Week 2: Need Statement

Childhood obesity remains high across the U.S., with about 17% of children and adolescents reported as obese¹. While state-level data for childhood obesity is more difficult to obtain, some counties in Texas report obesity levels for low-income preschoolers at 20% or greater¹. Additionally, obese children are five times more likely to become obese adults³, putting them at greater risk for heart disease, diabetes, and the high health care costs associated with these chronic conditions. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend at least 60 minutes a day of physical activity for children and adolescents², which can be difficult for families who have busy schedules. This difficulty can also be compounded by children who think of exercise as boring or a chore.

The BikeTexas KidsKup race series has provided a free, non-competitive, safe space for families to learn about bike safety and how fun bicycling can be to about 200 children per year since 1999. Even reluctant riders have left KidsKup events with big smiles and a feeling of accomplishment, and many of these children return for other races, bring friends along, and are more likely to ride at home after finding out how fun it is to ride with their peers at a race. BikeTexas would like to continue this important program to fight childhood obesity, and expand it to even more children across the state, particularly in low-income areas.

BikeTexas has sponsors that provide bike safety information, healthy snacks, race numbers, and medals for children who participate in KidsKup. However, to continue the program, BikeTexas needs a partner who is committed to fighting childhood obesity to provide for the staffing hours needed to plan and present 20 races per year. BikeTexas is requesting $10,000 per year ($5,000 per school semester) from your organization to reach more children across Texas with the joy of bike riding and messages about bike safety.


¹ CDC: Overweight and Obesity: Data and Statistics: Childhood Obesity Facts. (http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/childhood.html)
² CDC: Physical activity: How much physical activity do children need? (http://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/everyone/guidelines/children.html)
³ CDC News Room: New CDC Vital Signs: Obesity Declines Among Low-Income Preschoolers (http://www.cdc.gov/media/dpk/2013/dpk-vs-child-obesity.html#graphics)