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Volunteer State Media Give We Can!® Print and Broadcast Boost in Knox County, Tennessee

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Posted November 12, 2009

Tens of thousands of Knoxville, Tennessee, residents who turned on their local CBS television affiliate (WVLT) in mid-September had a chance to hear about how some Knox County families are trying to maintain a healthy weight through We Can!.

Screenshot of the online article about Knoxville We Can! programming

The station ran a report about the nearly 40 percent of children in Knox County who are overweight or obese, and then profiled efforts by the Knoxville Area Coalition on Childhood Obesity and its partners to reduce that number. East Tennessee Children's Hospital, a We Can! community site since 2008, is the driving force behind the coalition and was instrumental in making Knoxville and Knox County a We Can! City/County.

"The latest We Can!-oriented initiative was a joint effort by our local SUBWAY® restaurants, the Junior League of Knoxville, and Knox County Schools," said Coalition Coordinator and We Can! site leader Eleanor Stevens. "Local elementary schools and restaurants sold special We Can! wristbands in SUBWAY® colors, which gave students a dollar off of a SUBWAY® FRESH FIT FOR KIDS™ Meal through Oct. 15. It's a great way to bring greater awareness of We Can! in our community."

As you may recall, We Can! and SUBWAY® Restaurants announced their partnership at a P.E.P. (Play more, Eat right, and Push away the screen) Rally in Washington D.C., on March 25. The launch marked SUBWAY®'s commitment to helping promote We Can! nationwide through a joint marketing campaign integrating We Can! messaging and logo on doors, menu boards, and point-of-purchase materials at local SUBWAY® restaurants; We Can! promotion through Scholastic's Parent & Child magazine, and on both Scholastic's and SUBWAY®'s websites; $50,000 in funding for We Can! community-site trainings; and more.

The Junior League will use the proceeds to fund grants for childhood obesity programs through Knoxville schools and organizations, many of which have We Can! programming in place already.

Stevens was interviewed for the on-air story mentioning the wristband initiative, and she made sure to promote all three We Can! core messages—improved nutrition, increased physical activity, and reduced screen time.

But that's not all.

Stevens tells us of another We Can!-related effort getting coverage in Knox County. On September 18, the Knoxville News Sentinel ran a story on Knox County's Hardin Valley Elementary School, which is running a "Family Fitness Challenge" based on We Can! materials. The newspaper's more than 111,000 readers were able to read about the program's launch and its activities—led by a nutritionist and a physical education teacher—on the front page of the paper's Get Active section and also online.

After the "Challenge" concludes on Nov. 10, it will be assessed for efficacy. The Knoxville Area Coalition on Childhood Obesity will then explore how to expand it to additional schools in the area. Stay tuned to the We Can! eNewsletter and marketing documents for an update.

To take a look at the WVLT story, cut and paste the following link: http://www.volunteertv.com/health/headlines/59267142.html

Last Updated: February 13, 2013