Living Young, Fit, and Energized (LYFE)

The Junior League of Little Rock has approved a new two-year partnership with Positive Atmosphere Reaching Kids (P.A.R.K.), an after school and summer program for at-risk youth, to promote nutrition and wellness. The partnership will promote JLLR’s strategic goal of decreasing childhood obesity by increasing access to healthy foods and opportunities for physical activities.

Students enter the P.A.R.K. program in 8th or 9th grade after multiple interviews and a rigorous selection process. P.A.R.K.’s goal for students is to help ensure graduation from high school, as well as individual growth over a 5-year student commitment. JLLR will focus partnering with the P.A.R.K. GEMS, an organization within P.A.R.K. that is open to all young ladies enrolled at P.A.R.K. The group meets on a weekly basis and currently has 100 students enrolled.

In the first year of the project JLLR will focus on the Cooking Matters curriculum and in the second year will focus on physical activity with a GEMS on the Move program. There will be 16 placements for JLLR members on the P.A.R.K. committee and it will be a spring placement.