This was no ordinary recess.
But for nearly 200 students at Gabe P. Allen Charter School it was still all play.
“I’ve done running, catching the football, ” said Cheryl Flores.
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month these students celebrate their Latin roots while being active. Fourth-grader Cheryl Flores is all smiles and can hardly wait to tell her parents this…
“Guess what?” “I got to meet the Dallas Cowboys and we got to play with them,” said Flores.
Through the NFL’s Fútbol Americano Play 60 program, these fourth- and fifth-graders are out with the charge to get moving.
The purpose of NFL Play 60 is to encourage students like these active and moving for 60 minutes daily.
Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past three decades nationwide. Experts say nearly 25 percent of Texas children between the ages of 6 and 18 are considered overweight or obese. The NFL and Dallas Cowboys have made a commitment to this next generation of students to lead healthier lifestyles.
Brill Garrett, wife of Cowboys head football coach, Jason Garrett, is one of several coaches and players wives who volunteers at Allen through a reading partnership program, which started more than three years ago. Today, she encouraged students in support of Fútbol Americano.
“A few of our players as well as Rowdy, our mascot, are here to work with these kids outside reminding them that running and jumping is fun.”
