New Year. New Goals.

So, Kate and I just returned from a press conference on Activate Upstate. The collaborative effort between the YMCA, Furman University and The Greenville Hospital system, was just granted $350,000 for 3 years from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to work on decreasing the obesity level in Greenville County. They are going to initially focus on 3 area neighborhoods, Berea, Nicholtown and Sterling. Furman University did a study of childhood obesity a year ago that looked at the levels of obesity of our children in Greenville County. The study found that over 45% of our school children were either overweight or obese. With this significant grant, the hope is that our obesity levels will fall, thus making everyone in Greenville more active, healthier, happier and more vibrant.

I know that I have had a goal to lose weight, personally, for a year or so. I look at this as a personal challenge for, not only myself, but those around me. Friends, family, loved ones, coworkers. Everyone that I consider important to me. So, I think I'll take the Activate Upstate Challenge this year. You should too. Go to The Carolina First Center at 4PM on Tuesday, January 19th to weigh in (don't worry, it's confidential). The process is VERY easy and only takes a small amount of your time. And, if you're one of the first 1,000 folks, you'll get a free, limited-edition, t-shirt. Can't beat that.

So, dust off the running shoes. Get out the workout shorts. Grab an old t-shirt (or get one on Tuesday) and join Greenville Forward in getting healthier. I mean, if we do this each year, we are gonna look FANTASTIC in 2025!