
The classes are broken up by age range with Grade 4 meeting, Grade 5 and 6 meeting, Grade 7, 8 and 9 meeting and Grade 10, 11 and 12 meeting.
The scope of the challenges changes as the grade number goes higher. While students in Grade 4 might be dealing with friendships and playground drama, in high school the girls start talking about dating.
This year the program has been focused on body acceptance. McQueen said this is an issue that’s among young people today.
Registration for September’s Fit + Fierce program opened in March and already has a wait list of around 10 people. To join the list visit: http://fitfierce.ca/registration/. The walk will take place from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., starting at Bellerose High School.
Sweet treat
On May 12 a group of youth will be cheerfully selling ice-cold lemonade and freshly baked cookies to help raise funds for the Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada.
Tammy Farand, organizer behind the event, said she wanted to do something that would raise awareness around children and brain tumours.
“Brain tumours are the leading cause of cancer death in children under the age of 20,” she said. “We needed to get the kids involved to raise awareness.”
Farand has a personal connection with brain tumours, as both her sister and father died from the disease. They both died from glioblastoma tumours at the age of 67.
On May 26 she will participate in the Edmonton Brain Walk with her family and friends, called Farand’s - "For the Fight.” The lemonade and bake sale is part of her team’s initiative to raise awareness around the disease and the walk.
The lemonade and bake sale will take place from noon to 4 p.m. on Goodridge Drive.
