Sister Cheryl Dazey, Franciscan Health Michigan City vice president of mission services, awards with a new mountain bike and other goodies St. Stanislaus Kostka Catholic School fourth-grader Darek Shatat, who completed the most miles and steps during a recent Healthy Kids Initiative fitness effort conducted in cooperation with the school, the hospital, local pediatrician Gerard Roberts, MD; the area YMCA , and MDwise, a state health insurance agency.
Besides the bicycle, the hospital donated $4,500 to be used for purchase of gym equipment. Thirteen fourth-graders took part in the 17-week program, which is expected to continue during the summer and resume in the fall. The children received other prizes for fitness accomplishment in myriad other activities, among them push-ups, sit-ups, squats and shuttle running. Darek completed 547 miles of steps, the most in the class, which totaled 3,083 miles. Besides information presented during discussions with the students, Dr. Roberts created a U of Chew computer app for the program that included information on healthy eating, as well as games and exercises.
