Through the National Sports Youth Program (NYSP), nearly 500 youth ages 8-16 participated in the Browns Play 60 Summer Challenge in association with University Hospitals and the American Heart Association. The Browns Play 60 movement contributes to the NFL's nationwide initiative to promote youth health and wellness by getting active at least 60 minutes each day. The Browns actively bring Play 60, in association with University Hospitals, to the local community throughout the year to ensure kids and families are learning about and taking steps toward a healthy lifestyle.
NYSP hosts summer camps at Case Western Reserve University each year for youth in the Greater Cleveland area. Most come from low-income homes on the Eastside of Cleveland and need somewhere to go, learn and grow during the summer months when school is out.
Youth from NYSP were part of the Browns Play 60 Summer Challenge, an exciting curriculum supported by the American Heart Association, focused on leading healthier lifestyles.
This group works hard to teach valuable life lessons of teamwork, perseverance and mental toughness through the vehicle of sport. Each summer the head coach and staff counselor welcome back camp alumni who want to become counselors.
The camp hosted a four-week challenge for the kids to get competitive with how many minutes of physical activity they could log each day. The Browns provided Play 60 Summer Challenge Kits for the youth to log and track each time they ran, played a sport or rode their bike.
Through football, basketball, swimming and more, camp instructors help lead the youth to at least 60 minutes of physical activity through rotations of various stations. With incentives like drawstring bags, wristbands and t-shirts provided by the Browns and University Hospitals, the kids were even more excited about pushing themselves to reach their goals and compete against other campers.
As the camp comes to an end, the Browns wanted to do something special for the youth who were committed to getting active for 60 minutes each day. The Browns came on site with mascot Chomps, football equipment and shirts for each and every participant.
Thanks to the American Heart Association and University Hospitals, the kids had a blast and they were able to learn the game we know and love. And if the Play 60 Summer Challenge couldn't get any better, the top-performers, tracking the most minutes logged, along with the most improved and most enthusiastic male and female, will receive a Cleveland Browns Play 60 jersey and matching pant set as a grand prize for all of their hard work and dedication.
To learn more about Play 60 and how your students, school or child can get involved, visit our website.
If you're looking for volunteer opportunities to give back to youth through programs like this, be sure to check out the Cleveland Browns First and Ten movement on our website! #give10
