Yesterday, the U.S. Conference of Mayors announced the winners of the 2012 Childhood Obesity Prevention Awards during their 80th Winter Meeting in Washington, D.C. The awards went to cities with outstanding programs that focus on educating children and families about the importance of balancing calories and engaging in regular physical activity as ways to achieve a healthy, active and balanced lifestyle.

We partnered with the U.S. Conference of Mayors on this project to help communities address tough issues in meaningful and pragmatic ways.  Susan Neely, president and CEO of the American Beverage Association, was quoted in the news release as saying:

“We’re proud to be working with the U.S. Conference of Mayors on this initiative because of the positive impact it will have on families nationwide. We’re particularly excited to be growing community programs that are centered on reducing and preventing obesity throughout the country.”

The awards were divided into categories for small, medium and large cities, each including both first and second place honors.  An independent panel of judges evaluated the programs and selected the winners based on a number of criteria.  Check out the list of this year’s winners:

Large City

• 1st Place – Louisville (KY) Mayor Greg Fischer’s “Mayor’s Healthy Hometown Movement”

To support their Louisville Youth Advocates Program, a group of 50 young people who have assessed community needs will use that information to become advocates for change as well as young entrepreneurs by creating businesses that provide fresh fruits and vegetables to their “Health in a Hurry” corner store initiative.

• Outstanding Achievement – Houston (TX) Mayor Annise Parker’s “Recipe for Success”
The award will support their Rolling Green Market Initiative, a van that travels the city providing fresh produce to food desserts.

Medium City

• 1st Place – Allentown (PA) Mayor Ed Pawlowski’s “Fruits and Veggies on the Move”

The award will support a program that is the modern day version of the ice cream truck. A branded truck, loaded with fruits and vegetables, would travel to playgrounds and recreation sites throughout the city and offer free fruits and veggies to kids.

• Outstanding Achievement – Las Cruces (NM) Mayor Ken D. Miyagishima’s “Mayor's 5-2-1-0 Fitness and Nutrition Challenge”

The award will support the Mayor traveling to every third grade class in the city to challenge the students to do four things every day for the next 21 days (according to the applicant, it takes 21 days to change/break a habit) including eating 5 servings of fruits/vegetables and exercising for one hour every day.

Small City

• 1st Place – Lima (OH) Mayor David Berger’s “Healthy Living Hubs”

The award will support Healthy Living Hubs in three selected neighborhoods that are high poverty food deserts. Children and families living in and around these hubs will be provided with fitness classes, access to fresh produce via food-mobile, nutrition classes and more.

• Outstanding Achievement – Patterson (LA) Mayor Rodney Grogan’s “Mayor Takes it to the Streets”

The award will support the creation of a farmer's market accessible to low-income residents, improvement of play spaces and recreational facilities, and PSA campaigns that support healthy food choices and breastfeeding by new mothers, among other activities.

Congratulations to these mayors for their innovative programs!  This partnership with the U.S. Conference of Mayors builds upon long-standing work by the non-alcoholic beverage industry to be part of meaningful solutions to help reduce obesity by supporting nutrition education for children, strengthening communities and empowering consumers.  It’s another public-private partnership dedicated to making a real difference.